The 65-year-old Oscar winner, who kicked his half-pack-a-day habit in 2006, is expected to make a full recovery, and told People.com he’s “very optimistic.” Douglas’ company, Further Films, refused to comment further on his condition.

It was not clear yesterday how treatment for Douglas’ tumor will effect the promotion of “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” the sequel to the 1987 blockbuster, which earned him an Oscar for Best actor.

In the new film, he reprises his role as greedy broker Gordon Gekko. It’s set for release Sept. 24. It’s been a tough year for Douglas, whose troubled son, Cameron, was sentenced in April to five years in prison for dealing drugs.

Douglas, the son of Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas, is married to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. He has also starred in “Basic Instinct” and “Romancing the Stone.”

Link

The respiratory, enteric, orphan virus (commonly known as reovirus) is a non-attenuated, environmental virus that has shown oncolytic potential against many types of cancer, specifically lymphoid, ovarian, breast, pancreatic and high grade glioma cancer, according to the study. This is the first time the virus has been studied against prostate cancer.

“The reovirus is a very common, ubiquitous virus that most people are exposed to. As far as we know, it doesn’t cause any significant illness in humans, even though when someone is exposed to it, it manifests, at most, as a mild respiratory infection or mild diarrhea,” said researcher Don Morris, M.D., Ph.D., medical oncologist in the Department of Oncology at the Tom Baker Cancer Center in Alberta, Canada. (picture)

“For the treatment of localized prostate cancer, we found that the reovirus is safe and has evidence of specific tumor vs. normal prostate cell efficacy,” added Morris.

Using preclinical and clinical settings, Morris and colleagues examined the efficacy of the reovirus as an experimental therapeutic for prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo. Among the six patients who participated in the study, all had early-stage, organ-confined prostate cancer. Each patient underwent a single intralesional virus injection into a suitable prostate cancer nodule via transrectal ultrasound guidance. Three weeks later, Morris and colleagues removed the prostate as part of the patient’s standard treatment for correlative science analysis.

Findings showed safety and efficacy with minimal toxicity and no viral replication in the normal parts of the prostate, according to Morris. Cancer cell death was evident in the prostate. Studies to date have suggested that the virus’ side effects are relatively modest, consisting of mild, self-limiting, flu-like symptoms.

“Our results are a stepping stone into future prostate cancer clinical trials with another category of cancer therapeutics,” he said.

Robert Clarke, Ph.D., D.Sc., professor of oncology at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University and an editorial board member of Cancer Research, agreed, stating that he believes this study is worthy of subsequent clinical trials of the reovirus as a possible way of treating some prostate cancers.

“People have known of this application of the reovirus in trials, but no one to my knowledge has conducted studies in prostate cancer,” said Clarke, who was not associated with this study. “I think this is an interesting approach. There is not a lot done in oncolytics, but clearly it is an area that is getting increasing attention, and we need everything we can get our hands on to make a difference in these patients.”

Link

“I heard on February 24, which is kind of like my 9/11. You don’t forget the day when your life is completely changed forever,” she said in the documentary premiering Sunday in the U.S. “

Although I did not hear the word cancer, your biopsies (are) positive. I am like ‘positive is usually good, wait a minute, that is not good, what does it mean?”

Navritalova was diagnosed with the most common type of non-invasive breast cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ, or D.C.I.S. She had underdone a lumpectomy weeks after being diagnosed, followed by several weeks of radiation.

Martina: My Toughest Opponent follows the Czech-born athlete from her diagnosis, through radiation therapy, and then back on the court winning the doubles competition at the French Open and Wimbledon this summer with Jana Novotna. She said she is sharing her story with others to encourage more women to get regular mammograms, unlike she did.

Link

How to perform a breast self examination

Although doctors recommend that women begin practicing breast self-exams (BSE) at age 20, many are still unaware of how important this procedure is to their heath. As 1 in 9 women will develop breast cancer, early detection is the best way to fight the disease. The key is to notice tumors before they grow to be potentially deadly; a BSE carefully searches the breasts for signs of these tumors.

A special advisory group of doctors created standard procedures for a BSE to assist women in becoming ‘breast aware.’ This awareness refers to knowing your normal breast fully, and being more likely to notice a change that could be cancerous. Naturally, the breasts will change overtime, and regular self-examinations can help decide what is normal and what is a concern.

While there is no definition for a normal breast, you should know the symptoms that a BSE searches for.

