Thursday, April 16, 2009
The most common type of mouth cancer is squamous cell carcinoma. It develops from squamous cells - the flat, skin-like cells that cover the lining of the mouth. At least nine out of 10 mouth cancers are squamous cell carcinomas.Rarer types of mouth cancer include:
- salivary gland cancer - this type of cancer starts in the salivary gland cells, which are in the lining of the mouth and throat
- lymphoma - this type of cancer starts in lymph tissue, which is around the base of the tongue and tonsils
- melanoma - this is a type of skin cancer that starts in skin pigment cells around the mouth or on the lips.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
mouth cancer
Mouth cancer
Mouth cancer refers to cancer that develops in any of the parts that make up the mouth. Mouth cancer can occur on the lips, gums, tongue,
inside lining of the cheeks, and the roof and floor of the mouth.
Cancer that occurs on the inside of the mouth is sometimes called oral canceror oral cavity cancer.
Mouth cancer is one of several types of cancer grouped in a category called head and neck cancers. Mouth cancer and other head and neck cancers are often treated similarly.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Treatment
How is bone cancer treated?
There are many different methods available for your doctor to treat bone cancer. The best treatment is based on the type of bone cancer, the location of the cancer, how aggressive the cancer is, and whether or not the cancer has invaded surrounding or distant tissues (metastasized). There are three main types of treatment for bone cancer: surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. These can be used either individually or combined with each otherSurgery is often used to treat bone cancer. The goal of surgery is usually to remove the entire tumor and a surrounding area of normal bone. After the tumor has been removed, a pathologist examines it to determine if there is normal bone completely surrounding the tumor. If a portion of the cancer is left behind, it can continue to grow and spread, requiring further treatment. Historically, amputations were frequently used to remove bone cancer. Newer techniques have decreased the need for amputation. In many cases, the tumor can be removed with a rim of normal bone without the need for an amputation. Depending on the amount of bone removed, the surgeon will replace something in its location. For smaller areas, this may be either bone cement or a bone graft from another place in your body or from the bone bank. For larger areas, the surgeon may place larger grafts from the bone bank or metal implants. Some of these metal implants have the ability to lengthen when used in growing children.
You may be referred to a medical oncologist for chemotherapy. This is the use of various medications used to try to stop the growth of the cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be used prior to surgery to try to shrink the bone tumor to make surgery easier. It can also be used after surgery to try to kill any remaining cancer cells left following surgery.
You could also be referred to a radiation oncologist for radiation therapy. The radiation therapy uses high-energy x-ray aimed at the site of the cancer to try to kill the cancer cells. This treatment is given in small doses daily over a period of days to months.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
risk of bone cancer
Bone marrow transplantation
Osteosarcoma has been reported in a few patients who have undergone bone marrow (stem cell) transplantation.
Injuries
People have wondered whether injury to a bone can cause cancer, but this has never been proven. Many people with bone cancer remember having hurt that part of their bone. Most doctors believe that this did not cause the cancer, but that the cancer caused them to remember the incident, or that the injury drew their attention to that bone and caused them to notice a problem that had already been present for some time.
Radiation
Bone exposure to radiation may also increase the risk of developing bone cancer. A typical x-ray of a bone is not dangerous, but exposure to large doses of radiation does pose a risk. For example, radiation therapy to treat cancer can cause a new cancer to develop in one of the bones in the treatment area. Being treated at a younger age and/or being treated with higher doses of radiation (usually over 60 Gy) increases the risk of developing bone cancer. Exposure to radioactive materials such as radium and strontium can also cause bone cancer because these minerals build up in bones. Non-ionizing radiation, such as microwaves, electromagnetic fields from power lines, cellular phones, and household appliances, does not increase bone cancer risk.
Risk
A risk factor is anything that affects your chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, exposing skin to strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer. Smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the lung, mouth, larynx, bladder, kidney, and several other organs. But having a risk factor, or even several, does not mean that you will get the disease. Most people with bone cancers do not have any apparent risk factors.
Genetic disorders
A very small number of bone cancers (especially osteosarcomas) appear to be hereditary.
Osteosarcoma
Children with certain rare inherited syndromes have an increased risk of developing osteosarcoma.
- The Li-Fraumeni syndrome makes people much more likely to develop several types of cancer, including breast cancer, brain cancer, osteosarcoma, and other types of sarcoma. Most of those cases are caused by a mutation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene, but some are caused by mutations in the gene CHEK2.
- Another syndrome that includes bone cancer is the Rothmund-Thompson syndrome. Children with this syndrome are short, have skeletal problems, and rashes. They also are more likely to develop osteosarcoma. This syndrome is caused by abnormal changes in the gene REQL4.
- Retinoblastoma is a rare eye cancer of children that can be hereditary. The inherited form of retinoblastoma is caused by a mutation (abnormal copy) of the RB1 gene. Those with this mutation also have an increased risk of developing bone or soft tissue sarcomas. Also, if radiation therapy is used to treat the retinoblastoma, the risk of osteosarcoma in the bones around the eye is even higher.
Finally, there are families with several members that have developed osteosarcoma without inherited changes in any of the known genes. The gene defects that may cause cancers in these families haven't been discovered yet.