Uterine cancer is also known as endometrial cancer. It is a cancer which begins in the lining of the uterus. The uterus is the part of a woman's body where the fetus develops. Uterine cancer is one of those rare cancers in India, which can be diagnosed in its early stages. This is because excessive vaginal bleeding occurs, thus making it a very serious and an apparent symptom. It is also one of the few forms of cancer which can be cured as removing the uterus is often more than enough to cure the patient of uterine cancer.

Here are the causes, diagnosis and treatment of uterine cancer:

Causes

The exact cause of uterine cancer is not yet known, however, there is a theory on what causes uterine cancer. Hormones in a woman's body have been thought to increase the chances of getting uterine cancer. This is because it has long been thought that having high levels of estrogen is the cause of uterine cancer. Increased estrogen thickens the endometrium and thus, increases the likelihood of uterine cancer.

Diagnosis

There are several tests used to diagnose whether you have uterine cancer including:

1. Pelvic exam: This is an examination in which the vagina, bladder, rectum and uterus are scanned for lumps. If they are found, it might be due to uterine cancer.
2. Pap test: A pap test is a special test designed to scan for uterine cancer.
3. Transvaginal ultrasound: A transvaginal ultrasound uses high-intensity sound waves so that pictures of the uterus can be taken.
4. Biopsy: During a biopsy, the doctor will remove tissue from the endometrium and it will then be analyzed for cancerous growths.

Treatment

1. Surgery: This is the most common treatment as it removes the entire uterus and prevents the spreading of the cancer.
2. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy involves giving drugs which kill cancerous cells. They are given through either an intravenous line or even in pill form.
3. Hormone therapy: This is a therapy in which either progesterone levels are increased or estrogen levels are decreased.
4. Radiation therapy: In this treatment, high energy laser beams are used to destroy cancerous cells.

Uterine Cancer - Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment

Uterine fibroids are referred to as benign, abnormal growths which tend to develop in the uterine walls of a woman. The size of such growths can range from a few centimeters to even excess of a few inches. As such, they can cause the uterus to increase to the size of a five month pregnancy. Although, the symptoms of fibroids are not always apparent, they often cause heavy bleeding and pain in women. A recent research concluded that around 60 to 75 percent women contract such fibroids by the age of 50, at least once in their life.

Depending on the site of formation, uterine fibroids are distinguished into different types. Intramural fibroids in the lining of the uterus and subserosal fibroids which develop outside the uterus are the most commonly observed fibroids.

What causes Uterine Fibroids?
Although, the exact reason for the formation of fibroids are obscure, medical professionals have determined certain factors that may affect their formation. Some of them are:
1) Hormones: Progesterone and estrogen, produced by the ovaries regenerate the uterine lining during each menstrual cycle and trigger the growth of fibroids.
2) Family history: If you have had a family history of uterine fibroids, then you&#x2019;re likely to develop the condition yourself as well.
3) Pregnancy: The production of progesterone and estrogen increases during pregnancy which increases the likelihood of fibroids.

What are the signs of the condition?
Depending on the location and size of the tumors, symptoms of such fibroids include:
1) Heavy bleeding and blood clots during periods
2) Pain in the pelvis
3) Frequent menstrual cramps
4) Pressure and pain in the lower abdomen
5) Swelling in the abdomen
6) Pain while intercourse

What is the procedure of the treatment?
Ultrasound and pelvic MRI are common diagnostic procedures to check for uterine fibroids. After diagnosis, depending on your age, size of the fibroid and your comprehensive health, the doctor would prescribe you with appropriate medications. Only after medications prove futile, doctors opt for minimally invasive surgeries.


Causes and Symptoms of Uterine Fibroids

Herniated disc, bulged disc, protruded intervertebral disc (PIVD) are the different names of one condition. This is a condition where- disc in between the two vertebral bodies starts peeping out on one side- anterior or posterior. These discs are just like the bags filled with liquid material, which work like shock-absorbent. There are several hard bony vertebrae in the vertebral column and there is plenty of movements with these vertebrae. When we look on one side to other side, we look upwards, downwards or we twist and even we bend forward or backward in each and every condition, there will be a movement in these bones, these discs decide the free movements of the spine. Along with this- when we walk or run there will be shocks and jerks to all these bones and these bags decide that there won't be any kind of jerks in between the bones. So, these discs are of multiple uses.

