Healthy Tips

If a man in your life is at risk for developing prostate cancer symptoms, here’s some information you might want to pass along. While a connection between eating meat and enjoying high fat dairy products and cancer of the prostate has been suspected for a while, recent research by a team at Oxford University has been able to confirm the link.

Experts know that a diet rich in meat and high fat dairy products is likely to raise levels of a hormone called Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1 for short) that has been shown to promote cell growth. In fact, cells fed IGF-1 grow much more quickly, and may be part of the reason scientists worry it will aid the spread of tumors.

The work, conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford, reviewed the results of a dozen blood sample studies that included almost 9.000 men. By looking closely at this data, the researchers were able to more clearly identify the link between IGF-1 and this form of cancer. The team found that men with high levels of IGF-1 were 40% more likely to have prostate cancer than those with lower levels.

According lead researcher Dr. Andrew Roddam, “What we found was a modest association at best, but it was statistically significant. A lot of the individual studies found the same trend but were too underpowered for their results to be reliable.”

And while no one can say how much diet effects levels of IGF-1 in the body, Dr. Roddam, a Cancer Research UK epidemiologist at Oxford University, estimates it could be up to 15% higher for anyone who eats lots of dairy and meat. Previous studies have reported that IGF-1 levels are higher in those who eat a lot of meat, milk, butter and cheese.

But why are these delicious foods so bad?

First because they seem to be a large source of saturated fats and are an all too familiar part of most modern diets. These types of fats do damage to the body that we’re only just beginning to understand. What’s more, few people eat enough of the natural, good for you fruits and vegetables that are sources of antioxidants and other nutrients a body needs to stay healthy and strong. Add in our lack of physical activity and you can see why we’re headed for trouble.

Interestingly, the risk of prostate cancer is lower among men who are vegetarians as well as in populations that eat more rice, soybeans and vegetables.

Each year, prostate cancer claims nearly 30,000 lives in the US, and another 10,000 in the UK. To find out if the man in your life is at risk, take a look at factors identified by the American Cancer Society:

- Risks of prostate cancer increase as you age, especially after 50.

- Your risk of prostate cancer doubles if you have a father or brother with the disease.

- Prostate cancer is more common in African American men, and these patients are typically diagnosed at a later stage than other men.

- Prostate cancer is most common in North America, northwestern Europe, Australia and the Caribbean islands; it’s less common in Asia, Africa, Central and South America.

- Obese men are at an increased risk of developing this form of cancer, as well as many other diseases.

Research continues and treatment options for prostate cancer symptoms are improving all the time. If you or someone you love is at risk, or has just been diagnosed, don’t panic but do learn all you can about this disease and ways to stay well. One of the first steps may simply to substitute that burger with a piece of fruit or vegetables instead.

Much has been written about pesticides and pollutants as being major contributors to cancers today.  According to the National Toxicology Program at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are 52 chemicals known to contribute to cancers of all kinds in humans and 176 chemicals reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens.  Lung and mammary cancers are the most common types of cancers that are found in animal based studies of potential carcinogens.  Despite this data, most experts believe that more relevant environmental risks involve diet, lifestyle, and factors related to a prolonged exposure to estrogens.  However, a brief discussion of some proven and unproven chemicals associated with breast cancer risk is worthwhile.

Smoking:  Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York examined the association between cigarette smoking and incidence of breast cancer in a cohort of women who had smoked for up to 40 years.  The women were subsequently followed for an average of 10.6 years.  Their risk of breast cancer was 60% higher than that of women who had never smoked.  Among those who smoked 20 cigarettes or more a day for 40 years, the increased risk rose to an 83% increase.

DDT:  DDT and its metabolite DDE are weakly estrogenic organochlorine pesticides that accumulate in the food chain and collect in human adipose tissues through the consumption of animal products.  Although several studies showed no link when blood DDT levels were checked many years after exposure, a recent study based on samples from blood collected during perinatal periods showed that women heavily exposed to the pesticide DDT during childhood are five times as likely to develop breast cancer later in life.

Other Pesticides:  Other pesticides including endosulfan, toxaphene and dieldrin have been implicated as causing breast cancer based on animal studies, but their contribution to human breast cancer is unclear. 

Commercial Product Chemicals:  A long list of chemicals found in common commercial products have been implicated in breast cancer.  This list includes industrial solvents (trichloroethylene, toluene and benzene), plastic water bottles and baby bottles (bisphenol-A), and polyvinyl chloride, a ubiquitous chemical found in food packaging, medical products, appliances, cars and toys.  Again, the significance of their contribution to human breast cancer is unclear.

