First of all, it’s not true that Gardasil can prevent any type of HPV infection. But it can help prevent HPV types 16 and 18 as well as 6 and 11. Types 16 and 18 cause 70% of all cases of cervical cancer, while types 6 and 11 cause 90% of all cases of genital warts. Gardasil, a vaccine manufactures by Merck & Co., should be administered to girls 9 to 11 of age. That is, way before girls become sexually active. Since HPV proteins called L1 assemble into virus-like particles, the developers of the vaccine should find a way to mimic the virus. In time, the developers did, and these are then used for the vaccine.

The vaccine can reportedly prevent a potential two-thirds of deaths attributed to cervical cancer. Imagine how great the survival rate would be if all women were vaccinated with Gardasil. According to test trials done on 11,000 girls aged 9-11, there are no side effects whatsoever. Gardasil is given or injected on the subject three times over the period of six months: at the preliminary enrollment to the program, after two months, and at the sixth month. The drug, however, is only currently approved in certain countries. I would recommend asking your doctor about it.

Pap tests are named after its inventor, Georgios Papanikolaou. Pap test or pap smear has the ability to detect infections, abnormalities, premalignant and malignant processes in the female genital tract. Pap tests use liquid based cell thinlayer technology. Basically, cells from a woman’s uterus, cervix, and endocervix are collected and tested. The cells are collected using, usually, a plastic-fronded broom. To be able to determine a diagnosis, the cells are stained and then tested.

Among those who get tested for pap test, around 5-7% get diagnosed with aberrations such as dysplasia or an abnormal maturation of cells. While those who do get such results from pap tests could develop cervical cancer, that’s not always the case. There are those who are diagnosed with dysplasia but never develop cervical cancer anytime during their lifetime. Of course, the cells collected are also tested for HPV, the cause of cervical cancer. When scheduling for a pap test, ensure that it’s not your menstrual cycle at that time of the month. Expect the procedure to hurt a bit, although the pain might vary, depending upon a number of factors. After-effects of a pap test include various discomforts, cramps, and yes, bleeding. Better those than cervical cancer, right?

As of current, the main cause of cervical cancer could be attributed to the human papillomavirus or HPV infection. HPV could be acquired via sexual contact with people who have had numerous partners in the past. The usage of condoms helps prevent cervical cancer to an extent although according to studies, it only lessens the risk by around 70%. This is due to the fact that HPV infection could be acquired by skin to skin contact like uncovered vaginal or rectal skin.

To help prevent cervical cancer, a vaccine has been developed. Called the Gardisil vaccine, it’s used, ideally, for girls aged 11 to 12, or way before they start becoming sexually active. A “catch-up” vaccine for girls aged 13 to 18 is also available. Also, pap smear tests are ideal. Three years after a woman’s first full sexual intercourse, it’s advisable to go on a pap test. Subsequent tests after that are best, most specifically, a test once every year.

We’ll discuss pap smear tests more thoroughly next time. For now, back to the subject, it seems the best prevention would be to practice discretion in choosing your partner. Be aware, however, that not everyone infected with HPV develop cervical cancer. Also, those who have engaged in full-blown intercourse at a very young age (say, around 13-15) are more prone to cervical cancer.

According to scientists, when someone has onset breast cancer, the amount of proteins in glandular secretions, such as saliva, differ from those of normal and physically fit people.  Hence, due to the nature of saliva, people are pushing to create a technology which lets dentists check the possibility of breast cancer since people would understandably go to their dentists instead of their family doctors for oral care. As such, a technology called “lab-on-a-chip” is being developed. Scientists envisage the technology to be a one-test saliva solution for breast cancer.

The reverberations of this study would be felt all throughout time. The repercussions of the findings would be reflected in the future plans for breast cancer eradication. Most usually, many women discover they have breast cancer a tad too late. Many, even only by the time doctors deem salvation as hopeless. Of course, traditional breast cancer tests are always there, but if we could have something more accessible and more affordable, people will be given a fighting chance to combat the illness if and when they’ve been found positive. It will be thrilling to know what would come out of this discovery. In my mind, science has made a milestone with this new finding. Let’s hope we could put it to good use.

As was said, in another post, it might be difficult to locate cysts in denser breasts. Dense breasts are commonly associated with urban dwellers. Instead of undergoing mammography, it might be better for someone with dense breasts to go straight to ultrasonography. This method is capable of spotting cysts even in dense breasts. You’ll know you have dense breasts because it would be noted in prior mammography findings.

Some women, particularly of the younger demographic (below 30 years of age) and those in the premenopausal stage, are sensitive to radiation. They would have a higher risk of incurring damage from radiation by mammography. Also, since in mammography, breasts are compressed, it might specially be painful for those with small breasts or those who are suffering from fibrocystic conditions. In this case, ultrasonography could also be used as a substitute.

In normal and regular cases, however, mammography and ultrasonography go hand in hand to help women in their fight against breast cancer. To know if ultasonography is a better option for you rather than mammography, consult with your doctor about it and ask about the pros and cons of using ultrasonography.

