The Genetics of Cancer

The ancient Greeks believed that cancer by excess fluid, they "black bile caused." Doctors in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, has suggested that parasites cause cancer. Today, doctors understand that cancer is genetic, which means that changes in different genes in the body can cause cancer.

Genes and Chromosomes

Genes are the functional units and physical basis of heredity passed from parents to offspring. You are the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and are found in structures called chromosomes in every cell of the body is a person. Genes provide the instructions to keep to work the body. Most people are familiar with a person's eye color with the genes for their role in determining the physical properties.

The human body contains about 30,000 genes. They are located in 46 chromosomes arranged into 23 pairs. Pairs of chromosome 1 numbered to 22 and are called autosomes. The other two chromosomes (pair 23) are the sex chromosomes that determine whether a person is born, male or female. Since genes come in pairs, taking a person, a gene from each pair of mother and father

The role of genes in cancer

In a person’s body, cells are continually dying and being replaced. For example, cells in the skin, liver, and intestines are replaced every few weeks. The body makes new cells by copying the old cells, and in this process (called cell division), there may be mistakes in how the genetic material is copied. These are called mutations. Some mutations have no effect on a cell, while other mutations are harmful or helpful to the cell. If a mutation is not corrected, and it occurs in a critical part of the gene, it may lead to cancer. However, the chance of one mutation leading to cancer is rare. Usually it takes multiple mutations over a lifetime to produce a cancer cell. This is why cancer occurs more often in older people—there have been more opportunities for mutations to accumulate.

There are two basic kinds of genetic mutations. If the mutation is directly passed from a parent to a child, it is called a germline mutation. This means that the mutation is present in every cell of the child’s body, including the reproductive sperm and egg cells. Because the mutation affects reproductive cells, it is passed from generation to generation. Germline mutations are responsible for 5% to 10% of cancer cases, which is called familial (occurring in families) cancer.

Acquired mutations occur during a person’s life and are not passed from parent to child. These mutations are caused by tobacco, UV radiation, viruses, age, and other factors. Cancer caused by this type of mutation is called sporadic cancer, which is much more common than familial cancer.

Most scientists believe that cancer happens when several genes of a particular group of cells become mutated. Some people may have more inherited mutations than others, and even with the same amount of environmental exposure, some people are simply more likely to develop cancer.

Genes that play a role in cancer

The following types of genes contribute to cancer:

* Tumor suppressor genes are protective genes. Normally, they suppress (limit) cell growth by monitoring the rate at which cells divide into new cells, repairing mismatched DNA (a cause of mutations), and controlling cell death. When a tumor suppressor gene is mutated (due to heredity or environmental factors), cells continue to grow and can eventually form a tumor. BRCA1, BRCA2, and p53 are examples of tumor suppressor genes. In fact, nearly 50% of all cancers involve a missing or damaged p53 gene.

* Oncogenes turn a healthy cell into a cancerous one. HER2/neu and ras are two common oncogenes.

* DNA repair genes fix any mistakes made when DNA is replicated (copied). Mistakes that aren’t fixed become mutations, which may eventually lead to cancer, especially if the mutation occurs in a tumor suppressor gene or oncogene.

Cancer develops when several genes in a cell become mutated in a way that overrides the checks and balances of the cell. However, many cancers cannot be tied to a specific gene, and some genes may interact in unpredictable ways with other genes or factors in the environment to cause cancer. In the future, doctors hope to learn more about the role of genetic changes in the development of cancer, which may lead to improved cancer treatment and prevention strategies.

Health Disparities and Cancer

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines health disparities as differences in the incidence, prevalence, death and burden of disease and other conditions prejudicial to the health that exist among specific population groups including racial and ethnic minorities.

These differences in racial and ethnic minorities

In March 2002 the Institute of Medicine released a report that found "overwhelming evidence" that racial and ethnic minorities suffer disparities in health care. Factors, the differences in health are poverty, lack of access to medical care, lack of health insurance, language barriers and competence, and the expectations of the ill-treatment outcome of cancer, doctors and / or health. Although there are many causes which are access to care, racial and ethnic disparities in health care contribute significantly to this problem in the United States. The research shows that minorities are less healthy, will experience greater barriers to care, more likely to be insured and are more likely to receive poor quality care than other Americans.

The recent National Healthcare disparities report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) found that limited progress in eliminating disparities in health care have been made and there are not many significant gaps in the quality and access addressed

Areas of disparity in cancer care

Issues related to disparity in cancer care can be broken down into several areas, including prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Prevention

People from minority populations participate much less often in cancer prevention programs than do white people. They also may be less likely to use genetic testing to identify whether they have an increased cancer risk.

