Our immune system and cancer are correlated and interdependent in times of need. Just like the immune system, other organs work together in our body to maintain its proper functioning and health. The immune system, out of all, is vital for the protection of our body against numerous diseases and foreign bodies like pathogens.

For fighting cancer, our immune system plays a critical role. It is designed in a way to identify native and non-native cells in our body that can cause harm. The system is efficient in protecting from millions of germs and fights viruses and infection. However, the immune system is more than about fighting diseases. Here’s what you need to know about cancer and the immune system.

What is the work of the immune system?

The immune system works as a “defense” to our body, protecting it against illness and infection caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. When a foreign particle comes in contact with our body, our immune system responds and reacts to it. By restricting it from entering the human body and protecting it from further damage, the immune system is the body’s first line of defense. It is also known as immune response.

The immune system is highly essential to people with cancer. Here are the reasons why:

• Cancer makes the immune system extremely weak
• Cancer treatment may weaken the immune system
• Cancer can be fought with the help of the immune system

How can the immune system help to fight cancer?

Certain cells present in the immune system are likely to identify cancerous cells and kill them immediately before their growth. It’s very rare and still not enough to fight cancer altogether. Some treatments use the immune system to fight cancer. Using the two different parts of the immune system, the fight against cancer can be successful. They are:

• Inbuilt Immune protection (protection acquired from infancy)
• Acquired Immunity (Protection acquired after a disease)

Inbuilt Immune Protection

Also known as innate immunity, this mechanism always comes into play to defunct the body from harmful damage. Innate immunity reacts immediately to a foreign body and remains always prepared for instant action. Their response involves physical, chemicals, and cellular attack against the pathogens, using natural killer cells, dendritic cells, basophils, mast cells, eosinophils, and neutrophils,

Ways of Inbuilt immune protection

• Forming a barrier by the skin around the body
• Cause stomach acids to kill bacteria
• Inner linings of the guts & lungs produce mucus and trap attacking bacteria
• Hair that moves the mucus and trap bacteria out of the lungs
• Neutrophils, also known as white blood cells to find and kill bacteria
• Urine flow used to flush bacteria out of the urethra and bladder
• Produce useful bacteria in the bowel to prevent other damaging bacteria from taking over.

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Complications of Inbuilt Immune protection

Innate protection can be changed with various defects in our body disturbing the shield. Here’s how complications can occur to damage these natural protection mechanisms.

• The wound from surgery or incident or drip in the arms can break the skin barrier
• The use of a catheter into the bladder can create a path for bacteria to reach the bladder and cause infection.
• The use of antacid medicines for heartburn can neutralize the stomach acids that kill good bacteria.

Certain cancer treatments can also cause such complications and disrupt these protection mechanisms. You can temporarily experience a decrease in the number of neutrophils in the body due to chemotherapy. While radiotherapy to the lungs can damage the mucus and hair-producing cells responsible for destroying bacteria.

Neutrophils

It is a type of white blood cell vital for eradicating infection. Neutrophils move to the areas of infection and attach themselves to the attacking bacteria, viruses, or fungi and swallow them up and kill them with chemicals present in their body. Lack of neutrophils in your blood makes you neutropenic.

Cancer treatment like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted cancer drugs can reduce the number of neutrophils in our blood. Shortage of neutropenic makes you prone to bacterial and fungal infections after cancer treatments.

After cancer treatment, it’s very important to keep these useful points in mind:

• Low neutrophil count causes an infection that can turn severe very quickly
• Experiencing fever or illness could be effective by using antibiotics
• Antibiotic fights severe infection in the body when your blood counts are extremely low.

Bacterial infections after cancer treatment are quite prevalent and spread from one another. So you must avoid interaction with your family, children, and friends after treatment and take precautions to fight them easily.

Acquired Immunity

This type of immune protection is acquired when the body has already fought its battle with other diseases. Our body becomes prepared and can easily recognize each kind of bacteria, fungus, or virus that steps into the body for the very first time. When a certain type of infection harms your body for the first time, the body finds it easy to fight it when it occurs again. Infectious diseases like measles and chickenpox are the perfect example of diseases that occur to us only once as our body fights it effectively the second time.

Vaccinations are used in this type of immunity. The vaccine is composed of a small amount of protein from a disease, not a harmful one. Using it in the body allows the immune system to identify the disease when it enters again and the immune response acts to immediately stop from getting an infection with any disease or viral infection.

Few vaccines include small amounts of live bacteria or viruses in them. These are live attenuated vaccines. Scientists use advanced viruses and bacteria that stimulate the immune system in making antibodies. Infections don’t occur with a live vaccine.

B Cells and T Cells

There are two main types of lymphocytes in the body called B cells and T cells. They are a type of white blood cells involved in the acquired immune response. B and T lymphocytes cells are made from the bone marrow. Similar to other blood cells, these blood cells become completely mature to help the immune system to fight infection and diseases. B cells age in the bone marrow while the T cells mature in the thymus gland. Once they are completely grown, the B and T cells reach the spleen and the mumps nodes to fight infection.

What’s the work of B cells?

B cells produce proteins called antibodies to fight the invading bacteria and viruses in the body. There’s a different antibody produced to fight different types of germs invading the body. The antibodies attach themselves to the harmful bacteria and viruses which marks it as an invader to the body. Marking it helps the body to identify the danger and plans it for killing it. Antibodies are also equipped in finding and killing damaged cells. B cells are a significant part of the immune system. B cells are fast and react quickly by making antibodies against the invading virus or bacteria when it enters the body again.

Antibodies contain two ends. One end attaches the protein to the outside of the white blood cells. While on the other end attaches itself to the germ or damaged cells to catch and destroy it. The ends of the antibody that sticks to the white blood cells always remain the same, known as the constant end. But the other end of the antibody that sticks to the germs differs, depending on the cell type it needs to identify. Also known as the variable end. Each of the B cells creates antibodies with a different end from other B cells. The cancerous cells are complex and differ from normal cells. Hence some antibodies use variable ends to identify cancer cells and attach to them.

