India is slowing making its way towards the top listed countries with the maximum number of cancer patients. It actually ranks third in the world after China and the USA. The statistics are alarming. While genes play a part in determining who will contract cancer and who won’t, you can still reduce your chances of getting it, if you spot the signs early on and seek treatment right away. Read on to learn about the most common types of cancer in the country and some of their symptoms.
Breast Cancer
The incident rate of this disease is 25.8 among 10,000 women in India. And the mortality rate is around 12.7 in 10,000.
The symptoms of breast cancer are-
A lump in the breast
Change in the shape of the breasts or nipples
Pain in the breasts
Retraction of the nipple
Discharge of blood from the nipples
If you notice any of these symptoms, consult a doctor who will recommend mammography. A woman who has reached her 40s should opt for regular mammography. And every woman should perform self-examination as soon as she turns 20.
Oral Cancer
Of all the reported oral cancer incidents around the world, 86% of the cases are from India. The chief reason why so many cases of oral cancer arise in India is due to the inclination of Indians for tobacco consumption. Alcohol too contributes to it. Detected in the early stages, oral cancer may not be fatal. Here are some signs you need to watch out for-
Ulcers in the mouth
Teeth falling out prematurely
Voice becoming harsh
Pain while swallowing saliva and food
Kicking the habit of smoking and excessive drinking is suggested. But if you cannot quit, make sure you regularly check your mouth for abnormalities.
Cervical Cancer
The cervix is present at the lowermost part of the uterus. And cancer of this organ is shockingly common. Some of the symptoms of cervical cancer are-
Bleeding between periods
Unnatural discharge
Bleeding after sex
Pain the lower abdomen
Cervical cancer can be detected through a PAP smear test.
Lung Cancer
It is one of the leading causes of death in India. Both first hand and passive smoking can lead to it. some of the symptoms are-
Breathlessness and hoarse voice
Pain in the chest
Blood while coughing
Try avoiding smoking at all costs. Wearing a pollution mask will help. Cancer can be lethal. But the right action at the right time can save you.
Cancer is the most dreaded disease of our times. There are many different types of cancer depending on the organ it originates from. Some of the most common types of cancer include breast cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, and skin cancer. Cancer can affect men, women, and children of all ages. The exact cause of cancer is unknown and though there are many things one can do to reduce the risk of cancer, it cannot be completely prevented. Advancements in modern medicine have helped a relief for many types of cancer. Though homeopathy is said to have no side effects, but it is important not to self-medicate and to follow the doctor’s prescription.
On the other hand, homeopathy can help treat cancer without as many side effects. This is because all homeopathic remedies are made from plant, animal, or mineral matter. Homeopathy is a holistic form of medication that addresses and cures the root cause of the issue. This form of medication is dependent on the symptoms being exhibited as well as the patient’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Two patients suffering from the same types of cancer may be prescribed different medications based on their physical structure and emotional state. Thus, a homeopathic remedy must always be customized for a patient. Homeopathy can be prescribed for children and adults of all ages and can be beneficial to the treatment of various types of cancer at varying stages.
Homeopathy is often used alongside other forms of therapy for cancer. This form of the medication does not interfere with other drugs being taken, radiation, chemotherapy etc. Given the serious aggressive nature of most types of cancer, homeopathy is not usually advised as a standalone form of treatment. Along with treating the cancerous cells, homeopathy can also help relieve secondary symptoms. For example, it can help reduce stress, pain, fatigue, nausea etc. It can also help deal with the side effects of other forms of treatment.
When taking homeopathic medication, it is important to remember that the treatment works slowly. Hence, patience is a must. Stopping treatment midway will not have any side effects but will not do the person any good either. Similarly, changing medication or the dosage of a medicine will not always help. Though homeopathy is said to have no side effects, very high doses can sometimes have side effects. Thus, it is important not to self-medicate and to follow the doctor’s prescription.
Breast cancer is most common cancer in women but can occur in men as well. It follows the same path as any other cancer, the cells start growing at an alarming rate and can even spread to other parts of the body. These cells form a cluster or a lump inside the breast and it’s usually a noticeable lump. Breast cancers can originate at any part of the breast or the arm pit.