* In the AHRQ report mentioned above, 23% of Hispanic women reported that they have never had a Pap test, compared with 17% of non-Hispanic white women.

* Minority women tend to be more reluctant to undergo testing for the breast cancer genes 1 and 2 (BRCA 1 and BRCA 2), even when they have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, according to a 2005 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of cancer is often delayed in people from minority groups.

* The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from the AHRQ found that nearly 30% of Hispanic people and 20% of African American people lack a usual source of health care, compared with less than 16% of white people.

* Uninsured, African American, Hispanic, and low-income patients are less likely than white, high-income, and insured patients to receive recommended care and are more likely to be admitted to the hospital for potentially preventable conditions, according to a 2006 report from The Commonwealth Fund.

Treatment

Differences in the result of cancer treatment are not only because of delays from lack of access to care and problems with prevention and diagnosis, but may also reflect the lower quality of medical services in some underprivileged areas, according to a 2005 article in the journal Medical Care. For example, physicians treating African American patients are less likely to be board certified, and these doctors have less access to specialists and other technology resources.

How health care disparities affect people of different races/ethnic groups

Overall, minority populations have a higher risk of developing cancer and a higher total death rate. According to data from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), African American people have the most numbers of new cases of cancer and the highest death rates from cancer, even though they make up a minority of the U.S. population.

The section below highlights examples of these health care disparities, using data from the NCI and the American Cancer Society’s publication, Cancer Facts and Figures. These data demonstrate the disparities in health care faced by racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States:

African Americans

* African American people are less likely than white people to survive five years after being diagnosed with most types of cancer, at any stage of diagnosis.

* African American women are diagnosed less often with breast cancer than white women, but are more likely to die of breast cancer than white women. The risk of the less treatable, more deadly type of breast cancer is twice as high in African American women.

* African American men have the highest risk of developing prostate cancer. They also tend to have cancers that are more aggressive and have more than twice the death rate when compared to other racial and ethnic groups.

* Despite its preventable nature, colorectal cancer continues to kill a disproportionate number of African American people each year. New diagnoses of colorectal cancer among African American men and women are about 17% higher than in white men and women.

Hispanic Americans

* Cancer is the second leading cause of death for Hispanic people in the United States, accounting for about 20% of all deaths.

* Hispanic people have lower numbers of new cancers for all cancers combined when compared with white people, but generally have higher rates of uterine, cervix, liver, gallbladder, and stomach cancers, which are associated with certain infections.

* Liver cancer rates are twice as high in Hispanic men and women compared with white men and women.

* Colorectal cancer is the second-most commonly diagnosed cancer in both Hispanic men and women.

Asian Americans

* Cancer affects Asian American people in very different ways, based on country of origin. According to a study of the five largest Asian American groups – Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese – colorectal cancer rates are highest among Chinese Americans; prostate cancer is more common and more often deadly among Filipino men; and Vietnamese women have the highest number of new cancers and death rates from cervical cancer of all Asian American women.

* A significant number of Korean American women are not familiar with the Pap test, a decades-old standard for cervical cancer screening.

Native American/Alaska Natives

* For all cancers combined and various site-specific cancers, the five-year cancer survival rate (the percentage of patients who survive at least five years after the cancer is detected) for American Indian women is significantly lower than that for white women.

* Alaska Native women have the highest death rate of all ethnic groups for all cancers combined, and for colorectal and lung cancers specifically.

Contributing factors to health disparities among racial/ethnic minorities

People from minority groups are more likely than white people to lack health insurance. The following statistics come from a March 2008 Commonwealth Fund article and a 2006 U.S. Census Bureau report:

* In 2006, the uninsured rate for non-Hispanic white people remained unchanged at 11%.

* The uninsured rate for African American people increased in 2006 to 21% up from 19% in 2005.

* The uninsured rate for Asian people decreased to 16% in 2006, down from 17% in 2005.

* Among Hispanic people, the rate of the uninsured increased in 2006 to 34%, up from 32% in 2005.

* About one in three people who are from the American Indian/Alaska Native population do not have health insurance.