What’s the work of T cells?

There are different kinds of T cells, known as helper T cells and killer T cells. The helper T cell is responsible to stimulate the B cells to produce antibodies and help the development of the killer cells. The killer T cells destroy the body’s cells that have been damaged by invading viruses and bacteria, preventing them from further growth and reproducing dangerous cells, and infecting others in the body.

Immunotherapy – How to use the immune system for cancer treatments

Immunotherapy is responsible for treating certain types of cancer. It utilized the immune system to search and kill cancerous cells. Immunotherapy is highly useful in treating cancer as cancer cells as it’s easy to identify cancer cells from normal cells. The immune system is effective in catching and destroying abnormal cells in the body.
Types of Immunotherapy used to treat cancer are the following:

• Monoclonal Antibodies (MABs): Identify and kill certain proteins on the surface of cancer cells
• Cytokines: helps to boost the immune system
• Adoptive Cell Transfer: Change the genes in people’s white blood cells
• Vaccines: Help the immune system to identify and kill cancer

The immune system is potent in keeping our body safe and protected from detrimental viruses, bacteria, and fungi. With changing times and advancements in ongoing technology and research, immune stem can efficiently help in fighting cancer.

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Once your cancer treatment ends, going back to our routine makes life more comforting and healing. It distracts and gives back the normal life outlook again once we return to our familiar routines, one such is work. Your workplace can renew your focus and concentration beyond cancer. Deciding to resume back your work is an excellent and powerful move, and if you’ve made up your mind, then you’re going to be alright. However, starting work after cancer requires some precautions, extra care, and planning to ensure you are mentally and physically strong to cope up with the transition.

What does it take to return to work as a cancer survivor?

As someone who’s just survived cancer, going back to work is not an easy decision. Many a time, there’s emotional and mental stress that comes along with cancer treatment that affects your work plans. If you’ve taken the strong decision to return to work, the first and foremost step must involve the doctor’s approval.

You need to make sure to go through the long-term side effects of your treatment, type of job and physical demands of it, and a need for follow-up care. If you’ve passed the doctor’s inquiries, you must reach out to your employer through a virtual or in-person meeting to discuss the details of the return. As a cancer survivor, you must discuss medical appointments, unpaid medical leave, work overload, and other difficulties with your employer to inform him where you stand. Once the employer agrees to your new changes in work, you can think of moving ahead.

How can work bring a change?

Returning to work is not going to be difficult if you are mentally prepared and know the benefit that comes along with it. Work is one of the great joys of people’s life that helps to build stronger relationships with others. Here’s to some reason how work will bring a new form of motivation and happiness in your life:

Income: Money is indisputably one of the most essential in life. After paying for the treatment and everything, financial security comes from work. There would be post-cancer medication and needs you’ll have where money can help upon, even help with your lifestyle thereby boosting your self-esteem.

Daily Practice: Work is a commitment that creates a routine in your life where you’ve always got to show up. Which is your case is quite healthy and beneficial as having a specific timing of work and a fixed break would keep your body active.

A Break: With cancer comes a loss of stress related to the financed, family, friends, health, etc which only mitigate your situation. So to take a break from the constant conversation of cancer and associated worries, it’s better to develop a distraction that takes you away. Work proves to be the best option as a distraction as having a fixed task assigned to you regularly will help your focus on those.

Socializing: Go out, have a conversation about other people’s lives and their problems. At the workplace, socialization is great since you meet your colleagues, clients, or vendors around that help you get in touch with the outer world rather than being stuck with oneself. Studies have shown that socializing with others at our lowest point of life improves mental and emotional help and decreased depression signs.

Even with our listed benefits, work can be challenging as a cancer survivor. You won’t just have to tackle physical but also mental distress, and other common hurdles of your workplace. Here are our listed problems you will face and how to brace yourself for them.

Problems that come along with work

You can experience fatigue, loss of memory, irritation, discomfort, and other side effects.

Solution:

Reach out to your medical teams of experts about work and your schedule to see if they’ll advise you with the necessary medication to fight the side effects efficiently.

Be comfortable with your pace. Don’t compare with what you were before and what you are now. You are this powerful person who just battled cancer for months and now your body will take time to heal. Even if your work takes longer nowadays, then allow yourself at that time.

If you get exhausted while working then take immediate breaks. Device your working hours into two or three lots, with some resting time in between to remain active.

Find it difficult to remember dates, timing and details then make remains, schedule work, and create time-tables. Always keep a notepad with you all the time to remind you of your work, important notices, and many more.

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Essential Steps to take before starting work

Reach out to Human Resource or employer

Your body and mental state are still vulnerable and need special allowances while working to carry out your responsibilities. Discussing or informing your HR or employer to see if they’d allow these changes with different working hours is a wise decision. You must explain to them what and why you need to create some changes so that they’ll understand your situation.

Though you won’t exactly get what you need however there would be a great help from your colleagues once you explain to them what your body is going through. Since people don’t know and it’s always good to let others know how and what you feel. Many enterprises allow work from home from keeping you safe from infection and other things. Don’t participate in travel-based assignments yet, wait till you feel ready and physically fit.

Don’t be guilty with the new changes & news you

What you’ve gone through, nobody else has which makes you special, powerful, and strong. Never keep that out of your mind so give your body enough time to gradually reach the heights of how you worked earlier. Don’t be guilty of your situation and put yourself down or inferior in front of others. Accept the new you and as time passes, you’ll find the old speed and pace.

Know your rights

Look out for worker allowance, leaves, insurance, etc to discover your option ahead. Your company has a policy on sick leaves, and other rights that you can access when you need them.