• A lump or bumpy area in the breast or armpit
• A noticeable change in outline or shape of the breast
• A non-milky nipple discharge, or an inverted nipple
• A dimpling, scaling or discolouration of the skin around the breast

A breast self-exam is recommended every month a few days after your period ends. Be sure to follow Dr Steele’s instructions for looking and feeling correctly. By searching improperly, you may miss a tumor! Not every cancer can be located in this way, but a BSE is a critical step for becoming ‘breast aware.’ The earlier you begin regular exams, abnormalities will be less difficult to discover. For women who find tumors in their early stages, 80% will survive.

First, examine your breasts in a mirror with the arms both lowered and raised; search for the visible symptoms described above. Next, feel your breasts while lying down. Using a firm and smooth touch cover the entire breast from the collarbone to the top of the abdomen, and from the armpit to cleavage. Breasts often have different zones where tumors can occur …be sure to examine them all.

If you find a lump or one of the other named symptoms, consult your GP as soon as possible. Remember, early discovery is the best way to combat breast cancer.

Link

Made using a protein known as alpha-lactabulmin, found in a wide variety of breast cancers, the protype vaccine is designed to prevent the disease from developing, rather than “thwart it” after it has already advanced, making it radically different than other anti-breast cancer vaccines currently being examined. It also differs from the others in the fact that it will be administered through injection, rather than intravenously.

Although it has only been tested in mice so far, Tuohy stated that they expect to begin clinical trials on humans as early as next year. However, he cautioned that a marketable vaccine may be at least “a decade away.” Still, he predicted that one day “it could be administered routinely to women starting at age 40.”

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 190,000 new cases of breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed this year across the U.S., resulting in an estimated 40,000 deaths.

The little boy is very healthy and looks very normal in every respect.

The reason behind the consumption of so much tobacco is his father.

The man handed his son a cigarette when he was just eighteen months old.

Because of smoking since that age, the boy’s nicotine need increased in a few months and now he becomes very violent when he doesn’t get a cigarette.

This whole scenario is obviously very dangerous for the boy, but apparently his father doesn’t think there is anything wrong with smoking this amount of cigarettes for a small child. His father says that he looks healthy enough so there is no problem visible.

The boy and his father live in a small village in Indonesia that is actually a fishing village. This explains a lot about the boy’s father’s absolute ignorance.

These people are so illiterate and ignorant that they don’t even know the difference between good and bad health. They don’t know what potential dangers a cigarette brings. Someone needs to educate the father of the two year old smoker about the possibilities of what could happen to his child.

These ignorant people don’t think smoking is wrong because when they see people dying because of lung cancer, they thing the cause is something else. They need to be made aware, and that is the job of their government.

There is a huge amount of people looking for a video of the 2 year old smoker. Well it’s easily available on You Tube, but it would be even better if those who are spending their energy on searching for the video, spend some energy on the cause of educating the ignorant about dangers of smoking.

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has released its Emerging Technology Committee’s report evaluating the use of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in lung cancer treatment.

SBRT is a newer radiation therapy treatment that uses focused radiation beams to target a well-defined tumor and relies on detailed imaging, computerized three-dimensional treatment planning and precise treatment setup to deliver the radiation dose with extreme accuracy to any part of the body, excluding the brain or spine. It typically uses higher radiation doses in fewer treatments than other standard treatments.

Historically, the preferred treatment for lung cancer patients is surgery, but numerous lung cancer patients are unfit for surgery due to the presence of other medical conditions, such as cardiopulmonary disease related to chronic smoking, that put them at an unacceptably high risk of surgical morbidity and mortality. Traditionally six to seven weeks of radiation have been used for this group of patients, but studies showed a high risk of local failure.

Better response rates have been seen with smaller tumors and higher radiation doses, which is the technique employed by SBRT. This report states that SBRT is a good alternative to standard radiation for lung cancer patients who cannot receive surgery or refuse surgery because it uses high radiation doses in fewer treatments, thus minimizing exposure to surrounding normal tissue.

“Stereotactic radiotherapy is potentially more effective in tumor killing by delivering a few very large doses of daily radiotherapy from which cells will have limited ability to recover,” Andre Konski, M.D., M.B.A., ASTRO’s Emerging Technology Committee chair and chair of radiation oncology at Wayne State University in Detroit, said. “The committee believes that some lung cancer patients will greatly benefit from this treatment as it will shorten their treatment time and improve their quality of life.”

