Bladder Cancer - Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Care

By Steve Batchelor

Over 10,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer in the UK each year and over 50,000 annually in the US. It accounts for 90% of cancers of the urinary tract (renal pelvis, ureters, bladder and urethra) and occurs mostly in those over 50 and about twice as many men as women gets this disease. Although bladder cancer cannot be prevented, tobacco use and working with certain chemicals are associated with a higher risk of developing the disease.
Drinking plenty of fluids daily can help to lower the risk. The symptoms of bladder cancer include pain and frequency of urination and blood in the urine.

Diagnosis of bladder cancer is by urological testing and image testing, potential risk factors can be determined by the patient's full medical history and things like smoking and exposure to dyes are taken into consideration. The NMP22®BladderChek® is a noninvasive urine test which detects elevated levels of nuclear matrix protein (NMP) caused by bladder cancer, the results of this test when used with cystoscopy have shown to be more effective than other diagnostic tests.

Various imaging tests can also be performed, these involve a dye being administered through a vein then x-rays are taken as the dye moves through the urinary tract. This provides information about the function of the bladder, ureters and kidneys. Other imaging tests include a CT scan, MRI scan, bone scan and ultrasound. If bladder cancer is suspected a cystoscopy and biopsy are performed. With a cystoscopy a thin telescope-like tube with a tiny camera attached is inserted into the bladder through the urethra to detect abnormalities. In biopsy, tissue samples are taken and examined for cancer cells.

Once is has been determined that a tumor exists, the next step is to clarify the tumor's status. The size of the tumor, where it lies, whether it has extended into surrounding tissue and whether it has spread to the lymph nodes or other sites in the body are all questions that need to be answered. The tumor's stage or depth of penetration is confined to one of two categories; (1) superficial, surface tumors which affect only the bladder lining or (2) invasive, deep spreading tumors which grow into the deeper layers of the bladder tissue, and may involve surrounding muscle, fat and nearby organs.

Treatment of bladder cancer depends on the stage of the disease, type of cancer and the patient's age and general health. Options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy. Surgery can include removing the bladder, prostate and lymph nodes which results in the patient requiring an external urinary appliance, but if caught in the early stages a tumor can be removed using instruments inserted through the urethra.

Chemotherapy is systemic treatment that uses drugs to destroy the cancer cells which are administered orally or intravenously. In patients with the early stages of bladder cancer drugs may be infused into the bladder through the urethra. Some side effects of chemotherapy can be severe and include headache, abdominal pain, blurred vision, fatigue, excessive bleeding, infection and weakness.

Radiation uses high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells. External beam radiation is emitted from a machine outside the body and internal radiation is emitted from pellets implanted into the tumor. Either type may be used after surgery to destroy remaining cancer cells. Side effects can include inflammation of the rectum, skin irritation, fibrosis and impotence.

Immunotherapy may be used in cases of superficial bladder cancer. The treatment enhances the immune system's ability to fight disease. A vaccine is infused through the urethra to the bladder once a week for 6 weeks to stimulate the immune system and destroy cancer cells. Side effects can be inflammation of the bladder, inflammation of the prostate and flu-like symptoms. Bladder cancer has a high rate of recurrence. Urine cytology and cystoscopy are performed every 3 months for 2 years, every 6 months for the next 2 years and then yearly.

Steve Batchelor is the webmaster at www.cancerhelpguides.info where you can find relevant and informative information on many different cancer types. He also recommends infogoldmine for more info on cancer treatments and care as well as many other subjects.

Warts - Causes, Symptoms, Information with Treatment

By Juliet Cohen

Warts are small harmless tumors of the skin caused by a virus called the human papillomavirus. The HPV virus causes a hard protein called keratin in the top layer of the skin (the epidermis) to grow too much, producing the rough, hard texture of a wart. Warts are usually harmless, but they can look unattractive. They often clear up by themselves, although treatment can help to get rid of them more quickly. Warts arent normally painful, although verrucas can sometimes hurt. Warts are very contagious. It is also possible to get warts from using towels or other objects that were used by a person who has warts. Warts on the genitals are very contagious and can be passed to another person during oral, vaginal or anal sex . It is important not to have unprotected sex if you or your partner has warts on the genital area. Warts can grow on the cervix (inside the vagina), and a woman may not know she has them. She may pass the infection to her sexual partner without knowing it. They typically disappear after a few months but can last for years and can reoccur. A few papilloma viruses are known to cause cervical cancer.