Pay attention to health

Even if work starts, don’t forget to make a schedule for food, medications in between breaks to avoid any complications. Skipping out on meals or medicine is not good. Also, don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated at work by sipping water consistently every day. Keep a water bottle in front of you so you are constantly reminded of it.

Apart from food, taking a few hours for resting and relaxing in a day also helps greatly for your body. Don’t get overworked, work at only the workplace while consistently doing relaxation activities such as meditation, light exercises, and deep breathing.

Seek Comfortable environment

Nothing beats comfort, especially at a workplace where you spend quite a lot of your daily life. Check your table and chair if they are suitable or not, if not then get an ergonomic chair for relaxing sitting arrangement. Bring along essential supplies that you might need like a foot-stool, heating pads, neck support, or others.

Look forward to new, positive changes as you’ve already passed the biggest challenge. Now, you are ready to tackle small hurdles and allow yourself to heal with time.

FAQS on returning to work after cancer

Your common question on work after cancer answered.

Q. Do I need to inform my new employer about my cancer?

No! It depends on you. If you want to mention your medical history or ask for medical leaves, follow-up visits, or remaining chemotherapy sessions, you might need to explain it. Other than this, your employer just needs to know if you’re qualified and capable of the job offer.

Q.Why do people treat me differently after surviving cancer?

Cancer can be concerning for everyone. Your colleagues are bound to bring our cancer in the initial stage due to curiosity. If you don’t prefer talking about it, then you just need to politely decline to talk about it with others and they’ll understand. Give some time and both of you will gradually return to normal and you’ll no longer feel sensitive talking over cancer.

Q. Would I be able to work similarly to before?

It’s difficult to say because your body has still not recovered yet. You won’t be able to work to your full potential due to physical tiredness and mental distress. However, you can take extra measures to tackle such situations. Here’s how you can do it.

• Learn to adapt to your new speed
• Keep calm and cope with new changes
• Accept and ask for help during these times
• Go easy with work competition
• Set priorities of task

Q. Can anyone train me for work-life better?

Yes! Before you take the big step, seek help from an occupational therapist to improve on everyday tasks associated with work. The occupation therapist will train and advise you with work citation and tackle specific challenges and restrictions. If you are struggling with physical changes like uncomfortable with prolonged hours of sitting, then physiotherapists can increasingly help decrease pain and build muscle strength. Or experiencing trouble with memory and focusing then neuropsychologists would work on enhancing your memory, confidence, and focus.

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How does tobacco use lead to cancer?

The relationship between tobacco use and cancer goes hand in hand, especially resulting in lung cancer. Consuming tobacco products leads to 9 out of 10 cases of lung cancer and the cases are only increasing every day now. Not just lung cancer, tobacco leads to bladder, cervix, colon & rectum, esophagus, kidney & renal pelvis, lungs, bronchi, trachea, blood, stomach, and liver cancer. The use of tobacco is lethal and its consequences are severely damaging to people’s health. Almost 1 out of 5 cancer deaths happen due to its use.

Most people misunderstand their damage just because there are various forms of tobacco in the market. Some might appear safe and seem without any health impacts but it isn’t simply true. All forms of tobacco are harmful, even the new trend of e-cigarettes.

What are the chemicals present in it?

Tobacco leaves are used in cigarettes, pipe tobacco, and cigars. Additional components are added just for the flavor to cover the unpleasant taste of the smoking experience. About 70 different cancerous chemicals are produced from the smoke of tobacco. These chemicals are known as carcinogens. Whenever you breathe in the emitted smoke environment, the chemicals reach into your bloodstream and spread to all parts of your body.

All these chemicals may harm your DNA, which’s responsible for making new cells, and tells each cell what and how to function. An injured DNA fails to do the job correctly and leads to different cell growth from what happens naturally. Cells either grow inadequately at any part of the body and turn cancerous.

The harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke are nicotine, hydrogen cyanide, lead, ammonia, arsenic, formaldehyde, radioactive elements like Uranium, carbon monoxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, and nitrosamines. Most of these chemicals cause cancer while others result in heart disease, lung cancer, or other serious health problems. All major chemicals are just derived by just burning tobacco leaves themselves, not from additives.

Are there any radioactive materials in tobacco smoke?

Yes, radioactive materials are present in tobacco leaves which are used in making cigarettes and cigars. The tobacco leaves get radioactive materials from fertilizers and soils used for their growth and depending on the among, it can vary in each plant. The radioactive materials are released into the air and reach a person’s body when tobacco is burned by smokers. That is one of the biggest reasons for causing lung cancer in people.

What are other harmful tobacco products?

• Cigar: It’s similar to all other lethal tobacco products with carcinogenic compounds but with different levels of chemicals present in them. Since cigars are much more preferred after aging as it helps to blend their different flavors, there’s a high concentration of nitrogen compounds in them. Using fermented cigar tobacco emits various kinds of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), some of the major cancer-causing substances out of all. Cigars packaging also makes it more since it is less porous than a cigarette wrapper, there’s incomplete combustion of tobacco. That results in a greater concentration of ammonia, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides – all major lethal cancerous substances.
• Smokeless products: Snuff and chewing tobacco are some of the products of smokeless tobacco that don’t require burning like cigarettes or cigars. Unfortunately, they are equally damaging to our health with various harmful chemicals including a high concentration of TSNAs.Elements like benzo a pyrene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are some of the influential cancer-causing elements found in smokeless tobaccos. Similar to other tobaccos, they also contain radioactive substances. Smokeless tobacco is consumed through the mouth resulting in various types of cancer. Other alternatives like Snus are more moist snuff consumed without spitting. Used first in Sweden and Norway, it is also available in India. Though it has lower levels of nicotine and TSNAs compared to other smokeless brands, it is still very addictive and causes a few types of cancer.
• E-cigarettes and other devices: We have also witnessed electronic smoking types such as e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) used as a modern alternative to tobacco products. E-cigarette brands claim that these products are safe to use but it’s very unlikely. The aerosols from these electronic smoking devices contain flavorings, addictive nicotine, and various other cancer-causing chemicals that are extremely toxic. It’s more worrisome as a larger group of youngsters fall prey to these new products. Though there’s less amount of harmful chemicals compared to the usual cigarettes, the replacement of nicotine and other substances are lethal to our health. Since it’s a new product in the market, its ingredients are under study to find out its long-term effects.