In addition, 16% of African American people and 13% of Hispanic people rely on hospitals or clinics for their usual source of care, compared with 8% of white Americans.
source : http://www.cancer.net

Cancer Types

There are various types of cancecr in this world, where cancer is a disease that is very scary and everyone is trying to avoid, in this post I will provide the types of cancer in this world, for an explanation of the types of cancer from a to z will be discussed in the other posts
and the following types of cancer from a to z

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma
Adrenal Gland Tumor
Amyloidosis
Anal Cancer
Appendix Cancer
Astrocytoma - Childhood
Ataxia-Telangiectasia
Attenuated Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome
Bile Duct Cancer
Birt-Hogg-Dube Syndrome
Bladder Cancer
Bone Cancer
Brain Stem Glioma - Childhood
Brain Tumor
Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer - Inflammatory
Breast Cancer - Male
Breast Cancer - Metaplastic
Carcinoid Tumor
Carney Complex
Central Nervous System - Childhood
Cervical Cancer
Childhood Cancer
Colorectal Cancer
Cowden Syndrome
Craniopharyngioma - Childhood

Desmoplastic Infantile Ganglioglioma - Childhood
Endocrine Tumor
Ependymoma - Childhood
Esophageal Cancer
Ewings Family of Tumors - Childhood
Eye Cancer
Eyelid Cancer
Fallopian Tube Cancer
Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
Familial Malignant Melanoma
Gallbladder Cancer
Gardner Syndrome
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor - GIST
Germ Cell Tumor - Childhood
Gestational Trophoblastic Tumor
Head and Neck Cancer
Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer
Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer
Hereditary Leiomyomatosis and Renal Cell Cancer
Hereditary Mixed Polyposis Syndrome
Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer
Hereditary Non-VHL Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Hereditary Pancreatitis
Hereditary Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma
HIV and AIDS-Related Cancer
Islet Cell Tumor
Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome
Kidney Cancer
Lacrimal Gland Tumor
Laryngeal and Hypopharyngeal Cancer
Leukemia - Acute Lymphoblastic - ALL - Childhood
Leukemia - Acute Lymphocytic - ALL
Leukemia - Acute Myeloid - AML
Leukemia - Acute Myeloid - AML - Childhood
Leukemia - B-Cell
Leukemia - Chronic Lymphocytic - CLL
Leukemia - Chronic Myeloid - CML
Leukemia - Eosinophilic
Leukemia - T-Cell
Li-Fraumeni Syndrome
Liver Cancer
Lung Cancer
Lymphoma - Hodgkin
Lymphoma - Hodgkin - Childhood
Lymphoma - Non-Hodgkin - Childhood
Lymphoma - Non-Hodgkin
Mastocytosis
Medulloblastoma - Childhood
Melanoma
Meningioma
Mesothelioma
Muir-Torre Syndrome
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2
Multiple Myeloma
Myelodysplastic Syndromes - MDS
MYH-Associated Polyposis
Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinus Cancer
Nasopharyngeal Cancer
Neuroblastoma - Childhood
Neuroendocrine Tumor
Neurofibromatosis Type 1
Neurofibromatosis Type 2
Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome
Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer
Osteosarcoma - Childhood
Ovarian Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer
Parathyroid Cancer
Penile Cancer
Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome
Pituitary Gland Tumor
Pleuropulmonary Blastoma - Childhood
Prostate Cancer
Retinoblastoma - Childhood
Rhabdomyosarcoma - Childhood
Salivary Gland Cancer
Sarcoma
Sarcoma - Alveolar Soft Part and Cardiac
Sarcoma - Kaposis
Skin Cancer (Non-Melanoma)
Small Bowel Cancer
Stomach Cancer
Testicular Cancer
Thymoma
Thyroid Cancer
Tuberous Sclerosis Syndrome
Turcot Syndrome
Unknown Primary
Uterine Cancer
Vaginal Cancer
Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome
Vulvar Cancer
Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia
Werner Syndrome
Wilms Tumor - Childhood
Xeroderma Pigmentosa

I hope to identify the types of cancer could be useful for you all

Pointers on Losing Weight Safely

People who want to lose weight commonly, and first of all, think about reducing the amount of food they eat. This may be quite a solution but not exactly the best there is. In fact, depending on the amount you reduce in your food intake, it may even be dangerous to one's health. So how does one lose weight effectively and safely? Here are some points one should consider when trying to lose weight:

Beware of the Crash Diets

Most people think that trimming down the calories can alone shed off their unwanted excess. Probably this is because of the fad there is in advertising about low-calorie food products and beverages. What people don't know is that this could be dangerous because when they decrease their calorie intake way to below the required levels, the body begins to digest the fats. Sounds good but it doesn't actually. Burning fat requires a lot of energy. Since there is not much energy in the body to facilitate metabolism of fat, it will run at a very slow pace resulting to fatigue, illness and weak immune system.