Breast cancer does not always mean there will be a lump though, sometimes it can be detected through a screening mammogram, especially, programmed to detect cancers at an early stage even before the symptoms start to show or can be felt.
Yet there are a lot of telling signs of breast cancer that might go unnoticed by the untrained eye, so for your benefit, here are some questions that you should ask yourself:
Does your nipple/breast feel unusual? Signs of this include;
Does your nipple/breast look unusual? Signs of this include;
uneven breasts, where one side is more swollen or has shrivelled
your nipple might be turning inwards or looks inverted
small indentations or dimpling of the breast
colour of the nipple might change due to inflammation and redness
Is there any discharge from your nipple? If you see your nipple discharging fluids and you are not lactating then check the colour of the discharge. It could be bloody, clear liquid or a yellow discharge.
Are the veins in your breasts prominent? If the veins in your breasts have become visible and easily noticeable then it is a sign that you should get checked for breast cancer.
Though breast cancer is a deadly disease, breast cancer detected at an early stage is often curable. In our country, one of eight women is suffering from this breast cancer.
Breast cancer note often presents as a small lump in the breast which can be detected by various methods by increasing the awareness of methods of detection.
The most easiest and most important way of detection is self breast examination. Self breast examination is a simple and easy exam that one can do themselves. To make it simple, it's just looking for any changes in nipple or architecture of breast and axilla. If any lump or nipple discharge is present, then consulting an oncologist and get a mammography done to identify the lesion is one of the easiest and practical things in detecting breast cancer.
The detection of early breast cancer can provide an opportunity to improve the breast conservation rate and cure the disease.
What do Sheryl Crow, Kylie Minogue and Angelina Jolie have in common; they are all breast cancer survivors. Being diagnosed with cancer is a scary thought but it should come as a relief that many types of cancer can be cured, breast cancer being one of them. However, this depends largely on the stage of diagnosis. Hence, it is essential to understand and recognize the symptoms of this disease.
Breast cancer can affect men and women. However, it is more common amongst women. A lump in the breast is usually the first sign of breast cancer. This may feel like a small pea or make part of the breast tissue denser thereby changing the contours of the breast. Some people may also notice a clear discharge from the nipple. This can be easily felt during a routine breast examination at home. If you feel something along these lines, you must consult a doctor immediately.
Along with a physical examination, your doctor may ask for a biopsy of the breast tissue, blood tests, X rays etc to determine a breast cancer diagnosis. If you do have breast cancer, these tests will also help the doctor find out what stage the cancer is at. There are 4 stages of breast cancer:
Treatment for breast cancer depends on many factors including the type of cancer, the speed at which it is growing, the stage of diagnosis and the patient’s overall health.
Breast cancer is a very common form of cancer that develops in the cells of your breast. Cancer typically forms in either the ducts of your breast (the pathway through which milk reaches the nipples from the glands) or the lobules (the glands which produce milk).
Breast cancer can affect both males and females. However, it is more commonly observed in women aged between 45-55 years.
Look out for these symptoms!
Signs and symptoms of breast cancer include the following-
What are the risk factors?
What is the treatment for breast cancer?
After a thorough evaluation of your overall health condition, your doctor will determine the options to treat your breast cancer depending on the type, size and stage of the cancer. The usual methods of curing breast cancer are-
The rate of survival for breast cancer has increased in recent times owing to modern treatment techniques. Nearly 90% of breast cancer patients survive for at least 5 years after the treatment is done.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women about 1 in 8 women in the USA develop invasive breast cancer. The incidence of breast cancer has increased with changes in lifestyle including smoking, drinking and loss of physical activity. The risk factors are age, ethnicity and family history cannot be changed. However, there are some risk factors that can definitely be acted upon to reduce the chances of developing breast cancer.
These will help reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, early detection, and improved prognosis.
The presence of a lump or a tumor in the breast is not always indicative of breast cancer. In some instances, the breast tumor can be benign or noncancerous as well. Thus, to understand breast cancer better, one should know the difference between a benign and malignant breast tumor. In this article, we will discuss the factors that differentiate a benign breast tumor from a malignant one.