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What are the benefits of quitting?

After looking at the long list of detrimental effects of tobacco smoking, it’s a wise move to quit smoking at any time. It’s never too late, the sooner you take the step forward, the better you’ll feel and stay free of diseases. There are various benefits of quitting smoking, here are some of the most feel-good ones motivating you to take the step now:

• Lower risk of diabetes
• Increased life expectancy
• Boost working of blood vessels
• Food tastes delicious than ever before
• Your taste & smell return backs to normal
• Rarely gets tired or exhausted easily
• Better hygiene and smell
• No more discolouration of teeth and fingernails

Quit smoking now and save yourself from future ailments.

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Does plastic use cause cancer?

Plastic, as sinful as it is for our environment, possesses the possibility to be a threat to our body in the form of cancer. In recent years, the use of plastic and its exposure to our health through various products turned out to be notably unsafe. So we need to dig deeper on this issue to resolve such severe concerns since plastic comes in use with every one of our needs. From bowls to water bottles, plastic is accessible at every corner of the utility department.

According to a study, few chemicals in plastic dissolve some plastic into the food and beverages we consume. Those chemicals result in severe health problems like metabolic disorders and decreased fertility. It can get worse if the plastic is exposed to heat as it elevated the damaging chemicals at a faster and increased amount into the items than at a normal state.

Today, we’ll uncover the fact if plastic use can lead to cancer. And if we can do anything to reduce the negative outcomes caused by our health.

What is plastic made of?

Primarily, we must know our subject before claiming it hazardous. Plastics are more complex than we often assume. Plastics care not just one thing, they are of many different kinds and possess their different names based on their composition. For example, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, and terephthalate. All of them contain a variety of chemicals with different properties like antioxidants, plasticizers, and colorants.

In general, plastic use and exposure have caused severe damage to people. What’s important to note here is many plastic containers publicly state that their product contains chemicals but in small amounts indicating there’s no chance to worry. But if we continue to use the product repeatedly for various days, months, and years, the effects would lead us to various health hazards. The initial amount of the product might look small but continued use only helps to add more each day.

Along with chemical exposure, plastic products put pregnant women at a greater risk. The harmful chemical release reached the exposed fetus in the womb that affects them severely. Out of the most known detrimental chemicals are phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA). The two chemicals are called endocrine disruptors and are known for interfering with the hormonal system in our body.

Here’s how both these plastic’s chemical impact our body

Phthalates

Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make plastic more flexible, plant, and hard to break. After consuming them via food items, these chemicals work as male reproductive toxicants. It also affects women. These chemicals are prominent for making vinyl plastics soft and flexible, used in multiple product manufacturing. We are under the highest exposure of these chemicals since it is present in toys to medical devices. Adult women, especially, are under higher threat compared to men since phthalates used in various cosmetics like shampoo, soaps, and body washes.

Bisphenol A

BPA comes under the use of making hard types of plastic called polycarbonate often used in making containers for storing food and beverages, such as water bottles, lunch boxes, and storage cans. Recently, Bisphenol A is getting a lot of attention due to its adverse health effects in humans and rodents. The chemical is lately in controversy for its possible impacts on the brain and prostate glands of fetuses, infants, and kids. In 2011, a study proved the presence of high levels of BPA in pregnant women and their infants would be more likely to exhibit anxiety, hyperactivity, and depression.

These two chemicals are in attention due to their growing negative impacts on health, there are many other chemicals in plastics with similar impacts including antioxidants, and colorants.

Do microwave plastics worsen our health?

Heating plastic is always a disadvantage to health than eating out them at natural temperature. So depending on different plastic forms, heating them in a microwave can rigorously release harmful chemicals in the food and beverages stored in it. Foods rich in fat are particularly more likely to increase the release of chemicals.

Many plastics claim to be microwave-safe by the FDA. Getting FDA’s approval for claiming your product requires manufacturers to test the container, evaluate the container timing in the microwave, how much anyone is likely to eat out of the container and estimated the temperature of the food inside it. If the amount of chemical released from the container into the food is lower than a maximum allowable amount set, the product is free to be called microwave-safe. But ultimately, the product is never fit or free of chemicals.

Hence even after being aware of the plastic type and additives used, the safety advice would be to avoid the use of heating food in plastic.

Are regular plastics non-toxic for use?

Microwaves elevate the chemical release in the food items from plastic, not the only way the food gets contaminated by chemicals from plastics. Food and beverages stored in plastic containers, even without microwaves release chemicals in the food items. Plastic’s abundant chemical release gets altered if kept in a heating environment or under the sunlight. Tomatoes and other acidic food easily absorb chemicals from the lining of the food cans. Apart from food containers, chemicals containing home decor things containing phthalates, release gases in the air over time, increasing the chances of inhaling the harmful chemicals. Even plastic vapors can release chemicals in the food, even if the plastics are not in contact with it. Vapourized plastic containers release their gases into the food item when used as a plastic splatter lid over a bowl in the microwave.
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Are plastics free of phthalates and BPA considered safe?

