How to fight head and neck cancer

April 7-14 is celebrated as Global Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week. In the wake of this, an oncologist tells us how we can be better prepared to fight this disease.

Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world. In central Asia, it is the most common one.

Smoking, consumption of alcohol, and chewing of tobacco are the main causes. Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection is also a risk factor.

Persistent mouth ulcers, painful ulcerative lesion on the lip, a hoarse voice, dysphagia, and lump in the throat are the major symptoms.

The disease can be diagnosed by clinical examination, CT scan, MRI, and biopsy. After the diagnosis and staging of the disease, head and neck cancer is treated through surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.

In the early stages, the disease is mainly treated by surgery. In certain clinical situations, radiotherapy is the treatment of choice. Bulky tumours are generally best treated with a combination of surgery and radiotherapy. More than 60% of head and neck cancers are advanced locoregional diseases. 

The use of radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy has been demonstrated to be associated with survival advantage over radiotherapy alone.

Although platinum-based chemotherapy is a preferred choice of treatment for fit patients, targeted therapies for platinum-unfit patients come with good survival advantages. 

Recently, targeted therapies and immune-oncology drugs have also shown promising results in relapsed cases. 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/    

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Visit Your Doctor if You Notice These Signs

Your digestive system consists of your esophagus, stomach, colon, pancreas and liver. Consequently, it's no wonder that symptoms of GI problems occur. But when they do show up in ways that you don't expect, you might not realize that a visit to the gastroenterologist is in order. If you experience any one of these symptoms, be sure to book that appointment:

 

1. You've got a lump in your throat

If you are having trouble swallowing food, get it checked - especially if the feeling gets more intense over time. In some cases, even water can become hard to swallow. And when pain with drinking water occurs it can be a sign of a serious GI problem. Your doctor will likely also want to know if your swallowing problems come with a side of coughing, hoarseness, hiccups, or feeling full after just a few bites of food. These could indicate esophageal cancer.

2. Your gas clears the room

While flatulence is normal - the average person passes almost 2 liters of gas each day - if it's paired with unpleasant side effects, this is a cause of concern. Be on the look out for abdominal discomfort, change in bowel habits or unexplained weight loss. Unusually foul-smelling gas could be a signal that a parasite called giardia is infecting your intestines. 

3. Your pants are suddenly too tight

If you're have a harder time zipping your jeans than you did a few days ago, it may be due to bloating - a common problem that can be a result of overeating or swallowing too much air. But if sudden bloating occurs for no obvious reason and is accompanied by symptoms like pain or blood in the stool, it is best speak to a GI doctor. It could be due to a dairy digestion problem, or it could indicate gastroesophageal reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gallstones, constipation or celiac disease. 

 

4. Your pants are suddenly too loose

Unexplained weight loss can be a symptom of many health problems. Seeing to your digestive system is a great place to start. The first things to exclude are cancers of the colon, pancreas and stomach. Other reasons you might be dropping pounds could include conditions like celiac disease or Crohn's disease, which interfere with your body's ability to absorb nutrients. 

5. Your stool looks black

With regards to the rectum, bleeding is never normal. Bright red bleeding you see on toilet paper may be from hemorrhoids - swollen blood vessels on your bottom that can itch or hurt. While hemorrhoids can be managed, if bleeding is ongoing or not linked to this, it is essential that you see a GI doctor. 

 6. You've stopped pumping iron in your blood

Iron helps red blood cells deliver oxygen to the body's tissues. When you're running low on your iron, your whole body will feel it. You may feel very tired, experience headaches, have yellowish skin, brittle nails, hair loss and general overall weakness. Your iron levels can be checked with a simple blood test. Though if you turn out to be anemic, you may need to see your GI specialist. Iron deficiency caused by anemia, can be due to chronic, unseen blood loss in the GI tract from things like colon cancer, stomach cancer, ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease or superficial blood vessels called angiodysplasia. 

 this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.
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Cancer of the Mouth- early symptoms

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

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Growths in the oral cavity, on the tongue, lips and gums, as well as the saliva gland and tonsils are common in cases of mouth cancer. If it metastasizes, this cancer will damage the lymphatic system, as well as your head and lungs. It’s more common in men than women who are over 40. Quitting cigarettes and reducing alcohol consumption can drastically decrease the risk of contracting it.

 

Mouth or tongue ulcers that last for more than three weeks

Many people experience the occasional mouth ulcer, which can be caused by stress, changes in the weather or a compromised immune system. In cases where such ulcers don’t heal after three weeks, they may be symptomatic of mouth cancer.

 

Other symptoms:

Red or white spots in the oral cavity

Unexplained pain in the mouth or ears

Unexplained lump in the throat

Intense sore throat

Hoarseness and trouble swallowing

Oral swelling and bleeding

Color changes in the lips, gums, tongue and inner cheeks