Dr. Uday Pawar

The uterus is a very important organ within the human reproductive system as this is the chamber where an embryo grows into a baby. Due to a multitude of factors, the incidence of uterine cancer has been on the rise. Let's look at some of its symptoms.

Symptoms of uterine cancer: When cells within the uterus grow abnormally and turn malignant, it may be termed as uterine cancer. This may be in the form of a fibroid or tumor or be part of the uterine tissue itself. It may be caused due to a multitude of factors such as late menopause, radiation exposure, estrogen treatments and many others. Some of the common symptoms for uterine cancer could be:

• Pain in the abdomen, lower back and especially the pelvic area.
• Pain during urination,
• Weight loss without any apparent reason
• Vaginal bleeding with or without discharge
• Pain during sex

Stages of uterine cancer: Before we understand the stages of uterine cancer you need to know how doctors diagnose the various stages. This is done by the three following steps in the TNM method:

1. Tumor: Doctors try and search for tumors and locate them within the uterus, estimate its size and whether it is malignant or not.
2. Node: If the tumor is malignant, then doctors try to find out whether the tumor has reached the lymph nodes or not.
3. Metastasis: Doctors look for Metastasis, which is whether the cancer has spread to other organs within the body and to what extent.

Stages of cancer: Cancer is primarily grouped in five stages from 0 to V according to the T, N and M stages mentioned below.

• Stage 0 - This is a very early stage of cancer where the cells have malignant growth but are still small in number and haven't spread anywhere.
• Stage I - If the cancer has developed a little, but is restricted within the uterus, it is considered as stage one. This is also further divided into Stage 1A and 1B.
• Stage II - When the cancer has started spreading, but only to some parts of the cervix from the uterus, it is diagnosed as stage 2 uterine cancer.
• Stage III - Categorized into Stage IIIA, Stage IIIB, Stage IIIC1 and Stage IIIC2, it is primarily where the cancer has spread to other organs, but it is only limited to the pelvic area.
• Stage IV A - When the cancer has gone beyond the pelvic area and also spread to the rectum and bladder area.
• Stage IV B - This is where the cancer has metastasized in the groin area or gone to other organs within the body as well.

Nasopharynx cancer is a very unusual type of cancer. In this medical condition, cancer cells affect the nasopharynx region, which is the uppermost part of your pharynx. The cells start growing from the upper region of the throat and can spread up to your head. Nasopharynx is a very important passage of your body placed right behind your nose, which connects your nose to your mouth and allows you to breathe. Thus, if this crucial region gets affected by the growth of cancer cells, severe difficulties and health problems may crop up.

The primary cause of nasopharynx cancer is infection. There are other causes, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, working with specific chemicals or wood dust.

The most common symptoms of nasopharynx cancer are mentioned below:

• Difficulties in vision and speech
• Ear infections
• Nose bleeding
• Loss of hearing
• Frequent headaches

Nasopharynx cancer cause serious problems to the ear-nose-throat region. Ayurveda offers effective remedies for treating nasopharynx cancer. A few of the remedies are mentioned below:

1. Exclude salt in your diet and also avoid sea fishes or fishes containing salt.
2. Practice good hygiene, since, nasopharynx cancer is primarily caused due to virus infections, practicing healthy habits like washing hands before and after food can prove to be helpful.
3. Avoid smoking and drinking as it smoking and alcohol consumption will only worsen your condition.
4. Certain breathing exercises may help you to cope up with the problem better.
5. Panchakarma therapy which helps to clean your body from harmful toxins which may prove to be helpful.
6. Also many Ayurvedic herbs and essential oils can effectively treat nasopharynx cancer.

Step 1: Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips.

Here's what you should look for:

Breasts that are their usual size, shape, and color

Breasts that are evenly shaped without visible distortion or swelling

If you see any of the following changes, bring them to your doctor's attention:

Dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin

A nipple that has changed position or an inverted nipple (pushed inward instead of sticking out)

Redness, soreness, rash, or swelling

Step 2: now, raise your arms and look for the same changes.

Step 3: while you're at the mirror, look for any signs of fluid coming out of one or both nipples (this could be a watery, milky, or yellow fluid or blood).

Step 4: next, feel your breasts while lying down, using your right hand to feel your left breast and then your left hand to feel your right breast. Use a firm, smooth touch with the first few finger pads of your hand, keeping the fingers flat and together. Use a circular motion, about the size of a quarter.

Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side — from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage.

Follow a pattern to be sure that you cover the whole breast. You can begin at the nipple, moving in larger and larger circles until you reach the outer edge of the breast. You can also move your fingers up and down vertically, in rows, as if you were mowing a lawn. This up-and-down approach seems to work best for most women. Be sure to feel all the tissue from the front to the back of your breasts: for the skin and tissue just beneath, use light pressure; use medium pressure for tissue in the middle of your breasts; use firm pressure for the deep tissue in the back. When you've reached the deep tissue, you should be able to feel down to your ribcage.
 

Step 5: finally, feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting. Many women find that the easiest way to feel their breasts is when their skin is wet and slippery, so they like to do this step in the shower. Cover your entire breast, using the same hand movements described in step 4.