Source: American Society for Radiation Oncology

In studies, anti-tumor virus stops advanced disease, researchers say

New preliminary research suggests that intravenous delivery of a cancer-destroying virus — a form of gene therapy — can destroy tumor cells throughout the body.

Twenty-three patients whose colorectal, skin, ovarian and lung cancers had spread through their bodies received one of five dose levels of IV treatment.

In 75 percent of those who received the highest doses, the treatment reached tumors and stopped cancer growth, the researchers said in a news release. Cancer was also suppressed in some who got lower doses.

The patients reported mild side effects, such as symptoms similar to that of flu.

“This is the first time that we’ve been able to treat patients intravenously and had proven success in targeting and destroying metastatic cancers in the body with an armed oncolytic virus product,” said Dr. David H. Kirn, president and chief executive officer of Jennerex Biotherapeutics in San Francisco. “This opens up a whole new world of systemic approaches to therapy.”

The next stage of research is scheduled for later this year.

The results were presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy, in Washington, D.C.

More information

For more on cancer, see the American Cancer Society.

Link

The testicles are located inside the scrotum, the loose bag of skin that hangs below the penis. From the start of puberty, each testicle produces sperm. The testicles also produce the hormone testosterone.

A testicular tumour is a lump created by the abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells. Testicular tumours can grow and sometimes spread to other parts of your body (through the bloodstream or the lymph system).

Testicular cancer can also spread to the lymph nodes (part of the lymph system) or form tumours in the lungs or other organs. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.

Types of testicular cancer

There are two main types of testicular cancer: seminoma and non-seminoma. Seminomas are made up of a single kind of testicular cell, while non-seminomas (eg teratomas) are made up of more than one type of cell.

Very rarely, another type of cancer, called a lymphoma, can occur in the testicles. This is cancer of the lymphatic tissue (tissue that forms part of the immune system). Lymphoma is the most common type of testicular cancer in men over 50.

Symptoms

The main symptom of testicular cancer is a lump, irregularity or swelling in one testicle. Other symptoms that may be present include:

• a pulling sensation or feeling of unusual heaviness in the scrotum
• a dull ache in the groin or lower abdomen
• pain or discomfort (which may come and go) in the testicle or scrotum
• tenderness or enlargement of tissue in the breast area
• a sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum (called a hydrocele)

These symptoms don’t always mean you have testicular cancer. But you should see your doctor if you are concerned about your symptoms.

A few men with testicular cancer may experience lower back pain, stomach pain or a cough as their first symptoms.

Causes

The causes of testicular cancer are unknown, but the number of men who develop testicular cancer is increasing and research is being carried out to find out why.

Men born with an undescended testicle (one that remains in the abdominal cavity rather than descending into the scrotum) may be at greater risk of developing testicular cancer.

Other factors that are thought to make testicular cancer more likely include:

• having a brother or father who had testicular cancer
• fertility problems
• being from a wealthy social group
• being white rather than of African or Asian descent
• having a rare complication of mumps called orchitis (painful swelling of the testicles)

Having a vasectomy or injury to the testicles does not cause testicular cancer.

Diagnosis

Most lumps in the scrotum are not testicular cancer. However, if you notice one or more of the symptoms above, you should see Cancer Self Examinationyour GP or a local sexual health clinic for advice. They will carry out a physical examination to rule out any other conditions or infections that can cause similar symptoms. Your GP may then refer you to a urologist – doctor specialising in the urinary organs – at a local hospital. You may also need to have an ultrasound scan so your doctor can examine your testicles.

If the ultrasound scan suggests cancer, a surgical procedure called a biopsy will be carried out to confirm this, and to see what type of cancer it is. This involves removing a small amount of the tumour and examining it under a microscope. If the biopsy confirms that there is cancer, the doctor will remove the affected part of your testicle.

You can watch a video by Dr Chris Steele MBE (The patron of the Testicle Tour) shows how to carry out a self examination here.

Other tests may be carried out to see whether the cancer has spread. These may include:

• CT scans
• a chest X-ray
• blood tests to assess levels of tumour marker proteins in the blood

Assessing how far the cancer has spread is called staging. The stages are:

• stage 1 – cancer is only in the testicle
• stage 2 – cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the abdomen
• stage 3 – there are cancer cells in the lymph nodes in the chest or above the collarbone
• stage 4 – cancer has spread to other organs, often the lungs

Treatment

The type of treatment used depends on the type of cancer and how far it has spread. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can temporarily lower your fertility. As a precaution, many men store (cryopreserve) their sperm in a sperm bank before treatment.