Our spine is inverted  S  shaped. There are two main curvatures in the spine which are free to move- Cervical and Lumbar curvatures. These curvatures of the spine are maintained due to the spaces in between the two vertebrae. Whenever there is a loss or change (specially reduction) of this space between two vertebrae- pressure will be exerted on the intervertebral discs. This uneven pressure on the disc causes- protrusion/bulge/herniation of the disc- this is the condition known as SLIPPED DISC, in layman language. Why does disc slip

Generally, slipped disc condition is diagnosed by its signs and symptoms. When slipped disc starts exerting pressure on the nerves surround the disc- the nerve will be excited which gives the sensation of- Pain, Burning or Numbness in the related area of the nerve. This sensation can travel long far away to the areas, which are being supplied by the nerve and can be limited to a particular location in neck or back even. Sign & Symptoms of Slipped Disc.

Ayurveda about Slipped Disc

Where modern medical (Surgical) sciences believes that this is a problem of just bones and joints of the vertebral disc besides this Ayurveda takes a  Wholistic  (Complete and wholesome) approach towards this and tells that this is a problem at three levels-

Mamsa Dhatu, Asthi Dhatu, Majja Dhatu!!
These are different tissue levels according to Ayurveda- Mamsa is muscles, Asthi represents bones and the Majja denotes everything which is in between and in the bones.
Mamsa (the muscles) starts stiffening due to the dryness   improper diet and imbalanced lifestyle and deteriorate the curvature of the spine- which leads to the deterioration of the intervertebral discs.
Asthi (the bony tissue) is affected due to the muscles.
Majja (the disc and the neural tissue- spine) is compressed due to the pressure and all effects.
So, we need to treat the condition, wisely and in a wholesome manner, rather just to removal of the protruded tissues (Laminotomy) and this is the basic reason- there are risks associated with the surgery of the spine and in almost more than 45% cases patients had to go for a second surgery to stay pain free. Why Surgery for spine doesn t succeed. Secondly, this is a mechanical problem so medicines alone can give you temporary relief rather than the cure-  So better you save your money and invest it on complete cure for the problem, rather than just taking the pain killers and medicines which were indicated in epilepsy to just reduce the signs and symptoms.



Slipped Disc - How Can Ayurveda Avert It?

It is very common for women to have heavy and painful periods or have a feeling of fullness in the lower abdomen. Although, it may not sound very alarming these could be the symptoms of uterine fibroids. These are the most common types of benign tumours found in women. The fibroids are basically some tissues and muscle cells that grow within the uterus, outside the uterus, or along the wall of the uterus. The fibroids are usually benign and asymptomatic and do not require any treatment unless they cause problems. 

Know the causes 

Though the exact cause of fibroid formation is not known, it is believed that the female hormones estrogen and progesterone have a role to play in their formation. Fibroids are formed only when a woman is producing these hormones and they are not seen in women in non-reproductive age i.e. before starting of menses or after stoppage of menses (menopause). If fibroids are persisting even after menopause or especially if increasing in size then it is an alarming sign. Such a fibroid needs to be taken care of immediately. 

What are the symptoms? 

Fibroids often remain quiet for long periods of time. They cause nonspecific symptoms in the pelvis and abdomen including: 

Fullness in the abdomen 
Low back pain 
Irregular menstruation 
Cramping with menstruation 
Painful sex 
Increased urgency to urinate 
Anemia, leading to tiredness and weakness 
Infertility Diagnosing the fibroids 
When these symptoms are recurrent, it is good to confirm the diagnosis. This can happen with a pelvic exam followed by ultrasound scanning to confirm the size and location of the fibroids. A blood test also may be done to confirm anemia, which is common due to heavy periods.

Treatment Options 

Management of fibroids can range from doing nothing to periodic monitoring to surgical removal. 

