LADY KILLERS CANCER (researched)

FACTS ABOUT THE LADY KILLER CANCERS

The threat of the big C is quite ominous, frightening---and no matter what organ in your body it has attacked, cancer often leaves the sufferer bewildered, afraid, and wondering how soon is the end. For  cancer, as we all know is a killer. . .

So who would have thought that I'll be spending time putting up some facts about the types of cancers, which occur commonly in Filipino women, commonly called  lady killers or the gynecologic cancers, a group of cancers that affect the tissue and organs of the female reproductive system, with each type of cancer  named after the organ it originates.

MOST DREADED 

1.  Breast Cancer  Cancer that forms in tissues of the breast, usually the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) and lobules (glands that make milk). It occurs in both men and women, although male breast cancer is rare.

In the Philippines, breast cancer is the leading type of cancer among Filipino women according to the Department of Health’s (DOH) latest data.  It has been reported that postmenopausal women aged 55 years and over have a 66% incidence of breast cancer mortality.Alarmingly, the Philippines has the highest prevalence of breast cancer in Asia. (Source: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2004). 26 females out of 100 females and 1 male for every 105 males may be diagnosed with breast cancer in the Philippines.

What is known though is that obesity increases risk of post-menopausal breast cancer, and for obese women, weight loss can reduce cancer risk. The increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is also thought to be protective against breast cancer. 

2. Cervical cancer is caused by a common virus known as HPV, or the Human Papilloma Virus. There are many types of HPV, and approximately 15 types are cancer-causing. HPV infection is easily transmitted, and it is estimated that 50-80 percent of women will acquire an HPV infection in their lifetime. And half of these women will be infected with cancer-causing HPV at some point, usually soon after their first sexual encounter. Risk of HPV infection persisting increases with age: the older the woman gets, the higher her risk of persistent HPV infection (one that does not go away on its own). Within 5 years of diagnosis, more than half of the women with cervical cancer won't survive. But it is also one of the most preventable types of cancer. 

Coming in second to breast cancer, 12 Filipinas die of cervical cancer on a daily basis. But it is also one of the most preventable types of cancer. Regular screening and vaccination can protect you and your loved ones from this preventable disease.

Special mention is GlaxoSmithKline’s cervical cancer vaccine which provides significant protection for women against the two most common cancer-causing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) types (HPV types 16 and 18) designed to last for both young and mature women, females from 10 years old. The vaccine, which GSK claims to be for 15 to 55 years old,is to be taken for three periods, with the second taken a month after the first shot, and the third six months after the second shot.

3. Ovarian Cancer: Cancer that forms in tissues of the ovary (one of a pair of female reproductive glands in which the ova, or eggs, are formed). Most ovarian cancers are either ovarian epithelial carcinomas (cancer that begins in the cells on the surface of the ovary) or malignant germ cell tumors (cancer that begins in egg cells).

Cancer of the ovary is 12th overall, and ranks 5th among females.Ovarian cancers are usually asymptomatic at the outset and many case are detected late.  PinayinAction.com reports that incidences of ovarian cancer rise steeply in women starting at age 40. Doctors often say that early detection is a big factor in the battle against cancer, so it would be prudent to start being tested before this age.It is usually detected because of an abdominal mass, or mass felt during pelvic examination. 

Roche announced recently that a second large, phase III, international study showed that the combination of bevacizumab and chemotherapy followed by the continued use of bevacizumab alone, increased the time women with previously untreated ovarian cancer lived without the disease worsening (progression-free survival or PFS, the primary endpoint), compared to chemotherapy alone.

3. Uterine Sarcoma: A rare type of uterine cancer that forms in muscle or other tissues of the uterus (the small, hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis in which a fetus develops). It usually occurs after menopause. The two main types are leiomyosarcoma (cancer that begins in smooth muscle cells) and endometrial stromal sarcoma (cancer that begins in connective tissue cells).Most often, it can be found in women who have completed menopause.

It seems that the greatest risk factor for developing this type of cancer is exposure to x-rays. If a woman has had radiation therapy to the pelvic area, her risk for developing uterine sarcoma cancer is increased significantly.Women who have taken the drug tamoxifen for breast cancer are also at a much higher risk for developing the disease.Like all cancer, the earlier it is diagnosed, the better the chances are that the patient will make a full recovery.

 4. Vaginal Cancer: Cancer that forms in the tissues of the vagina (birth canal). The vagina leads from the cervix (the opening of the uterus) to the outside of the body. The most common type of vaginal cancer is squamous cell carcinoma, which starts in the thin, flat cells lining the vagina. Another type of vaginal cancer is adenocarcinoma, cancer that begins in glandular cells in the lining of the vagina.

When the cancer attacks, the spread of the malignant cells in the vagina cannot be controlled.Commonly, women between 45 to 65 gets vaginal cancer. The embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma is one type of vaginal  cancer which may affect babaies and little girls. .

Symptoms. Abnormal vaginal bleeding and pain during sex. There is also a watery discharge  When cancer is already in the bladder and rectum, pain is usally felt in the said body parts.

How is it treated?Surgery of removal of the part infected with cancer is done. One way is called hysterectomy or removal of the lymph nodes in the pelvis. Radiotheraphy is already one of the solution.

Until now, the cause of vaginal cancer is not yet known. but studies said that exposure to estrogen of the mother during pregnancy is the culprit. The risk of having vaginal cancer is greater if the family has a history of cancer in their reproductive organs.

5. Vulvar Cancer: Cancer of the vulva (the external female genital organs, including the clitoris, vaginal lips, and the opening to the vagina).Vulvar Cancer is a rare disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the vulva but most often affects the labia majora (outer vaginal lips) or labia minora.

Vulvar cancer forms in a woman's external genitalia. The vulva includes the inner and outer lips of the vagina, the clitoris (sensitive tissue between the lips), and the opening of the vagina and its glands.

Vulvar cancer usually develops slowly over a period of years. Abnormal cells can grow on the surface of the vulvar skin for a long time. This precancerous condition is called vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) or dysplasia. Because it is possible for VIN or dysplasia to develop into vulvar cancer, treatment of this condition is very important.HPV infection and older age can affect the risk of developing vulvar cancer.