Sunday, September 27, 2009

Bone cancer-The most common form of bone sarcoma in adults is chondrosarcoma. It usually occurs in adults between sixtey and eighty years old. This form of cancer is treated by surgery alone, as radiation therapy and chemotherapy are not effective. When you find that you have bone cancer, it is important to differentiate whether this cancer has spread from another site to the bones or whether the cancer originated in the bone tissue itself. Some types of primary bone cancer are osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, and chondrosarcoma.
Osteosarcoma - develops in growing bones, usually between ages 10 and 25
Chondrosarcoma - starts in cartilage, usually after age 50
Ewing's sarcoma - begins in nerve tissue in bone marrow of young people, often after treatment of another condition with radiation or chemotherapy. Secondary bone cancer is cancer that spreads to the bone from another part of the body (such as the prostate, breast, or lung). Estimated new cases and deaths from cancer of the bones and joints in the United States in 2009:
New cases: 2,570
Deaths: 1,470
Symptons of bone cancer are patients may present with persistent pain, swelling, or tenderness of a bone. They may have unexplained fracture of one or more bones, sometimes without noticeable trauma.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Four of the most common cancers in adults are skin cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.
  1. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer. Fortunately, it is also the most curable. There are 2 forms of skin cancer: melanoma (the less common but more serious form) and nonmelanoma (the common, very treatable form). Over one million people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year.
  2. There are 2 major forms of lung cancer: non-small cell and small cell. Small cell cancer usually grows and spreads more slowly. Its mostly caused by smoking.
  3. Breast cancer begins in breast tissue.Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women.
  4. Prostate cancer begins in the prostate gland in men. Prostate cancer can grow quickly and spread to other parts of the body, or it can grow slowly and stay in the prostate. Three out of 4 cases of prostate cancer are the slow-growing type that causes few, if any, problems.