Chapter 16 Lecture

Reducing Your Risk of Cancer

Defining Cancer

• Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth of anaplastic cells that often invade surrounding tissue and metastasize to distant body sites
• A woman’s prognosis depends upon a variety of factors e.g. location, nature of the tumor, and its stage
• The key to survival is early detection
• The higher incidence and mortality rates for cancer in women are:
• Breast
• Lungs
• Colon & Rectum
• Uterine

Seven Warning Signs of Cancer

Common Malignancies

• Carcinomas – 80-90% of all cancers tend to be classified here (organs, skin, nerves, membranes)
• Sarcomas – bone, blood, connective tissue (2% of malignant cancers)
• Lymphomas – immune tissues/system (i.e., Hodgkin’s Disease and non-Hodgkin’s)
• Leukemia - blood and blood-forming tissues (bone marrow)
Classifications of Common Malignancies
• There has been an identification system known as the TNS staging system

    • T = recognizes the extent of malignancy
    • N = progressed or not to the lymph node
    • M = presence or absence of metastasis

A numerical system tracks the extent of the growth potential of cancer (I, II, III, or IV)

Causes of Cancer

• Cigarette Smoking
• Diet & Physical Activity
• Growing Older
• Viruses
• Alcohol Consumption
• Close Relatives with Certain Types of Cancer
• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Environmental Factors Implicated in Cancer

• Exposure to Sun
• Ionizing Radiation
• Chemical and other substances
Treatment & Research
• Adjuvant Treatment
• Substances to enhance the action of drugs to treat cancer i.e. chemicals
• Immunotherapy Research
• Boosting the immune system to prevent tumor growth or attack cancer cells
• Stem Cell Transplantation Research
• Removal of cells in bone marrow before radiation or chemotherapy and later restored

Lung Cancer

• Two Types

    • Non-small cell (most common)
    • Small (oat) cell

• Risk Factors

    • Smoking
    • Environmental pollutants

• Early detection symptoms

    • Persistent cough, blood in the sputum, constant chest pain, recurring pneumonia, or bronchitis

• Treatment

    • Surgery
    • Radiation
    • Chemotherapy
    • Oral Meds

Breast Cancer

• Age
• Early menstrual cycle for women
• Women with no children or having children later in life
• Hormone replacement therapy use
• Dense breast tissue

• Family History
• Previous breast biopsy
• Previous breast exposure to radiation
• Alcohol
• Obesity
• High fat diet
• Genetic alterations
• Protective Factors

    • Breast feeding and having children
    • Exercise

• What to Look For

    • Lumps
    • Thickening in the breast or underarm area
    • Change in the size or shape of the breast
    • Discharge from the nipple
    • Change in the color or texture of the skin of the breast or around the areola

• Screening and Diagnosis

    • Mammography
    • Biopsies (excisional or incisional)

• Treatment (two categories)

    • Local therapy (surgery or radiation)

• Surgery is the most common treatment

    • Lumpectomy
    • Mastectomy
    • Modified radical mastectomy
    • Systemic (chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or biological therapy)

Uterine and Cervical Cancer

• Uterine cancer begins in the endometrium (lining of the uterus)
• Cervical cancer begins in the cervix and are considered squamous cell carcinomas
• Approximately 47,130 cancers UC will be diagnosed in 2012, resultin the death of 8,010 women
• Cervical cancer is 100% curable and endometrial cancer is 94% curable when detected early
Cervical Cancer
• Risk factors

    • Early and continued sexual activity
    • HPV and/or Herpes infection
    • Smoking

• Prevention/Early Detection

    • Sexual abstinence
    • Pap tests
    • Careful selection of sexual partners

• Treatment

    • Surgery (minor or major)
    • Radiation
    • Chemotherapy

• Risk Factors

    • Early menarche, late menopause, lack of ovulation, never having given birth, ERT, use of tamoxifen, and also in diabetics, obese, and hypertensive women

• Prevention/Early Detection

    • Minimize high levels of estrogen and regular physician care

• Treatment

    • Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone treatment

Ovarian Cancer

• Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumor that begins in the ovaries
• Similar to what is recommended for breast cancer
• Prophylactic oophorectomy
• Referred as the “silent cancer”
• Annual pelvic exams
• Genetic screenings (CA-125 radioimmunoassay)
• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Drug therapy
• Radiation

Skin Cancer

• Skin cancer is the most prevalent and most curable type of cancer found in women
• Basal cell carcinomas are the most common type of malignancy in humans
• They are usually raised, hard, reddish lesions with a pearly surface and rarely metastasize
• These carcinomas are typically scaly and slightly elevated
• They are a relatively slow-growing malignancy

• Malignant melanoma is the most dangerous but less common
• Severe sunburn during childhood, chronic sun exposure during young adulthood
• Family history, numerous moles, blonde or red hair
• Reduce exposure to sun’s rays, use sunscreens,
• American Cancer Society guidelines (next slide)
• Radiation, Laser therapy, tissue destruction (heat or freezing), monoclonal antibody therapy for advanced melanoma

Colon and Rectum Cancer

• In 2012, an estimated 70,040 new cases of colon and rectal cancer will be diagnosed in women and 25,220 women are estimated to die from the disease

    • Risk factors

• Personal and family history, polyps, or ulcerative colitis

    • Preventive Screening

• Beginning at age 50, it is recommended

    • Flexible sigmoidoscopy (5 years)
    • Colonoscopy (10 years)
    • DCBE (5 years)
    • CT colonography (5 years)
    • FOBT (every year at home)
    • Early Detection

• Rectal exams, stool test, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy

    • Treatment

• Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy

Actions to Take When Cancer is Diagnosed

• Once a woman knows the type of cancer, she can call the National Cancer Institute at 1-800-4-CANCER
• Get a second opinion before deciding on a particular treatment protocol
• Make sure you feel certain about your options
• Social support is a critical factor in recovery from cancer. There are many avenues of social support to pursue during all stages of treatment

Complementary and Alternative Treatment in Cancer Management

• Mind Body
• Aromatherapy
• Hypnosis/Self-hypnosis
• Spirituality
• Yoga
• Meditation, Biofeedback, imagery
• Nutritional Treatments
• Vegetarian diets
• Herbal and vitamin therapy
• Magnetic and Energy Treatments
• Gamma Rays
• Tai Chi

Choosing a Treatment Plan

• A woman diagnosed with cancer faces myriad decisions, including choice of medical and complementary treatments
• Knowledge and accurate evaluation of the effectiveness of all methods is the best method to recapturing control
• Woman should

    • Focus on the things with her control, including becoming more familiar with treatment options available
    • Be involved in the process of decision making throughout the treatment and recovery phase

• Early detection is important to your well-being!