Low-calorie diet is also compensated for by the body by burning muscle. People on this type of diet who revert back to their old eating habits end up gaining back some, if not all the weight they have shed off. This would consist mainly of fats. And since fats have more volume per mass than muscle, they end up having the same weight as before but more bulkier. In losing weight, one should keep in mind that they should lose excess body fats only.

However, one can try out eating small meals at more frequent intervals. This way the body will not think that it is being starved and will not store food as fat.

Eat Properly

One may have considered junking the crash diet option but he should also not forget to watch what he is eating. Variety must always be considered so that one may be able to get the necessary nutrients from his diet.It is also healthier to eat food which are roasted, steamed or broiled rather than fried. It is also important to include a lot of fiber in the diet. Frequent rehydration is also necessary.

Pump Up lean Muscle Mass

Muscles burn calories when they work; they even do so at rest. Unlike fats which just lie around, bulge around the pants and dangle beneath the sleeves, muscles burn calories all-day round. With this fact, one can start weight loss by increasing muscle mass. The more muscles, the less fat will be left. This is attainable starting with working out with resistance exercises.

Engaging in Aerobics

Aerobics are not only good for the heart by increasing cardio-vascular endurance. Aerobics also help in increasing lean muscle mass while simultaneously decreasing excess body fat. Aside from these, aerobics make the metebolic process more efficient and its rate high, even after a long while. Imagine burning fat efficiently while driving along the freeway or even while watching television.

Extra "Push"

Some people believe that smoking and caffeine can actually help in losing weight. This can perhaps be true; however, they do the body more harm than good because of their side-effects. For that extra "push", one can try out taking food supplements. Afterall, 95% of these products out in the market actually does good.

On Taking Diet Pills

Over-the-counter diet pills affect the amount of weight one loses as well as how long one keeps that amount of weight off. However, one must be wary of the side-effects of these diet pills. As such, one must faithfully follow the instructions provided for in the packaging. It is also prudent to consult the physician anyway before trying out these drugs and also to find out which type would be best for the individual.

Losing weight does not have to mean sacrifice and suffering. It actually means opening up to a more full and healthy life where one may not have to feel bad about himself having to look the way he does or not being able to do what he wants to do. Losing weight might entail a little adjustments plus the discomforts, but as the old saying goes, "no pain, no gain." Besides fat, what has one got to lose anyway?

The Different Types of B Vitamins

There are a large number of B vitamins that are needed to keep all of the body functions performing properly. All of the B vitamins are essential for a number of different processes. Without sufficient B vitamins the blood supply would not be healthy and this leads to a variety of illnesses and diseases. The brain needs B vitamins to function correctly and the heart also needs B vitamins to stay healthy and prevent heart disease and food is broken down into the various nutrients by B vitamins. In fact, just about every organ and process within the body requires at least one form of the B vitamin.

Thiamin, or B1, is the B vitamin that the body needs to keep all of its cells, especially the nerves, functioning correctly. It is especially important for memory and general mental health and is one of the B vitamins that is required to convert food into energy.

Riboflavin, or B2, is the B vitamin that is essential for releasing the enrgy from food that has been consumed. Without this B vitamin the body cannot grow or develop properly as red blood cells will not be as healthy as they should be.

Niacin, or B3, is the B vitamin that is involved in over fifty processes, ranging from detoxifying chemicals to making hormones and releasing energy from food.

Pantothenic acid, or B5,works with several other B vitamins for a number of essential processes including breaking down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates into energy and is also the B vitamin that is needed to form vitamin D, a variety of hormones, and red blood cells.

Pyridoxine, or B6, is the B vitamin that is largely responsible for redistributing the amino acids to create over five thousand proteins that are needed by the body and is also one of the B vitamins needed to form various enzymes.

Biotin, or B7, is one of the B vitamins that are involved in a number of processes within the body, including the breaking down of fats, carbohydrates and proteins into useable energy forms.

Folic acid, or B9, is the essential B vitamin for aiding in cell growth and division, especially during pregnancy. This B vitamin is also necessary to make natural chemicals which control the appetite, moods and quality of sleep. It is also the best B vitamin for helping lower the chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke by keeping the arteries open.

Cobalamin, or B12, is one of the B vitamins that is important in the process of converting the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into energy. This B vitamin is also vital in forming the protective covering of nerve cells and to keep red blood cells healthy, and help prevent heart disease.