Pollutants:  A very well studied group of chemicals collectively called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have also been implicated in breast cancer.  The most common sources of these chemicals include charbroiled meat, cigarette smoke, car exhaust, and burning fuel. 

Radiation exposure:  Mounting evidence suggests that X-ray and gamma-ray exposure may be a significant and causative factor, particularly if the exposure is during childhood or early adulthood.  Radiation therapy done for Tuberculosis and dermatologic conditions and radiation exposure from atomic bombs have been proven to cause breast cancer.  The most important factor in radiation exposure is the dose of radiation.  This is why efforts have been made to decrease the radiation from mammograms by 10-fold.  The energy level of the radiation may also be important.  Several epidemiologic studies have shown an increased risk of breast cancer among female airline attendants (1.9 fold increased risk).  The likely cause for airline attendant’s increased cancer risk is exposure to cosmic radiation (neutrons and gamma rays), which have much higher energy than X-rays.

The words testicular cancer will strike fear into the hearts (and other body parts much lower down) of most men.

Testicular cancer is the commonest cancer affecting young men between 20 and 39 years old.
The exact cause of is not known. There are really no outward or apparent symptoms of testicular cancer that would alert you to its presence in your body.  You might not even know about it until the tumour has grown large enough to be visible on the testicle and by this time is has probably spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system.
There is no known cause of testicular cancer but several risk factors  are correlated with the development of the disease.

Risk Factors

The most significant risk factors appear to be genetics and two specific abnormalities of the testicles.  A recent study has linked marijuana use to the development of the disease.

Genetics

If you have a close male relative such as a father or brother who has been diagnosed with testicular cancer your risk is higher than the general population. Similarly your racial background may increase the risk as there appears to be an increased risk in Caucasians and  Hispanics.

Testicular abnormalities

If you had an undescended testicle the risk of developing testicular cancer goes up especially if you were older than eleven years of age by the time the abnormality was surgically corrected. There is also a specific complication of a childhood infectious illness called mumps orchitis that predisposes to the devleopment of testicular cancer in later life. Mumps orchitis is the complication mumps that occurs when the mumps virus travels to the testicles and causes infection and inflammation.

Marijuana

Some new research has linked the development of testicular cancer to the use of marijuana.  In a study of men already diagnosed with testicular cancer marijuana use was 70% more prevalent than in a control group of men who did not have the disease.  It was also correlated with an early age on onset for marijuana smoking and the length of marijuana usage appeared to be linked to a higher risk as well.  It has been known for some time that the testicles are quite receptive to the cannaboids in marijuana so perhaps the findings are not that surprising.
Of all the risk factors for the development of testicular cancer, marijuana useage appears to be the only one that is easily modifiable and under your control.

Treatment

If testicular cancer is diagnosed then the affected testicle is removed.  This procedure is called an orchiectomy.  Prosthetic devices are available for implantation to restore a normal look and feel to the scrotum.  The regular cancer therapies of radiation and chemotherapy would be used if there were signs that the cancer has already spread to the lymphatic system. 
Survival rates for testicular cancer are close to 90% if the tumour is found early.  The best way to detect a tumour is to perform a monthly testicular self exam.

No one knows the exact causes of breast cancer. Doctors can seldom explain why one woman gets breast cancer and another does not.

Doctors do know that bumping, bruising, or touching the breast does not cause breast cancer. And breast cancer is not contagious. No one can “catch” this disease from another person.

However, research has shown that women with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop breast cancer. A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing a disease. Studies have found the following risk factors for breast cancer:

1. The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older.

2. A woman who has had breast cancer in one breast has an increased risk of getting this disease in her other breast.

3. A woman’s risk of breast cancer is higher if her mother, sister, or daughter had breast cancer, especially at a young age (before age 40).

4. The older a woman is when she has her first child, the greater her chance of breast cancer. Women who began menstruation (had their first menstrual period) at an early age (before age 12), went through menopause late (after age 55), or never had children also are at an increased risk.

5. Breast cancer occurs more often in white women than Latina, Asian, or African American women.

6. Women who had radiation therapy to the chest (including breasts) before age 30 are at an increased risk of breast cancer. This includes women treated with radiation for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Studies show that the younger a woman was when she received radiation treatment, the higher her risk of breast cancer later in life.

7. Older women who have mostly dense not fatty) tissue on a mammogram(x-ray of the breast) are at increased risk of breast cancer.

8. After menopause, women who are obese have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Being obese means that the woman has an abnormally high proportion of body fat. Because the body makes some of its estrogen (a hormone) in fatty tissue, obese women are more likely than thin women to have higher levels of estrogen in their bodies. High levels of estrogen may be the reason that obese women have an increased risk of breast cancer. Also, some studies show that gaining weight after menopause increases the risk of breast cancer.