It’s difficult to say if other types of plastics, if not phthalates and BPA, are safe. Companies who claim to have eliminated the problematic chemical from its product ingredient, its replacement is just another chemical which we don’t know much about. It can or is almost equally toxic.
It’s a common tactic used by companies to replace a controversial chemical with a new one. The new chemical has no evidence supporting its benefit or risk-free features so it’s never a safer option. Usually, companies switch BPA with a different chemical called bisphenol S or BPS. Earlier, there was less information available on the internet about its state of use but recently, it turned to be detrimental as well.

In 2011, the Environmental Health Perspective published a study testing commercial plastic products that claimed to be BPA-free. The result proved that almost all of them released chemicals with estrogenic activity. Some of them even had more estrogenic activity than BPA.

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Steps to protect yourself

Avoiding plastic use at all costs seems impossible due to every product found made in plastic. Limiting plastic use as much as possible, especially when a woman is pregnant and along with food items can help greatly.

How to limit the use of plastics:

• Replace your plastic water bottles with your steel, glass, or ceramic water bottle.
• Decrease the amount of canned food you consume and your child used daily.
• Go with children bottles with labels that are free of BPA.
• Don’t recycle carbonless receipts at cash register receipts as receipts with BPA can spread the BPA onto other problems made with recycled products like napkins and toilet paper.
• Use plastics with the number 7 recycling symbol on the bottom. Don’t stick to plastic without a label saying “PLA” or a leaf symbol on it as it may contain BPA.

How to limit chemical exposure from plastics?

Stop cooking food in plastic containers or use them in roasting or steaming: As discussed earlier, plastic under heat is prone to realize higher amounts of chemicals into food than at regular temperature. Limit the use of microwaves or even if you do, use a glass container to heat or bake anything.

Switch to glass, enamel-covered metal, stainless steel pots, pans, porcelain, and containers for storing food and beverages or even when the food item is hot.

Lookout for Plastics with recycling symbols of 2, 4, and 5 to use: Plastics label with recycling symbol 7 and along with a leaf symbol is good to go.

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What Is Stomach Cancer?

It occurs when abnormal cells or cancerous cells start on the linings of the stomach, and the most common stomach cancer is adenocarcinoma.

 Types

• Adenocarcinoma: one of stomach cancer  types that develop from the inner linings of the stomach; the most common type of it
• Lymphoma: a cancer of the immune system that starts where the lymphatic tissues are situated, such as the stomach; it occurs rarely
• A gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST): a type of cancer in the stomach that develops in the cells (interstitial cells of Cajal) of the stomach wall; it can be a benign or metastatic form of cancer.
• Carcinoid tumor: is a type of neuroendocrine tumor that develops in the digestive tract; it grows slowly and manifests symptoms on its later stage

 Stages

How many stages of it are there? There are five stomach cancer stages, which define the severity and extent of cancer.

• Stage 0 (Carcinoma in situ): a group of abnormal cells (high-grade dysplasia) is present in the lining of the stomach, or on the top layer of cells of the mucosa
• Stage I: the tumor from the top layer of cells of the mucosa has reached the layers below: lamina propria, muscularis mucosa, or submucosa; it may not or may have lymph node involvement (1-2 nodes)
• Stage II: cancer cells have extended to the deeper layers of the stomach and may not or may have lymph node involvement (1-15 lymph nodes)
• Stage III: it can involve all stomach layers, has spread to nearby organs and structures, or adjacent lymph node involvement (1to > 16 lymph nodes)
• Stage IV: cancer cells have spread to all stomach layers, and may not or may have lymph node involvement. But has already reached distant organs such as the brain, lungs, liver, or peritoneum.

 Symptoms

• The bloated feeling after food ingestion
• Heartburn
• Indigestion
• Mild nausea
• Loss of desire for food

symptoms in advance stages:

• Persistent vomiting
• Stomach pain
• Blood in the stool- a sign of bleeding in the digestive tract
• Unexplained weight loss
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Jaundice- the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes become yellow
• Ascites- accumulation of fluid in the abdomen

 Risks

Who Gets it? There are various factors on how a person can develop cancer in the stomach. Here are some risks:

• Family history of stomach cancer
• Male gender
• Obesity
• Old age
• Diet high in salt and smoked foods
• Less intake of fruits and vegetables
• Eating foods that are not prepared well and improperly stored
• Smoking
• Stomach diseases
  • Chronic gastritis: chronic inflammation in the stomach
  • Polyps in the stomach
  • Helicobacter pylori infection in the stomach
  • Pernicious anemia
  • Intestinal metaplasia
  • Epstein-Barr Virus

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 Diagnosis

How it is detected? Cancer in the stomach is detected by an assessment from the doctor and undergoing tests or procedures that will guide doctors in stomach cancer diagnosis and staging.

1. Obtaining history and physical assessment: the physician will ask about stomach cancer symptoms that you have experienced and obtain data if you have stomach cancer risk factors. The physician will perform a physical assessment such as palpation of the abdomen to determine if you have stomach cancer signs.
2. Upper Endoscopy: the leading test for stomach cancer diagnosis. Through upper endoscopy, the doctor can visualize the linings of the esophagus, stomach, and part of the small intestines.
3. Biopsy If any unusual growth or abnormal areas is seen during endoscopy, the doctor can take a small sample of tissues that will be sent to the laboratory to check for the presence of cancer cells.
4. Laboratory tests
   • Complete blood count (CBC): to check for decreased hemoglobin levels, it could be due to bleeding in the digestive tract
   • Fecal occult blood test: to determine the presence of blood in the stool that cannot be seen by the naked eyes
5. Imaging tests: done to determine if a suspected part of the body is cancerous, the extent of cancer, or to evaluate if the treatment has been effective to it.
   • Chest X-ray
   • Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan
   • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
   • CT-scan
   • Upper GI series