Surgery

Surgical removal of the affected testicle (orchidectomy) is the standard initial treatment for testicular cancer. If the cancer has spread further, you may need to have chemotherapy first, so the removal of your testicle will be delayed. You may wish to have an artificial testicle (an implant or prosthesis) inserted into your scrotum – you can discuss this with your doctor before the surgery. The removal of one testicle will not affect your ability to have erections or father children.

After surgery, you will be referred to a team of specialists and seen by an oncologist – a doctor specialising in cancer – to decide on the best course of further treatment.

Seminoma treatment

Early stage seminomas are treated with radiotherapy, or sometimes chemotherapy (see Related topics). More advanced stages are treated with radiotherapy, if the cancer is confined to a small area, or chemotherapy if it’s more spread out.

Non-seminoma treatment

If you have an early stage non-seminoma, you probably won’t need treatment, but you will be monitored for any signs of the cancer coming back (relapsing). This is because if testicular cancer does come back, there is a good chance that it can be cured with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can leave the remains of tumours behind, and these may need to be surgically removed to make sure the cancer doesn’t come back.

After your treatment you will need to have follow-up appointments so your doctors can see whether the cancer has come back. Depending on the nature of your testicular cancer, your surgeon or oncologist will arrange follow-up care.

DISCLAIMER
None of the advice given in or on any of these pages is a substitute for medical advice. If you are concerned about any aspects of your health it is our recommendation that you seek advice from a qualified medical practitioner

Link

During a woman’s menstrual cycle, it’s common for her to develop small, fluid or egg filled cysts in and around the ovaries. As her cycle progresses, these sacs break, releasing eggs into the fallopian tube.

Maintaining good health in today’s society often depends upon just how well your health insurance coverage applies to your lifestyle and needs.

A little effort can save you a lot of money…compare the offers of several health insurance programs and choose the one that’s best for you.

These harmless ovarian cysts, known as functional cysts, are generally asymptomatic, meaning they exist without producing any symptoms.

However, in some cases, ovarian cysts can be painful, causing you to suffer from uncomfortable symptoms. Occasionally, ovarian cysts put your health in danger, especially if they turn out to be cancerous. There are many types of ovarian cysts that can threaten your health. As a result, getting regular pap smears is important to identifying whether or not you suffer from a malignant ovarian cyst.

In this section, we will describe the various types of ovarian cysts. Our articles will explain the causes, symptoms and treatments for each type of ovarian cyst.

Corpus Luteum Cyst
The corpus luteum is an ovarian gland that manufactures progesterone once an egg is released to ready the uterus for possible pregnancy. Healthy corpus luteums are round, fluid-filled glands that are roughly an inch in diameter (for a growth to be identified as a cyst, it need only be a half inch in diameter).

Cysts on the corpus luteum are typically asymptomatic and tend to develop during the end of a woman’s monthly cycle. These cysts are also common in early stages of pregnancy. In most cases, corpus luteum cysts disappear on their own without any necessary treatment.

Hemorrhagic Cyst
Functional cysts that contain or release blood are known as hemorrhagic cysts. While these cysts don’t always burst, if or when they do, they leak blood and cause a generic burning sensation throughout the pelvic region. Hemorrhagic cysts are common phenomena that typically don’t require treatment. Most women have experienced a hemorrhagic cyst at some point in their lives.

In some cases, your doctor may suggest surgically removing the hemorrhagic cyst, especially if he thinks that it could indicate the presence of endometriosis.

Dermoid Cyst
This type of ovarian cyst grows from a form of germ cell in the ovaries (namely the totipotential germ cell) that is a fundamental cell from which a variety of other tissues, such as hair, teeth and bones, grow. As a result, dermoid cysts tend to contain a variety of different types of solid physical tissue. For example, it’s common for doctors to see hair and teeth formations in dermoid cysts.

Although women of any age can develop dermoid cysts, those who are in their prime childbearing years are at the highest risk of suffering from dermoid cysts. Because these cysts can cut off the ovaries’ blood supply, especially the larger dermoid cysts, removing them is the most common treatment option.

Link