9. Women who are physically inactive throughout life appear to have an increased risk of breast cancer. Being physically active may help to reduce risk by preventing weight gain and obesity.

It is helpful to be aware of risk factors. But it’s also important to keep in mind that most of the women who have these risk factors do not get breast cancer.

A woman who thinks she may be at risk of breast cancer should discuss this concern with her health care provider. The health care provider may suggest ways to reduce the risk and can plan an appropriate schedule for checkups.

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Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women and the second most common cause of cancer death in women in the U.S. While the majority of new breast cancers are diagnosed as a result of an abnormality seen on a mammogram, a lump or change in consistency of the breast tissue can also be a warning sign of the disease.

There are two main types of breast cancer:

•Ductal carcinoma starts in the tubes (ducts) that move milk from the breast to the nipple. Most breast cancers are of this type.

Lobular carcinoma starts in parts of the breast, called lobules, that produce milk.

Breast Cancer Symptoms

So what are the symptoms of breast cancer? At first, you may notice no symptoms of breast cancer at all. Once the cancer begins to grow, it can be detected in several ways. Check for lumps or thickening near the breast and underarms. A change in the size or shape of your breast may be symptom of breast cancer. If you notice a discharge from you nipple, please consult your physician. This too can by a symptom of breast cancer. Anything else abnormal such as a change in color or feel should be mentioned to your physician. It may not be breast cancer, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Breast cancers in their early stages are usually painless. Often the first symptom is the discovery of a hard lump. Fifty percent of such masses are found in the upper outer quarter of the breast. The lump may make the affected breast appear elevated or asymmetric. The nipple may be retracted or scaly. Sometimes the skin of the breast is dimpled like the skin of an orange. In some cases there is a bloody or clear discharge from the nipple. Many cancers, however, produce no symptoms and cannot be felt on examination. They can be detected only with a mammogram.

An early diagnosis of breast cancer is associated with a higher survival rate. Therefore, it is vital to be able to recognize the signs of breast cancer. Symptoms of breast cancer can include:

Clear or bloody liquid discharge from nipple

Nipple retraction or indentation

Change in size and shape of breasts

A flattening or indentation on the skin of the breast indicating a change in the underlying tissue.

A change in the look or feel of the skin of the breast, areola or nipple such as warmth, swelling, redness or scaliness

Redness or scaling of the breast’s skin.

Unusual dimpling in the breast.

Discharge from the nipple. This can be dark and bloody or clear in nature.

Prostate cancer affects the prostate, which is a gland in the male reproductive system. The cancer cells may then spread to various parts of the body, especially the bones and lymph nodes. Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in male. If detected early, prostate cancer can be effectively treated. However, advance prostate cancer is usually fatal. Hence, it is critical for men in the high risk group to be screened for prostate cancer regularly.

Most men have no problems with their prostate gland before the age of forty. Many will then start to develop enlarged prostate as they age. This prostate problem is not usually serious although the symptoms are annoying and inconvenient. The prostate enlarges and squeezes the urethra which carries urine from the bladder. When the urethra is squeezed by the enlarging prostate gland, there will be constant urge to urinate. The other symptoms are inability to control the urination process, the start, the stop and a weak flow of urine.

An enlarged prostate is not necessarily a sign of prostate cancer although the warning signs of prostate cancer are similar to that of an enlarged prostate. Hence, it is prudent to test for prostate cancer when you have symptoms of an enlarged prostate.

The symptoms of prostate cancer include difficulty with urinating and ejaculation, blood in the urine or semen and pain in the lower body region.

However, you should know that you may have prostate cancer but not be experiencing any signs and symptoms. So just because you feel fine and healthy, it may not mean that you are, and so regardless of how you feel, you still need to get regular prostate check up, especially after the age of forty.

All Prostate Cancer Warning Signs Should Be Investigated Quickly

Some prostate cancer warning signs are the same as those of less serious diseases. However, all prostate cancer warning signs should be investigated promptly and thoroughly, especially for men in their fifties. These warning signs are the subtle evidence of the serious disease. Prostate cancer is a slow growing cancer with no obvious surface signs. When the tumor is sizeable, symptoms will manifest. These symptoms include frequent urges to urinate, difficulty in urinating, and a weak flow of urine when urinating.

The prostate cancer warning signs are also shown during sexual intercourse when a man has trouble with erection. Blood in the urine is another sign of prostate cancer. A stiff back, hips or thighs might be due to the growing prostate cancer. All these problems should be promptly investigated as possible indication of prostate cancer. As the cancer progresses, there will be more obvious warning signs but it may be too late by then.