Breast cancer is the result of genetic mutations accumulating in breast tissue cells causing them to grow abnormally quickly. Sporadic mutations occur over the course of the patient's life, whereas inherited ones are passed on from the patient's...
Genetic diseases have a wide spectrum of presentations ranging from mild in individuals unaware of their condition to severe, resulting in death at a young age. Single-gene disorders are caused by mutations that affect individual genes. Examples...
Colon cancer is cancer of the large intestine; rectal cancer is cancer of the last few inches of the colon. Due to their proximity, the medical community combine the two, referring to them as colorectal cancer. No specific cause exists as of yet,...
Colon cancer is potentially curable if recognized early. Early detection depends on screening persons at risk and instituting the appropriate management. It is important not to wait on symptoms of the disease but rather to begin screening measures...
Brain tumors are a mass or growth of abnormal cells in the brain, some of which are cancerous while others are not, the Mayo Clinic explains. The cause of cancerous tumors are not known, but what is clear are existing risk factors that may...
Osteosarcoma is a form of bone cancer that predominantly affects children and teenagers. Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone cancer and is the sixth most common type of cancer in children, according to Kids Health. Doctors use surgery and...
Antral carcinoma describes gastric cancer arising from the lining of the stomach in the portion of the stomach called the antrum. According to the American Cancer Society, ACS, the antrum is part of the lower portion of the stomach before the...
Bronchogenic carcinoma, or lung cancer, is the most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide. There are quite a few different sub types of lung cancer which have minor differences in presentation and treatment, but in general they share a common...
The pancreas is an essential part of the digestive system. It produces hormones, such as insulin to regulate and process sugar, and digestive juices, such as tripsyn, to break down proteins, amylase to break down starches, and lipase to break down...
Cholangiocarcinoma, also known as bile duct cancer, is cancerous growth in the bile ducts, which serve to carry bile from the liver to the small intestine. While it is rare, it is usually quite lethal as it is not usually detected until an...
Colon cancer is the third-most common cancer in both men and women in the United States. For men it is surpassed by prostate and lung cancer, and for women by breast and lung cancer. Though not preventable, colon cancer has a high cure rate when...
Colorectal carcinoma, or colon cancer, is a deadly disease that affects upwards of 135,000 and kills more than 55,000 patients per year, according to an article in the March 2005 "Clinics in Laboratory Medicine." Protocols such as rectal exams and...
Lung cancer can cause several types of paraneoplastic syndromes, symptoms that can affect areas of the body distant from the tumor and that are not caused by the direct presence of either the tumor or metastases. Paraneoplastic syndromes can be...
Myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS, are a group of diseases of blood and bone marrow. Blood stem cells originate in bone marrow; after maturation they become white or red blood cells, or platelets. In MDS, the stem cells do not mature and they...
In the condition myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, the bone marrow does not create sufficient numbers of healthy blood cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. The bone marrow creates immature blood cells, which die...
Three types of cancer that affect blood cells directly are leukemia, multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). All of these cancers begin in the bone marrow, where blood cells are produced. In all cases, abnormal blood cells develop and...
The National Cancer Institute projects that over 155,000 people will die from lung cancer in 2010. End-of-life symptoms of lung cancer relate to the part of the body affected by the cancer. However, lung cancer may spread to the bone, liver and...
Childhood leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells and begins in the bone marrow of the child. White blood cells help the body fight infection. In childhood leukemia, however, the bone marrow begins producing abnormal white blood cells which...
Cancer is the abnormal growth of cells and tissues; when it occurs in the lungs, it interferes with the exchange of gases in the lungs. Lung cancer may be associated with paraneoplastic syndromes, a group of disorders that occur in relation to the...
Cancers of the brain and nervous system are rare but very serious as they have a poor prognosis. The majority of brain cancer cases cannot be explained by any specific underlying medical or genetic conditions, environmental factors or behaviors. A...
With more than half the global population now living in urban environments, healthy food markets provide an affordable way to buy food for millions of people. Unfortunately, these markets have also been associated with the spread of disease and...
WBC is an acronym for white blood cell. Low WBC refers to a decreased concentration of white blood cells in the body. White blood cells, also known as leukocytes, are essential in fighting off invasive microorganisms that can circulate in the...
Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in both American men and women, according to the Colon Cancer Alliance. The site states that treatment is most effective when detected...
Cancer is a broad category encompassing many different diseases; blood cancer is a term that is used to describe a variety of diseases. Though each individual blood cancer may vary from one another, they are all diseases of the bone marrow or...
Squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, a cancer that usually affects smokers, can cause an increase of calcium within the bloodstream. The high blood calcium level causes a variety of symptoms and happens because the cancer cells release a substance...
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells that are able to invade neighboring tissues. The cells divide over and over, forming a tumor. Cancers can develop anywhere in your body, and many of them can metastasize, or spread. They can be rapid- or...
Certain types of lung cancers are more likely to be found near the center of the lungs. Examples include squamous cell carcinoma, bronchogenic carcinoma, typical bronchial carcinoid and small cell carcinoma. Diagnosis is made by taking tissue...
Cancer of the pancreas is on the increase in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute, NCI. It currently ranks fourth in causes of cancer deaths in the U.S. Pancreatic cancer arises in either of the two parts of the...
Ascorbic acid is vitamin C, one of the essential water-soluble nutrients that your body requires daily. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, most Americans obtain enough vitamin C through dietary source, but certain factors can inhibit...
Adrenal gland cancers are rare cancers occurring in the endocrine tissue of the adrenal glands and are characterized by overproduction of adrenal gland hormones. Learn about the symptoms and treatment options in this video.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common disorder. Generally characterized by abdominal cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. Learn about the different causes of, symptoms of, and treatments for irritable bowel in this...
Although the appendix serves no known purpose, it is thought to possibly play a role in the immune system. Learn about the symptoms, possible causes, and treatment options for appendix cancer in this video.