Mammography and physical breast examination go hand-in-hand. It would be breast if all women above twenty practice both on a regular basis. Mammography is the process of checking the human breasts using low-dosage X-rays. Many women would tell you that it’s quite a painful process because the breasts are compressed so they could be X-rayed for cysts or masses thoroughly. In mammography, ionizing radiation is used to create the X-ray image which would then be used to pinpoint abnormal growths if there are any. However, mammography may not always be able to detect cysts and lumps especially if an individual has dense breasts. For solution to this, I will discuss ultrasonography next week.

As for physical breast examination, you can do it yourself at the comfort of your own home. It is ideal to buy a breast examination kit, which would most likely be comprised of a pair of gloves which would magnify the sense of touch and hence, would make feeling any hard masses easier for you. Examine your breasts physically regularly during baths. For complete and accurate description of what to do, consult your physician about it. You can also check instructions given out by hospitals and health centers.

According to a study conducted by Israeli scientists headed by radiation and cancer expert, Dr. Siegal Sadetzki from the Chaim Sheba Medical Centre, prolonged cellphone usage could cause tumor outgrowth in the parotid gland. As a background, the parotid is the largest of all the salivary glands. Based on the studies, the chances of developing a parotid gland tumor is as much as 50% higher for the frequent cellphone users. So just how frequent is frequent and how prolonged is prolonged? If you spend more than 22 hours (close to one day) on the cell phone in one month, you know you’re at risk for parotid gland tumor other than major brain fry.

Aside from the number of hours, there are those with a higher percentage of risk within those with high risk percentage. For example, it was found out that the risk is even higher if you frequently use the phone on one ear and you don’t make a habit of using hand-free gadgets. The risk percentage is higher still for those who use the cellphone frequently in rural areas as opposed to urban areas. As an advice,  don’t use the mobile phone for long chat sessions and try to curtail its use even for business.

One way to detect colon cancer is colonoscopy. Unlike other types of cancer, colon cancer patients might manifest symptoms early enough so the cancer could still be cured. Some symptoms include rectal bleeding, severe abdominal pain, weight loss and others. When these symptoms are spotted on a patient, one is then advised to undergo colonoscopy.

Colonoscopy is a procedure wherein the doctors would insert a thin, long and flexible tube into your rectum. The tube is lighted so the doctors could see the inside of your large intestines. With colonoscopy, outgrowths, ulcers and inflamed tissues could be detected and hence, could help prevent subsequent transformation of polyps from benign to malignant formations.

Prior to colonoscopy, one is required to undergo a liquid diet to purge impurities and solid waste from the bowels. The liquid diet might consist of broth soup, coffee, tea, diet sodas, fruit juices and the likes. Before the procedure itself, an enema might also be required.

Colonoscopy, with its direct-to-the-point method might just save your life. So if you’re experiencing any of the above symptoms — go to the nearest hospital now and get checked. There’s no better cure than prevention.

Watch this colonoscopy video from the Purple Medical Blog.

Thing is, lung cancer is usually detected by chance when people are checked for other diseases. When people experience any of the above symptoms, chances are, they get themselves tested for other conditions and it’s only then the cancer is discovered. And usually by then, it’s already too late. In fact, patients with lung cancer are given a five-year survival rate. The highest percentage of survival is 60% and that’s for those whose cancer hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes. Out of all lung cancer patients, only 15% has been detected early.

An early detection could mean salvation for millions of people. Unlike liver cancer which has recently found hope on a certain gene, there’s still nothing to lung cancer. To try and provide an answer to the problem, the Thomas G. Labrecque Foundation has recently pledged a sum of USD$10 for this purpose. The amount was given to the Canary Foundation, in an effort to study lung cancer more closely and find a method for early detection. If and when they succeed in doing so, there are many who’d be more than thankful for the results. Hopefully, it won’t be too long into the future.

A group of Chinese scientists might have the answer for that. Although the findings are fairly new and hence it will take time to develop what they had found out, they were able to determine a probable solution to early liver cancer detection. To be able to pinpoint early liver cancer, scientists explore human genes. They had detected an anomaly in the genes of HCC patients. A gene called RASSF1A, a tumor suppressing gene, is reportedly altered in people inflicted with HCC. In cancer patients, the RASSF1A is hypermethylated which means hydrogen and carbon atoms, in clusters which what is more commonly known as methyl groups, adhere to the RASSF1A gene. This would completely negate the tumor-suppressing capacity of the gene in question.

To be able to determine the hypermethylated RASSF1A levels of an individual, the Chinese scientists have developed a technique to segregate the components for PCR or polymerase chain reaction. Results show that for patients with HCC, 93% of the RASSF1A is hypermethylated while for Hepatitis B virus patients, only 58% is hypermethylated. Unaffected individuals do not display the anomaly at all. In the future, when the technique and testing are refined, liver cancer would be detected early and patients are given more chance at survival.