Cancer

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• QIn what ways adrenocortical carcinoma can spread in the body?

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  A Dr. William D. Knopf, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered on behalf of Piedmont Heart Institute

  Cancer spreads in following ways:
  Through tissue. Cancer invades the surrounding normal tissue. Through the lymph system. Cancer invades the lymph system and travels through the lymph vessels to other places in the body. Through the blood. Cancer invades the veins and capillaries and travels through the blood to other places in the body.
  When cancer cells break away from the primary (original) tumor and travel through the lymph or blood to other places in the body, another (secondary) tumor may form. This process is called metastasis. The secondary (metastatic) tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if breast cancer spreads to the bones, the cancer cells in the bones are actually breast cancer cells. The disease is metastatic breast cancer, not bone cancer.
  This answer is based on source information from the National Cancer Institute.
• QWhat are primary and metastatic tumors?

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  A Dr. Shayma M. Kazmi, MD , Oncology, answered on behalf of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)

  'Primary' tumors are tumors that originate from that organ, for instance a cancer in the breast is primary if it originated there. But 'metastatic' implies it came from another place, another organ. For instance, a cancer in the liver may be a 'metastatic' breast cancer, i.e. it started in the breast and traveled the blood stream or lymph channels and lodged in the liver to grow there. 

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• QWhat is cancer?

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  A Dr. Simeon Jaggernauth, DO , Oncology, answered on behalf of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)

  The human body possesses numerous forms of checks and balances.  The immune system plays a major role in maintaining that equilibrium.  One of its roles is to evaluate human cells’ surfaces by tasting cell surfaces by way of antigens exposed on the outside of cells.  The immune system is then able to identify these tastes as “family” or “foreign." Cells can be identified as foreign to regions of the body, or to the human body altogether.  Further checks and balances can communicate with cells to regulate cellular growth and division.  When human cells significantly deviate from protocol, a signal is communicated to the cell to initiate cell death. 
  But, when mutations occur, certain cells may possess unique abilities to evade the immune system.  Three specific traits a cancer cell will likely possess are:    

  1. The ability to be viewed by the immune system as non-foreign.
  2. The ability to grow and divide regardless of inhibitory signals from the immune system.
  3. The ability to defy messages from the immune system that signal cell death.

  Cancers are not all equally aggressive in nature.  Some may have other unique mutations allowing for slow or more aggressive growth, and other mutations permitting them to spread to other regions of the human body. 

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• QCan I have a metastatic tumor without a primary cancer?

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  A Dr. Robert A. Wascher, MD , Surgery, answered on behalf of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)

  It has been estimated that between 2 and 5 percent of all new cancer cases involve metastatic tumors for which no primary tumor can be identified. In some of these cases, a primary tumor is actually present, but is too small to be detected. In other cases, elimination of the primary tumor is thought to have occurred, either by the patient's own immune system or by a previous biopsy that is either unrecalled by the patient or that was misdiagnosed as a benign lesion.
  Robert A. Wascher, MD, FACS
  Author, "A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race"
  www.doctorwascher.com
   

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• QAre benign soft tissue tumors serious?

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  A Dr. Robert A. Wascher, MD , Surgery, answered on behalf of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)

  By definition, most benign tumors are not serious health problems.  However, some rare types of benign tumors, such as desmoid tumors, for example, can invade into surrounding normal tissues (although they do not spread to other areas of the body, or metastasize, like true cancers).  These unusual types of benign tumors often also have a tendency to recur.  Finally, even benign tumors can cause significant health problems if their size or location cause pressure on vital organs in the body.  However, once again, the majority of truly benign tumors rarely cause serious health problems.
• QHow can I stay healthy while caring for a loved one with cancer?

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  A Dr. Shauna M. Birdsall, ND , Naturopathic Medicine, answered on behalf of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)

  It is important for caregivers to take care of themselves as well as their loved ones with cancer. Here are a few tips to help:

  • Plan time for yourself: arrange for a friend or family to relieve you for a period of time to give you a break.
  • Maintain a healthy diet. This will keep you strong and feeling your best.
  • Get enough sleep: at least 8 hours per night.
  • Exercise: Even a 20 minute walk around the block will help you relax
  • Don’t use tobacco and limit alcohol intake
  • Make time for doing something you enjoy-every day if possible.
  • Ask for help from friends and family. Reach out to mental health professionals if you need additional support.
  • Don’t neglect your health-keep up with regular doctor visits. Don’t neglect your own cancer screening tests.
  • Be kind and forgiving to yourself and others.

   

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• QWhat are the symptoms of adrenal cancer?

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  A Intermountain Healthcare answered

  Adrenal cancer does not always produce symptoms. Both nonfunctioning adrenocortical carcinomas and large functioning tumors may cause fever, persistent abdominal pain, a sensation of fullness, weight loss and can be felt by touch. Additional symptoms of functioning tumors depend on which hormones are overproduced.

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• QWhat is adrenal cancer?

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  A Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered

  Adrenal cancer forms in the tissues of the adrenal glands (two glands located just above the kidneys). The adrenal glands make hormones that control heart rate, blood pressure, and other important body functions. Adrenal cancer that starts in the outside layer of the adrenal gland is called adrenocortical carcinoma. Adrenal cancer that starts in the center of the adrenal gland is called malignant pheochromocytoma.

  This answer is based on source information from The National Cancer Institute.

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• QWho is at risk for adrenal cancer?

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  A Intermountain Healthcare answered

  Worldwide, about 1 in 1 million people develop adrenal cancer annually. The incidence of adrenal cancer is slightly more frequent in men in their 40s and 50s and in children younger than 5 years old. In some cases, heredity can be a factor.
• QWhat does malignant mean?

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  A Dr. John A. Chabot , Endocrinology Diabetes & Metabolism, answered on behalf of Columbia University Department of Surgery

  Malignant is a term is most frequently used in describing cancerous growths. A malignant tumor is not self-limiting in its growth and can invade adjacent tissues or potentially spread to distant tissues (metastasize).