A wart is generally a small, rough tumor , typically on hands and feet, that can resemble a cauliflower or a solid blister. The technical name for a wart is verruca vulgaris. There are a wide variety of warts, which are named by their appearance or location. Warts can grow on all parts of your body. They can grow on your skin, on the inside of your mouth, on your genitals and on your rectal area. Contrary to popular belief, warts do not have "roots". They only grow in the top layer of skin, the epidermis. When they grow down, they displace the second layer of skin, the dermis. They do not grow into the dermis. The underside of a wart is actually smooth. There are several types of warts common warts (around nails on the fingers and toes), foot warts (also called plantar warts and located on the soles of the feet), flat warts (flatter and smoother than other warts, they grow in great numbers at any one time. Found on children's faces and the beards of men and legs of women-irritation from shaving could account for this). It is reasonable to have all warts treated since they can spread to other parts of the body and to other people.
Warts are treated either by using salicylic acid, cryotherapy (freezing), or electrodessication (burning).

Causes of Warts

Find common causes and risk factors of Warts :

• Warts are caused by direct contact with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Some types of HPV tend to cause warts on your hands, fingers or near your fingernails.
• By sharing towels, razors, or other personal items it can spread to others.
• Picking or scratching the wart may cause the virus to spread.
• HPV can enter the skin through cuts or scratches on the plantar area of the foot.

Signs and Symptoms of Warts

Sign and symptoms may include the following :

• Flesh-colored, white, pink or tan.
• Small, fleshy, grainy bumps.
• Rough to the touch.
• Treatment for Warts

Treatment may include:

• Laser treatments (e.g., CO2 laser cautery) can be used to treat warts.
• Duct tape occlusion therapy.
• Applied manually.

Cryotherapy involves freezing warts with a very cold solution, that destroys the virus.
Self-treatment for warts using an over-the-counter preparation is not recommended.
Juliet Cohen writes articles on diseases and conditions and skin disorders. She also writes articles on herbal home remedies

Brain Tumor Symptoms

By Glenn Dahlenburg

My father recently was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he exhibited some of normal Brain Tumor Symptoms. However he did not have all the typical symptoms of a brain tumor, this is quite common for someone to only exhibit a selection of the normal brain tumor symptoms.
So what are the brain tumor symptoms you should look out for?

Brain Tumor Symptoms are very much related to where in the brain the tumor is located.
This is a short summary of what symptoms are related to which part of the brain.

Frontal lobe – Tumors in the Frontal lobe can cause the following: changes in personality or intellect, unco-ordination especially in walking, some weakness usually in one side of the body, some speech difficulties.

Parietal lobe – Tumors in the Parietal lobe can cause the following: difficulty in understanding words reading and writing, problems with movements especially co-ordination of movements, disorientation numbers and calculations, weakness on one side of the body.

Occipital lobe - Tumors in the Occipital lobe can cause the following: vision impairment especially on one side.

Temporal lobe - Tumors in the Temporal lobe can cause the following: Fits, strange feelings like fear or familiarity like dé jà vu, unusual smells, blackouts, difficulties with speech, memory problems.

Cerebellum - Tumors in the Cerebellum can cause the following: Co-ordination affecting walking and speech, unsteadiness, involuntary movement of the eyes - flickering, vomiting and nausea, neck stiffness.

Brain stem - Tumors in the Brain Stem can cause the following: Unsteadiness usually un-coordinated walking, Facial weakness can be one-sided smile or eyelid that droops, vision issues usually double vision, speaking and swallowing difficulties.

As you can see the different tumors exhibit different symptoms. You need to look out for any brain tumor symptoms and if there appears to be a problem get it check by a qualified medical person immediately.

Having recently had his father diagnosed with a brain tumor, Glenn has first hand knowledge and experience of just what can happen with brain tumors and how the person, family and friends can all be affected. Author of the popular website http://www.dadsbraintumor.com/ and the blog http://brain-tumor.blogspot.com/