Tag: cancer

Skin Cancer

by mediculous, posted in Prevnentive Medicine

As per the American Academy of Dermatology approximately 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. More than 1 million Americans are living with skin cancer. There are two common types of skin cancer Melanoma and Non-Melanoma. Most common types of Non – Melanomas are Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Skin cancers usually present as a rash / nodule or an ulcer that doesn’t heal that changes in size, shape and color.

WHO IS AT RISK OF DEVELOPING SKIN CANCER

Anyone can develop skin cancer. It mostly affects Older adults, however it can also occur in young adults. Although it can occur in any skin types, Light skin people are more at risk. In dark skin people it is often diagnosed later in stage and is often harder to treat. Before 50 years of age women are at high risk of developing skin cancer, however the risk of developing skin cancer for men increases to twice as high after age 65. People who have family history of skin cancer are at higher risk than the general population.

RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH SKIN CANCER

  • Exposure to UV radiation (Natural sunlight and artificial UV radiation)
  • Frequent sunburns
  • Exposure to tanning beds
  • Smoking

MORTALITY & SURVIVAL RATES

Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma have good prognosis and have a very high chance of cure if detected and treated early. Localized melanoma without spreading to lymph nodes have a 5 year survival rate of 92% , however if it was diagnosed after spreading to lymph nodes the survival rate decreases to 25 – 65% depending on the stage. Recurrence rate of developing another skin cancer or recurring skin cancer is high.

PREVENTION

It is very important to seek medical help if you notice a rash, nodule, mole or ulcer that is not healing. Rate of cure and survival is increased if the cancer is diagnosed early and treated early. It is always better to practice preventive measures to decrease the risk of getting skin cancer.

  • Avoid Tanning beds
  • Apply Sunscreen

SELECTING & APPLYING SUNSCREEN

  • Broad spectrum sunscreen is necessary to cover both Ultraviolet A and Ultraviolet B range
  • Sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher is needed especially for people who have increased sun exposure either by working or playing outside or relaxing in the sun.
  • If you are playing sports or participating in water activities it is important to use water resistant sunscreen
  • Sunscreen must be used in all body parts that is exposed to sun.
  • Sunscreen must be applied at least 15- 30 minutes before the sun exposure and need to be reapplied at least every 2 hours and after every water exposure.
  • You can use the ” Teaspoon rule ” to make sure you get adequate sunscreen in your body. Teaspoon rule is considered as using 1 teaspoon of sunscreen to face and neck area, 1 teaspoon of sunscreen to each upper extremity (arms & hands), 2 teaspoon of sunscreen for front and back of the torso and 2 teaspoon of sunscreen to each lower extremities (legs & feet).

Cervical Cancer Screening

by mediculous, posted in Prevnentive Medicine, Women's Health

Pap test is used to screen for early signs of cervical cancer. Globally, cervical cancer accounted for an estimated 528,000 new cancer cases worldwide and for 266,000 deaths in 2012. Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosis and cause of death among gynecologic cancers in the United States. In the United States, almost 13,000 new cases of invasive cervical cancer and approximately 4100 cancer-related deaths occur each year.  

Risk Factors for Cervical Cancer

  • Early onset of sexual activity  
  • Multiple sexual partners 
  • A high-risk sexual partner (ex, a partner with multiple sexual partners or known HPV infection) 
  • History of sexually transmitted infections (ex, Chlamydia infection, genital herpes) 
  • History of vulvar or vaginal neoplasia or cancer (HPV infection is also the etiology of most cases of these conditions) 
  • Immunesuppression (ex, human immunodeficiency virus infection – HIV) 
  • Smoking  

What is a Pap test? 

To do a Pap test, your doctor will push apart the walls of your vagina using a device called a speculum. Then, your doctor will use a small tool to gently scrape cells from your cervix. This process can be uncomfortable but should not hurt. Taking deep breath and trying not to clench the vaginal muscles will help ease the process. The pathologist will then look at the cells under a microscope to see if they are abnormal. 

When should a woman start having Pap tests? 

Women should start having Pap tests when they turn 21. They do not need to be sexually active before they start getting Pap tests. Until 30 years of age pap test is performed every 3 years as long as the results are within normal limits. When they turn 30, their doctors might also suggest doing another test to check for cervical cancer, called an HPV test. When pap test is combined with HPV test it increases the accuracy and therefore can be repeated every 5 years if the results are normal.  

Women age 65 and older should stop having Pap tests if they meet all of these requirements: 

  • They have never smoked. 
  • They do not have a new sex partner since their last Pap test. 
  • They had Pap tests done regularly until they turned 65. 
  • They had 3 normal Pap tests in a row. 
  • They had no abnormal Pap tests in the past 10 years. 

Do you need to get Pap tests if you had the HPV vaccine? 

Yes. You still need to get Pap tests if you got the HPV vaccine.  Getting the HPV vaccine reduces your chances of getting cervical cancer since the virus that causes the cervical cancer is HPV. But it does not completely protect you. You still need to have pap test to check for cancer. 

Do you need to get Pap tests if you had a hysterectomy?  

There are two types of Hysterectomy, complete and partial. Cervix is removed along with the uterus in complete hysterectomy and in that case, you will no longer need pap test as long as there are no abnormal pap test in the past. However, if you have partial Hysterectomy with the cervix intact, you still need pap test.  

What can you do to prevent Cervical cancer?  

  • Avoid Smoking 
  • Avoid Multiple sexual partners
  • Get HPV Vaccine if you are in the age range
  • Get tested for HPV and cervical abnormality
  • Use Condom for sexual intercourse