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 Treatment

• Surgery
  • Endoscopic resection: it treatment that is performed to a very early stage of cancer in the stomach. The doctor will use an endoscope and pass it through the mouth going down the stomach, and then surgical instruments are inserted into the endoscope to remove the tumor and some adjacent healthy cells on the stomach linings.
  • Subtotal (Partial) Gastrectomy: surgical removal of the part of the stomach with cancer including adjacent lymph nodes, organs, and structures close to the tumor.
  • Total Gastrectomy: surgical removal of the whole stomach, adjacent lymph nodes, some parts of the esophagus, some part of the small intestine or the duodenum, and nearby tissues. The remaining esophagus will be connected to the small intestine.
• Radiation therapy: it treatment that utilizes high energy x-rays to eradicate cancer cells and stop their growth
  • External radiation therapy
  • Internal radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy: uses chemicals to eliminate cancer in the stomach
  • Neoadjuvant chemotherapy: causes the tumor to shrink for easy removal
  • Adjuvant chemotherapy: used after surgical intervention to eliminate remaining cancer cells in the stomach
• Targeted therapy: another stomach cancer treatment that uses medications that strike specific cancer cells and refraining healthy cells.
  • Monoclonal antibody therapy: uses antibodies from a laboratory, and they attach to substances that sustain the growth of cancer cells, thus killing the cancer cells and inhibiting their growth and reproduction.
  • Multikinase inhibitors are small-molecule drugs that go inside the cancer cells to disrupt the multiple protein signals to stop their growth and reproduction. Other drugs have angiogenesis inhibitor effects that stop new blood vessel formation, which tumors needed to flourish.

Book an appointment with the Best Cancer Specialist at Oncoplus Hospital.

What is Colon Cancer?

It is a disease wherein cancer cells develop in the tissues of the colon.

Types

• Adenocarcinomas: most common cancer type in colon and rectum, which form from mucus cells
• Carcinoid Tumors: develops from the hormone-making cells in the intestines
• Lymphomas: develops from the lymph nodes or in the colon
• Sarcomas: develops in the soft tissues (muscles) of the colon
• Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST): develops rarely in the colon, starts as a benign tumor then eventually becomes cancerous

 Stages

• Stage 0 (Carcinoma in Situ): cancer cells are confined in the innermost layer (mucosa) of the colon
• Stage I: Cancer cells in the mucosa have invaded the submucosa or to the muscle layer of the colon wall
• Stage II
  • Stage IIA: cancer cells have invaded the muscle layer and the outermost layer (serosa) of the colon or rectum
  • Stage IIB: cancer cells have invaded the muscle layer of the colon lining and have reached the tissues surrounding the organs of the abdomen- called the visceral peritoneum
  • Stage IIC: Cancer cells have invaded the wall of the colon or rectum and have reached nearby structures
• Stage III
  • Stage IIIA: cancer has reached the inner lining or the muscle layers of the intestine; with lymph node involvement: 1-3 or cancer nodules in the tissues surrounding the colon or rectum
  • Stage IIIB: cancer has reached the bowel wall or to adjacent organs; with lymph node involvement: 1-3 or cancer nodules in the tissues surrounding the colon or rectum
  • Stage IIIC: regardless of how extensive the tumor has grown, cancer cells have reached 4 or more lymph nodes
• Stage IV
  • Stage IVA: Cancer has reached one distant organ of the body such as the ovary, liver, or lungs.
  • Stage IVB: The tumor has reached more than one distant part of the body
  • Stage IVC: the tumor has reached the peritoneum and may have affected other parts or organs of the body.

 Symptoms

• Unexplained weight loss
• Changes in bowel habits
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Blood in the stool (bright red or dark red)
• A feeling of incomplete bowel emptying
• Stools have become slender
• Abdominal discomfort: frequent gas pains, feeling bloated, or cramps
• Body weakness
• Vomiting

 Risk Factors

• Family history of colon or rectal cancer: first degree relative with colon or rectal cancer
• Previous history of colon cancer, rectal cancer, ovarian cancer, or colorectal polyps
• Inherited gene abnormalities: such as Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or Hereditary polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC)
• Having an inflammatory disease in the colon: such as chronic ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
• Heavy alcohol consumption: consuming 3 or more drinks each day
• Cigarette smoking
• Obesity
• Black race
• Older age: as people age, they are more prone to it
• Food consumption of low in fiber and high in fat
• Previous radiation therapy: previous radiation treatment for cancer on the abdomen, increases the risk for cancer in the colon

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 Diagnosis

Here’s some it test performed or ordered by the physician to identify cancer in the colon:

• Obtaining history and physical assessment: history of diseases, treatments underwent, health habits if there are changes in bowel movements or any unusualities in the body; the doctor performs a physical assessment to check any signs of illness.
• Digital Rectal Exam (DRE): a physician examines the rectum by inserting of gloved and lubricated finger to check for any unusual growths.
• Fecal occult blood test (FOBT): a colon cancer test wherein stool specimen will be sent to the laboratory and check using a microscope for the presence of blood
• Barium Enema or Lower GI series: a procedure for its diagnosis that involves injecting a liquid (which contains barium that creates a coating to colon linings) into the rectum then an x-ray is taken. It generates a clear image structure of the colon.
• Sigmoidoscopy: uses a thin, flexible lighted tube with a lens- known as a sigmoidoscope and inserted through the rectum to visualize the rectum and the lower colon for any abnormal growths or areas. If abnormal growths are noted, it uses instruments to obtain tissue samples for biopsy.
• Colonoscopy: a test for its diagnosis that uses a thin, flexible lighted tube with a camera- known as a colonoscope and inserted through the rectum to examine the rectum and colon for any unusual growth, abnormal areas, or signs of cancer. If unusual growth is noted, it uses tools to obtain tissue samples for biopsy purposes.
• Biopsy: a colon cancer test wherein tissue samples are taken through sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy and then sent to the laboratory for biopsy.

it tests that may be used for the staging of cancer:

• CT-scan
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• PET scan (Positron emission tomography scan)
• Chest X-ray
• Complete Blood Count (CBC)
• Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) assay

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 Treatment Options

• It Surgery: surgical removal of the colon or a part of it that has cancer
  • Polypectomy: performed during colonoscopy, if a polyp (small growth on the colon lining) if found.
  • Local Excision: one of the colon cancer treatment options that are performed by removal of the tumor and some tissues of the rectal wall. It is done through an anal or rectal approach.
  • Hemicolectomy: a colon cancer surgery that involves removal of the cancerous part of the colon including some healthy segments of the colon on both ends. The remaining segments of the colon will be anastomosed.
  • Total colectomy: involves the removal of the entire colon. This procedure is also done for familial adenomatous polyposis or inflammatory bowel disease.
• Chemotherapy: it treatment that kills cancer by inhibiting cell growth and reproduction.
  • Systemic chemotherapy
  • Regional chemotherapy
• Radiation Therapy: it treatment that utilizes high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells
  • External radiation therapy
  • Internal radiation therapy

Book an appointment with the Best Cancer Specialist at Oncoplus Hospital.

Breast Cancer-stay aware:Breast cancer occurs when there is an alteration of cellular growth and production in the breasts that can affect and spread to other organs of the body. Breast cancer can evolve in breast lobules, ducts, fatty tissues, or fibrous connective tissue.

Types of Breast Cancer

Here are some breast cancer types:

• Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS): a non-invasive type of breast cancer and not life-threatening but requires treatment. Cancer has started inside the milk ducts but has not affected adjacent breast tissues.
• Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS): cancer cells developed in the breast lobules (glands that produce milk) but have not spread on surrounding tissues.
• Invasive ductal carcinoma or infiltrating ductal carcinoma: cancer developed in milk ducts and has invaded surrounding breast tissues, and is the most common type of breast cancer.
• Invasive lobular carcinoma or infiltrating lobular carcinoma: cancer that is formed in the breast lobule, where milk is produced and has spread to adjacent breast tissues.
• Inflammatory breast cancer: a rare and aggressive type of breast cancer; it starts with redness and swelling; it spreads rapidly within a few hours to a few days. Cancer cells obstruct lymph nodes in the breast, and lymphatic vessels are unable to drain properly causing imminent swelling and redness.
• Triple-negative breast cancer: considered a more aggressive type of breast cancer and has a poorer prognosis; it lacks estrogen and progesterone receptors and does not have excess HER2 proteins.
• Paget’s disease of the nipple: a rare type of breast cancer; cancer cells affect the ducts near the nipples and disperse on nipple surface and areola causing the nipple surface to have dark circles, scaling, redness, irritation, and itchiness.

Breast Cancer Staging

• Stage 0: cancer cells are limited in the breast ducts and have not invaded adjacent tissues; non-invasive type of cancer.
• Stage 1:
  • Stage 1A: primary tumor <2 centimeters and has not spread to lymph nodes
  • Stage 1B: has reached lymph nodes; with or without the presence of breast tumor, tumor size <2 cm
• Stage 2:
  • Stage 2A: tumor size 2 cm and affected 1-3 adjacent lymph nodes; or tumor size 2-5cm and no lymph node affected
  • Stage2B: tumor size 2-5cm and affected 1-3 axillary lymph nodes; or >5cm and no lymph node affected
• Stage 3:
  • Stage 3A: proliferated 4-9 axillary lymph nodes, or has huge internal mammary lymph nodes, primary tumor size can be varied
  • Stage 3B: the tumor has reached the chest wall or skin; with or without lymph node invasion, can affect up to 9 lymph nodes; has not affected other parts of the body
  • Stage 3C: affected >10 axillary lymph nodes, near the collarbone, or the internal mammary nodes, has not affected other parts of the body
• Stage 4: tumor can be any size; cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes and body organs such as bones, brain, lungs, and liver; breast cancer metastasis
• Recurrent: cancer cells have reappeared after the treatment; described as local, regional, or distant.

Breast cancer in males

The occurrence of breast cancer in males is rare. It commonly affects older men but can also develop in younger men. When breast cancer is detected and treated at an early stage, it can be cured.

Breast Cancer Symptoms

Most breast cancer symptoms cannot be identified or felt in their early stages. There are various presentations of breast cancer symptoms and here are some breast cancer signs:

• Visible lump in the breast or thickening of tissues that have appeared recently
• Inverted nipples, which is not observed in the previous appearance
• Bloody discharge from the nipples or any discharge except breast milk
• Swelling or redness on any parts of the breast
• Dimpled skin on the breast
• Changes of skin texture – peeling, flaking, or scaling of breast skin
• Pain on breasts
• Swelling of lymph nodes on the breast area

When you have any of these breast cancer signs, have yourself checked by a doctor.

Who are at risk of developing breast cancer?

Breast cancer awareness is very important and knowing risks for cancer development is one way we can stop it.

• Age: as age increases, a person is at high risk of developing cancer
• Female gender: more common in women
• Family history: if you have an immediate family member diagnosed with breast cancer, you are at high risk of having breast cancer
• Menstruation: starting your menstruation <12 years old are at risk of cancer
• Menopausal: starting menopausal at an older age
• Previous history: history of breast cancer or any breast problems such as lobular carcinoma in situ or atypical hyperplasia
• Exposure to radiation
• Obesity
• Never been pregnant
• First child after 30 years old
• Postmenopausal hormone therapy

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Diagnosis

There are several ways on how to detect a tumor. Here are some methods to diagnose breast cancer:

• Breast Exam: the doctor examines for any unusual growth or lumps on the breasts
• Imaging tests: to detect any lumps or abnormal growths, or differentiate a solid mass from a fluid-filled cyst; includes mammogram, ultrasound, MRI- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Biopsy: removes a sample of breast tissue and sent to the laboratory for analysis

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Treatment

Can blood cancer be treated? There are various blood cancer treatments that are used depending on the type of cancer in the blood and its severity.