Weight Loss Exercise

A lot of us live our lives like penned animals. Built to move, too often we put ourselves in a cage. We have bodies designed for racing across the savannas, but we live a lifestyle designed for migrating from the bed to the breakfast table; to the car seat; to the office chair; to the restaurant booth; to the living room couch and back to the bed.

It was not always this way. Not long ago in the United States, a man who worked on a farm did the equivalent of 15 miles of jogging every day; and his wife did the equivalent of 7 miles of jogging.

Today, our daily obligations of work and home keep us tied to our chairs, and if we want exercise, we have to seek it out.

In fact, health experts insist that obesity problem is probably caused at least as much by lack of physical activity as by eating too much. Hence, it is important that people need to move around.

However, that does not mean that a lap or two around the old high school track will offset a daily dose of donuts. Exercise alone is not very efficient, experts say. They contend that if you just exercise and do not change your diet, you may be able to prevent weight gain or even lose a few pounds for a while.

Nevertheless, it is not something that you are likely to sustain unless exercise is part of an overall program. The more regularly you exercise, the easier it is to maintain your weight. Here is what to do every day to make sure that you get the exercise you need.

1. Get quality sleep.

Make sure that you get adequate sleep. Good sleep habits are conducive to exercise, experts point out. If you feel worn out during the day, you are less likely to get much physical activity during the day.

In addition, there is evidence that people who are tired tend to eat more, using food as a substance for the rest they need.

2. Walk the walk.

It is probably the easiest exercise program of all. In fact, it may be all you ever have to do, according to some professional advices of some health experts.

Gradually build up to at least 30 minutes of brisk walking five times a week. Brisk walks themselves have health and psychological benefits that are well worth the while.

3. Walk the treadmill.

When the weather is bad, you might not feel like going outdoors. But if you have a treadmill in the television room, you can catch up on your favorite shows while you are doing your daily good turn for your weight-maintenance plan.

Most of us watch television anyway, and indoor exercise equipment enables anyone to turn a sedentary activity into a healthy walk.

Natural Vitamin Sources

There are a lot of people who do not have enough natural vitamin sources in their diet and therefore suffer from a deficiency of one or more vitamins. Obviously, it is possible to buy vitamin supplements to help overcome any deficiencies but for the majority of people it should be possible for them to obtain the majority of their recommended daily allowance of vitamins from natural vitamin sources. The key to gaining the correct amount of vitamins from natural vitamin sources is to eat a healthy and balanced diet.

There are certain diets, such as vegetarian, that provide a limited number of natural vitamin supplements and therefore a supplement may be necessary. Also, the intake required of these natural vitamin sources at certain periods may need to be increased and a supplement may be the best option. It is important to be aware of each of the different types of vitamins and their best natural vitamin sources so that a person can incorporate as many of these as possible into their regular diet. Water soluble vitamins cannot be stored in the body and need to be replenished on a daily basis so it is natural vitamin sources for these vitamins that are the most essential to know.

• Natural vitamin B1 sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, blackstrap molasses, brown rice, organ meats, egg yolk

• Natural vitamin B2 sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, legumes, nuts, organ meats, blackstrap molasses

• Natural vitamin B3 sources are lean meats, poultry & fish, brewer’s yeast, peanuts, milk, rice bran, potatoes

• Natural vitamin B4 sources are egg yolks, organ meats, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, soybeans, fish, legumes

• Natural vitamin B5 sources are organ meats, egg yolks, legumes, whole grains, wheat germ, salmon, brewer’s yeast

• Natural vitamin B6 sources are meats, whole grains, organ meats brewer’s yeast, blackstrap molasses, wheat germ

• Natural vitamin B7 sources are egg yolks, liver, unpolished rice, brewer’s yeast, sardines, legumes, whole grains

• Natural vitamin B8 sources are who1e grains, citrus fruits, molasses, meat, milk, nuts, vegetables, brewer’s yeast

• Natural vitamin B9 sources are dark-green leafy vegetables, organ meats, root vegetables, oysters, salmon, milk

• Natural vitamin B12 sources are organ meats, fish, pork, eggs, cheese, milk, lamb, bananas, kelp, peanuts

• Natural vitamin B13 sources are root vegetables, liquid whey

• Natural vitamin B15 sources are brewer’s yeast, rare steaks, brown rice, sunflower, pumpkin & sesame seeds

• Natural vitamin B17 sources are whole kernels of apricots, apples, cherries, peaches, plums