Breast Fibroadenomas
Differences between Benign and Malignant Breast Tumors
Such things seldom take place in the case of benign breast tumors.
Breasts are glandular secreting organs with 15 -20 lobes with ducts opening in the nipple to secret milk. Breast tumours usually arise from the cells of milk sacs. There are certain signs which shouldn't be ignored to prevent and cure cases of breast cancer namely, pain, lump, hardness in lump, bleeding, red spots, boils, puckering and skin lesions. The swelling on axillary lymph nodes should also be considered as a factor. If uncontrolled, it spreads to bones too.
Long term usage of estrogen hormone has got some footing in being a cause of breast cancer but the exact cause is unknown. Allopathy offers the trinity of RCS (radiation, chemotherapy and surgery) as an option that has got it's own pros and cons.
Homeopathy if combined with cupping therapy can work wonders in curing breast cancers if detected early.
Homeopathy offers around 30 core and 50 supportive medicines for the malady. The homeopathic medicines sought to work as constitutional, general or localized, drainage or detox, an antidote to chemotherapy side effects and immuno-booster.
Some of the medicines that are very effective are apis mellifica, arsenic iod, asteris rubens, baryta iod, belladonna, bellis p, bromium, bryonia, bufo r, calcarea flourica, carbo animalis, carbolicum acidicum, carsinosin, chimaphila u, condurango, conium m, heckla lava, hoang man, hydrastis c, kalium muraticum, calcarea phosphorica, lachesis, phytolacca d, scorphularia n, silicea, tarentula c, thyroidinum, tuberculinum, curcuma longa and hydrastis.
This, when combined with cupping therapy or wet hijamah therapy, has proven to be better than anything else.
Medical science constantly challenges the boundaries by finding not only the cures to the most dangerous diseases, but finds a way to prevent them even before they occur. With years of research, practice and data available for analysis, scientists are using advanced technology in combination with years of research to create a predicting mechanism for often fatal diseases like cancer.
Breast cancer screening has always been done with mammography. The fact is that this method is only 75% accurate, laden with false positives and misses a whole set of women totally- and that too when cancer has already developed. Part of the problem comes from the dense breast tissue which one in three women have. This tissue masks the lumps, which makes it difficult for mammograms to accurately screen cancer.
Some breakthrough scientific methods are changing this by drawing on years of research to predict this deadly disease, years before it can manifest itself.
- A genetic test to predict cancer 10-11 years ahead of time
This test was performed to see how environmental factors could influence cancer, along with habits like smoking, abusing alcohol or hormones, genetic changes that occur and are put a large percentage of the women at a high risk of developing this disease.
A simple blood test is used for the genetic analysis of hereditary cancer. Researchers found a biological marker, methylation of the ATM gene, which has a very high ability to predict the risk of developing cancer, several years before diagnosis. 'Methylation' concluded that when one biological indicator is exposed to carcinogenic substances, or other abusive substances like tobacco and alcohol, it may trigger the development of cancer. On the flip side, this test will take time to reach the commercial market and even then cannot give an exact timeline as to when someone may develop the disease.
- A simple blood test to predict breast cancer 5 years before it develops
This is the kind of medical miracle the world is looking for. Last year in April, researches in Denmark identified a simple blood test that can predict breast cancer five years before it actually develops with an accuracy of a whopping 80%.
It works by "measuring all of the compounds in the blood to build a 'metabolic profile' of an individual, in order to detect changes in the way chemicals are processed, during a pre-cancerous stage," says Laura Donnelly, health editor at The Telegraph, which covered this development. Danish researchers observed 57,000 participants over 20 years, gathering blood samples along the way, specifically comparing a set of 800 women who remained healthy or developed breast cancer within 7 years of their first blood sample. The researchers found they were able to predict, with 80 percent accuracy, which patients would be affected by the disease, just by looking at the metabolic profiles they built from the participants' blood samples. The results have been published in Metabolomics.
Are you living with the uncertainty of a lump in your breast? It's time you take the first step and consult a specialist here.