• Surgery
  • Lumpectomy: done to stop the spread of cancer cells by removal of the tumor and including healthy tissues surrounding the tumor.
  • Mastectomy: involves the removal of the entire breast including the lobules, ducts, fatty tissue, some skin, nipple, and areola.
    Types of mastectomy:
    • Sentinel node biopsy
    • Axillary lymph node dissection
    • Reconstruction
• Radiation therapy: kills cancer cells by directing the tumor with a controlled dose of radiation
• Chemotherapy: kills cancer cells; can be used as cytotoxic chemotherapy, adjuvant chemotherapy, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy
• Hormone blocking therapy: used to stop hormone-sensitive breast cancers from recurring
• Targeted therapy drugs: used to invade specific abnormalities within cancer cells, such as the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)

Book an appointment with the Best Cancer Specialist at Oncoplus Hospital.

Blood cancer occurs when there is an overproduction of abnormal functioning cells in the body. The mass production of abnormal cells suppresses the bone marrow in the production of healthy cells such as platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells.

 Types

• Leukemia: one of the blood cancer types, wherein there is an overproduction of white blood cells (WBC) that are not functioning properly, thus cannot fight infections.
  • Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL): rapidly produces immature and abnormal lymphocytes (lymphoblasts), which cannot fight off infection. It produces massively that they crowd out healthy white blood cells, making a person a higher risk for infections.
  • Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML): a type of leukemia wherein there is an uncontrolled production of immature myeloid cells- myeloblasts. Myeloblasts do not mature into healthy functioning WBC, decreasing the body’s defenses against infections. As leukemia cells fill the bone marrow, the red blood cell and platelet production are hindered.
  • Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL): the same with ALL that it starts to develop in lymphocytes but grows slowly, and blood cancer symptoms manifest after few years; the most common type of cancer in the blood in adults.
  • Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML): the same with AML, which begins to develops from myeloid cells but develops slowly; more common in men
• Lymphoma: is another blood cancer type that starts with lymphocytes, and abnormal lymphocytes turn to lymphoma cells that reproduce and accumulate in the lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, bone marrow, and other parts of the body. Then it impairs the body’s immunes system.
  • Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: starts in immune cells- B cells
  • Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: starts in B cells or T cells; the most common type of lymphoma
• Myeloma or Multiple Myeloma: one of the blood cancer types that develop from plasma cells, which are a type of WBC that produces antibodies. This spreads to the bone marrow, damages the bones, and healthy cells are outnumbered.

 Stages

How many stages of it? There are four stages of blood cancer, which are the following:

• Stage I: enlargement of lymph nodes
• Stage II: enlargement in one of these organs: spleen, liver, and lymph nodes.
• Stage III: anemia develops with the enlargement of 2 or more of these organs: spleen, liver, and lymph nodes.
• Stage IV: platelet levels drop swiftly, cancer cells affect the lungs along with the organs affected from the previous stages, presence of acute anemia

 Symptoms

• Skin rash
• Petechiae: tiny, circular, flat patches as a result of bleeding beneath the skin
• Painless swollen of lymph nodes in the neck, underarms, or groin
• Headaches
• Shortness of breath
• Coughing or chest pain
• Recurrent infections: low WBC count
• Night sweats
• Joint pain
• Abdominal pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fever and chills
• Persistent body weakness
• Loss of appetite or nausea
• Easily bruising: low platelet count

Causes

Why blood cancer occurs? There is no definite reason yet what are blood cancer causes, but scientists believed that it is formed due to genetic and environmental factors.

Here are some risk factors that make a person is a higher risk of developing cancer in the blood:

• Family history of cancer in the blood
• Previous chemotherapy and radiation treatment are at high risks of developing cancer in the blood
• Genetic disorders such as Down syndrome, Fanconi anemia, and Bloom syndrome
• Exposure to chemicals such as benzene that is used in chemical facilities, rubber industries, shoe manufacturing, and gasoline industries
• Radiation exposure
• Smoking

Book an appointment with Oncology experts at Oncoplus Cancer care.

Diagnosis

Several tests are performed for it diagnosis, which are:

• Physical Exam: the physician assesses for blood cancer signs such as pale skin, swollen lymph nodes, enlargement of the liver and spleen.
• Blood tests
  • Complete blood count (CBC): checks the levels of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets
  • Virology testing: to determine if a person has been infected with HIV, Hepatitis B, and C so appropriate treatment will be given alongside cancer treatment
  • Liver function tests: to monitor the status of the liver when undergoing chemotherapy
  • Peripheral blood Smear: to check the size and shape of the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets
  • Urea and electrolytes: to check the functioning of the kidneys, if it has been invaded by cancer or any damaged by blood cancer treatment
• Bone Marrow Biopsy: small bone marrow is taken out to check for any abnormal cells
  • Aspirate: liquid bone marrow is taken for biopsy
  • Trephine: spongy bone marrow and some bone is taken out for biopsy
• Lymph Node Biopsy: a minor surgical procedure is performed to take a sample of the lymph node with cancer to determine the type of cancer

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 Treatment

Can it be treated? There are various blood cancer treatments that are used depending on the type of cancer in the blood and its severity.

• Stem Cell Transplantation: a method wherein cancer cells in the bone marrow are replaced with healthy cells
• Chemotherapy: a treatment for blood cancer that uses cytotoxic drugs to stop cancer cell production
• Radiation Therapy: another treatment for cancer in the blood that uses high-energy beams
• Biological Therapy: a blood cancer treatment that boosts the immune system of an individual to attack cancer cells
• Targeted therapy: a treatment that attacks the specific weakness of cancer cells

Book an appointment with the Best Cancer Specialist at Oncoplus Hospital.