Neuroblastoma - Cancer of the muscles

Cancer of the muscles
Also known as rhabdomyosarcoma

Cancers of genito-urinary system

Cancer of the uterine cervix
Cancer of the uterus
Cancer of the ovary
Chloriocarcinoma
Cancer of the testes
Cancer of the prostate
Cancer of the penis
Cancer of the urinary bladder
Cancer of the kidney
- Hyperneproma
- Wilm’s tumor

Cancer of the lung

Cancer of the breast
The genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 are linked to breast and ovarian cancer, whereas the MLH1 gene on human chromosome 3 is associated with colon cancer and MMAC1 gene mutates to generate a protein responsible for brain and prostate cancer

Cancer of thyroid

Cancers of gastro-intestinal tract


Cancer of the mouth
Cancer of the oesophagus
Cancer of the stomach
Cancer of the colon and rectum
Cancer of the liver
Cancer of the gall-bladder
Cancer of the pancreas

Cancer of the brain

Glioma
medullobastoma

Mix of cancers

The cases become extremely complex when one type of cancer pretends to be another or when a mix of cancers accidentally is identified as cancer of only one type
Some particular subtypes of acute leukemia have been found to be associated with specific chromosomal translocation
The samples for testing cancer or leukemia comprises of bone marrow and peripheral blood samples and thereafter RNA prepared from bone marrow or blood cells would be hybridized

ALL/AML

AML affects various white blood cells including granulocytes, monocytes and platelets
Leukemic cells accumulate in the bone marrow, replace normal blood cells and spread to the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, central nervous system, kidneys and gonads
ALL is a cancer of immature lymphocytes, called lymphoblasts (sometimes called as blast cells). Normally, white blood cells repair and reproduce themselves in an orderly and controlled manner but in leukemia the process gets out of control and the cells continue to divide, but do not mature
ALL is further divided into two subcategories viz., T-lineage ALL and B-lineage ALL

Leukemias and lymphomas

Leukemias
Acute leukemia
Chronic leukemia
Lymphoma
Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Types of cancers known

lung
breast
thyroid
nerve system
muscles
genito-urinary system
leukemia
lymphoma
skin
brain
bone
gastrointestinal tract

Detailed Look into Cancers - Broad groups of cancers

Carcinoma – any cancer that arises in epithelium, tissue that lines the skin and internal organs of the body
Sarcoma – any cancer of connective tissue. These tumors may occur in any part of the body, as they arise in the tissues that make up an organ rather than being restricted to a particular organ. They can arise in fibrous tissue, muscle, fat, bone, cartilage, blood and lymphatic vessel, etc.
Leukemia – it is a cancer of the blood in which the bone marrow and other blood forming organs over-produce immature or abnormal white cells
Lymphoma – any malignant tumor of lymph nodes or lymph gland

Indian scenario

The figures given by Indian Cancer Society state that about 1.5 million people suffer from cancer at any given point of time in India
Oral cancer and cervix cancer account for the major causes of cancer in this country

Cancer situation in India

Approx. 500,000 new cases of cancer occur every year in India
As the human life span is increasing in India, more cases of cancer are observed here also
Cancer is thus regarded as an emerging health problem in India
According to Dr. D J Jussawalla, Indian Cancer Society, “Cancer is one of the 10 leading causes of death today in India, and is advancing in rank year by year”

Cancer situation in the World

Cancer is the second common cause of death in the developed countries next to cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disease
In Europe and North America, approx. 1-5 die of cancer
According to WHO, out of an estimated total of 50 million are attributed cancer, and the number of deaths from cancer throughout the world is increasing

Cancer in older people

Small microscopic cancers of the prostate were very common in males
Lung and stomach cancer were seen in many cases both in males and females
Lung cancer of the type of adenocarcinoma, was found often and was commoner in females than males
Multiple cancers arising in different organs at the same time was not an uncommon feature
Lesions regarded as precursors to cancers were often observed in stomach, colon and lungs
The rate of growth of cancers in general was slow

Cancer on older people

Cancer occurs more often in people after 50 or 60 years of age
In still older people, i.e. 80 years or above, some characteristics of cancer have been noted during life and in post-mortem studies of people who have died of causes other than cancers.

Any manifestation may be cancer…

A lump or hard area in the breast
A change in a wart or mole
A persistent change in digestive and bowel habits, e.g. constipation
A persistent cough or hoarseness in a smoker
Bleeding of vagina at times other than the menstrual
Non-injury bleeding from the surface of skin, mouth of any other bodily orifice
Any ulcer that does not get well
Unexplained loss of weight
Unexplained diminished or lost appetite
Unexplained low-grade fever

Signs and symptoms

Cancers of various types and at various sites manifest themselves in a variety of ways
On external surface, any thickening of the tissues, formation of nodule or tumor, persisting sores and ulcers, can be feature of cancer
Internal cancers may grow for some time before they cause any symptom. But weight loss, anaemia and low-grade fever in older people even without any other symptom, should arouse suspicion