If pain and heavy bleeding are the only symptoms, then pain killers like ibuprofen should suffice for symptomatic relief. Anemia, if severe, may require iron supplementation. 
Embolization is an option which shrinks the fibroid, at the same time preserving the uterus. The blood flow to the fibroid is cut off, thereby preventing its further growth. It takes about 1 to 3 hours and requires some bed rest after the procedure. There could be some pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding, which will gradually subside. The fibroids may grow back, but the benefits of keeping the uterus are definitely there. This is suitable in case of single fibroid with specific blood supply. 
The next surgical option is myomectomy, where the portion of the uterus which contains the fibroid alone is removed. This is done in women who still wish to get pregnant and in women who would like to retain the uterus. This can also be achieved laparoscopically( key hole surgery). In such cases, fibroids are cut into small pieces and then removed from the body. This procedure should be done by a doctor specialised in advanced gynecological endoscopy as all this cutting should be done in a bag to avoid any spillage of cells inside the abdominal cavity. This procedure is known as Laparoscopic Myomectomy with In-bag Moecellation. 
In women who have crossed their pregnancy phase, hysterectomy or complete removal of the uterus is advised. In these women, the bleeding and pain may not have subsided even after years of treatment with hormones. The growing fibroids could be pressing on the adjacent organs, causing pressure. This is the only definitive treatment and should be done in women have completed their family and don t desire to be pregnant. 
Myomectomy and hysterectomy may be done laparoscopically or with an open method depending on the overall health, the size and location of the fibroids in the uterus.

Uterine Fibroid - How Removing Them Will Help You?

Ultra sound is commonly known as sonography. It is a process of reproducing ultrasound images of soft tissues of a particular body part and other organs on the computer screen with the help of the echoes of the sound waves produced by the transducer, a high-frequency generating instrument.
Ultra sound is commonly used during the different stages of pregnancy to denote the foetal health, the foetal sex, date of delivery, birth defects etc. However, in recent times, the ultra sound has also been associated with the diagnosis of other body parts such as the eyes, heart, gall bladder, liver, ovary, uterus, kidney, uterus, testicles, and ovaries. Ultra sound has also been useful in conducting biopsies for suspecting cancer patients, although not all of the cancers are detected by this imaging process. 3D & 4D ultrasound imaging are useful for looking at a particular body portion with much more precision and in slow motion respectively.

The advantages of ultra sound are:
1. The process of ultrasound imaging is a painless and a fast one. It does not require any insertion of needles or similar objects to denote the problems of the concerned body part.
2. The process is more convenient as compared to other similar imaging processes like MRI, mammogram and x-rays as they can capture images of the soft tissues, blood flow & cysts more clearly than the other processes.
3. The process is free of any harmful effects as there are no chances of exposure to radiation as compared to similar processes such as CT scans or X-rays.

Ultrasound - How it is Beneficial over Other Imaging Techniques?

The human skull is composed of several plates and pieces of bones. The roof of the skull is the top of your head. The base of the skull is, however, a complex area. It consists of 5 bones. These bones are also linked to your eye socket, the cavity of the nose, the sinuses and the bones of the inner ear. Surgery through the skull base can be quite complicated as quite a few nerves, blood vessels and opening of the spinal cord pass through this region.

When does Endoscopic Skull Based Surgery become necessary?
An endoscopic skull based surgery is performed to remove tumours of the brain. The tumour might be benign or malignant - this procedure is effective against both. This surgery can also be performed to cure any abnormality on the underside of the brain, the upper vertebrae of the spinal cord or the base of the skull.

Other conditions that may necessitate an endoscopic skull base surgery are -
  Cysts in the brain
  Swelling caused by infections
  Pituitary tumours
  Meningioma
  Chordomas
  Trigeminal neuralgia
  Cerebrospinal fluid fistulas
  Cerebral aneurysm

What to expect during this Surgery?
Since the base of the skull is a complicated region, surgery requires a delicate approach. That is why endoscopy is used. It is a minimally invasive procedure.
Right before the surgery, you will be put under general anaesthesia. Your skull has two natural openings- the nose and the mouth. Usually, the surgeon inserts the minute surgical instruments through the nose or the mouth. Sometimes, a tiny hole is drilled right above the eyebrows. A tiny camera mounted on a lighted tube will be led into your brain through the cavity that will send a live feed from the inside. This will direct the surgeons who will gently remove the growth or fix the abnormalities.
A team of doctors with different specializations such as ENT, radiology, neurosurgery come together to perform this surgery.

Complementary Procedures -
Depending on the kind of tumour being removed or the stage it was detected in, you might have to undergo any of the following in addition to endoscopic surgery-
  Chemotherapy
  Radiation
  Particle Therapy
  Proton Beam Therapy

Post Surgery Care -
After the surgery, you will have to stay in the clinic or hospital for a number of days where your progress will be constantly monitored. You will require therapy and undergo MRI scans.
Endoscopic skull base surgery is very effective in dealing with tumours and abnormalities of the brain or the upper spinal cord. Keep your family and friends around you during the recovery phase as their love and support will help you get back to your normal lifestyle in no time.

Know More About Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery Through Brain!

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