Surgery performed on gastro-intestinal and urinary tracts creates its own problems of getting rid of the faces or the urine which now cannot be evacuated through normal openings. New openings may be/can be made by the following operations. These new openings made need constant and effective care.
Continue reading Cancer Treatment: Management of Problems Related to Cancer Surgery
Infection is the most serious complication in cases of acute leukemia. Infection in general, accounts for approximately 70 per cent of the symptoms and as subsequent cause of death in patients with acute leukemia.
A difficult part of the management of cancer patient is when he enters the terminal phase of his illness. When it becomes apparent that active measures to arrest further growth of the cancer are no longer proving effective, it is more important than ever to provide support and attention to the alleviation of distressing symptoms.
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Patients with undiagnosed leukemia may first seek care from the dentist. In these individuals, oral symptoms are among the earliest common complaints. There is a direct relationship between low platelet counts and increased episodes of serious bleeding from the gum in these patients; platelet transfusions proved effective in checking bleeding. It was also noticed that fever and septicemia predisposed to serious bleeding with rapid utilization of platelets and poor survival of transfused platelets. Thus, more frequent transfusions are needed in such clinical situations, also as prophylaxis.
Continue reading Cancer Treatment: Management of Dental Problems
Wasting (Cachexia)
Cancer frequently leads to widely recognized but poorly understood syndrome known as cachexia. The manifestations of this syndrome are weakness, loss of weight and appetite (anorexia). The patient appears ill and emaciated. The cause of anorexia remains complex and unclear. Muscle biopsies from breast and colon cancer patients show fat content of the muscles to be half of non-cancer patients. There is also an increased break down of proteins in the muscles.
· Avoid smoking, especially cigarettes.
· Avoid drinking excessive alcohol.
· Avoid excessive sun exposure, if you are light-skinned.
· Avoid using birth control pills indiscriminately.
· Avoid using estrogens for menopausal symptoms except under specific guidelines.
· Avoid early or frequent intercourse, especially with multiple sex partners.
· Try to have only two or three pregnancies, after the age of 20, but do not wait until after 30 to have your first.
Continue reading Cancer Treatment: You May Prevent Cancer if You…
In the majority of cases the cause of Leukemia is unknown. Several factors, however, are known to be associated with the development of Leukemia. These are:
These are commonly called “blood cancer”. In fact, these are cancer of the bone marrow which produces the cells, viz. red and white blood cells and the platelets that circulate in the blood. In this condition, the white blood cells produced in the bone marrow arc cancerous and immature. They are also produced in number much more than the normal cells. That is why the condition is called Leukemia, literally meaning white blood. The other cells produced in the marrow such as the red blood cells and the platelets are produced less.
These arc also divided into two types, depending upon the type of white blood cells involved.
Continue reading Cancer Treatment: Chronic Leukemia Symptoms
The following are the symptoms of acute leukemia:
· Tiredness.
· Bleeding after slight injury.
· Frequent infections.
· Lump in the abdomen which is found out to be the spleen.
· Discomfort or pain over the bones.
· Loss of weight.
· Diminished appetite.
· The onset is after abrupt with flu-like symptoms and fatigue.
· There may be fever, malaise and a rapidly progressive anaemia.
· Bleeding from the nose (epistaxis), bleeding from the gums or bleeding patches in the skin called purpura, are common and are due largely to reduction in platelet count in the blood (thrombocytopenia). Sore throat and ulcers in the mouth or pharynx are frequent, due to reduction in normal polymor; ho-nuclear leukocytes.