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The Lymph System and Cancer
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The lymphatic, or lymph, system of the body is the main portion of the body devoted to fighting off infections and staving off disease. The system works through a network of vein-like vessels as well as clusters of organs known as the lymph nodes. The entire lymph system is important for immunity but also plays a role in cancer.
Unlike the blood stream, the lymph system has a dual role in cancer cases. Not only is it important for fighting off the disease by producing white blood cells and a variety of other important devices in a body's attempt to kill off the cells, but it also is one of the most common ways for cancer to spread to the other areas and organs of the body through metastasis. The bloodstream plays a role in metastasis but not in the first.
Cancer can start in the lymphatic system. When this occurs, it is known as lymphoma. When cancer doesn't start in the lymphatic system, like breast cancer, lung cancer, or pancreatic cancer, the cancer cells of that type or location can spread or metastasize through the lymph system quite easily. Once the cells make their way into the lymph system, it is much harder not only to fight the original source but also to completely cure a person.
Fortunately, the lymph system gives an individual some warnings signs that there may be a tumor somewhere in the body. The biggest clue is that the lymph nodes are enlarged. While this may not seem like a big clue, there are lymph nodes located close to the surface in the neck which can be felt without any real expertise.
Enlarged lymph nodes may also be a sign that cancer has started somewhere and spread to the lymph system. The cells in a tumor are bent on total domination and so easily break off from a tumor. They then are easily picked up by the lymph and are then able to go anywhere in the body. Breast cancer, which is a commonly spread cancer, is able to set up colonies throughout the body by its easy access to the lymph nodes located in the arm pits as well as under the sternum.
If a person notices that his or her lymph nodes are swollen, it is somewhat easy to determine if they are swollen due to cancer. A simple biopsy will determine if they are swollen due to an illness in the body or if they are swollen due to cancer.
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Joseph Devine
TUESDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers were able to shrink prostate cancer cells in mice using a new drug delivery method that combines imaging with chemotherapy in a single agent.
"It's like a smart bomb, to use a military analogy," Dr. John P. Sedelaar, a postdoctoral research fellow at Johns Hopkins University, said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research. "By retooling chemotherapy agents, we may be able to get more accurate treatment monitoring and follow-up."
The study was to be presented at the association's 100th annual meeting, in Denver.
Sedelaar said that current clinical practice uses multimodality MRI to examine the urological system and diagnose prostate cancer. This tool, however, is mostly thought of as a prostate imaging method rather than a prostate cancer imaging method.
"An increasing number of patients have minimal prostate cancer, and opt for either very focused treatment or the watchful-waiting approach," said Sedelaar. "In this environment, the need for an accurate imaging tool is paramount."
Sedelaar and colleagues designed two imaging drugs: a PSMA and a PSA-activated pro-drug. These agents are therapeutic drugs that are modified by adding a tyrosine ring for imaging.
After the drugs were given to laboratory mice, the researchers noted a measurable reduction in prostate cancer cells.
Experiments also showed that the imaging pro-drugs were cleaved and activated by PSMA or PSA, suggesting their viability as a prostate cancer imaging modality.
"Unfortunately, next to clear tumor uptake, there was also uptake into liver and kidney organs," Sedelaar said. "Further experiments will have to address that problem."
More information
prostate cancer
TUESDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- You may love your steak well done, but eating burned or charred meat may increase your risk of pancreatic cancer, a new study suggests.
Researchers used data on the meat intake, preferred cooking methods and doneness preferences of nearly 63,000 participants taking part in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Multi-Center Screening Trial
Over the course of nine years, 208 developed pancreatic cancer.
Meat-eaters who preferred their steak very well done were almost 60 percent more likely to get pancreatic cancer compared to those who ate steak less well done or did not eat steak.
Researchers then estimated carcinogen intake based on overall meat consumption and doneness preferences. Those with highest intake had 70 percent higher risk than those with the lowest intake.
Frying, grilling or barbecuing meat to the point of charring can form carcinogens, which do not form when meat is baked or stewed, explained Kristin Anderson, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
The study was to be presented Tuesday at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, in Denver.
Anderson suggesting cooking meat thoroughly enough to kill bacteria but avoiding charring. The precursors of cancer-causing compounds can also be reduced by microwaving the meat for a few minutes and pouring off the juices before cooking it on the grill.
"We cannot say with absolute certainty that the risk is increased due to carcinogens formed in burned meat," Anderson said. "However, those who enjoy either fried or barbecued meat should consider turning down the heat or cutting off burned portions when it's finished."
American Cancer society
PART 1: The worst day of my life:
I knew that it could be serious when our doctor called and said he'd made an appointment for our 4 year old daughter Laura, at the Children's ward of a major hospital 50 miles away.
We packed up the car and started out. Not much was being said between my wife an I. It was a dreary day, overcast with a little light rain. As we drove down the highway, I remember hoping for some sort of a sign .... maybe the clouds would suddenly separate and the sun would break through and shine down on us ... maybe a car would drive by and the people inside would look over and give us a friendly smile ... anything that would assure me that someone from above was telling me everything was going to be OK. But there were no signs.
We managed to find the hemoc/oncology unit with little trouble. My initial reaction as we entered the room was that of horror, seeing all those precious young children in such poor health. I said to myself "why are we here ? My daughter can't be this sick." Girls and boys, both walking very slowly, some with limps, no hair on their heads, some with scars, others pulling an IV along with them. Was this a preview of what my daughter will soon look like?
After a lengthy wait, it was time for Laura's test - a spinal tap. My wife held her in her lap as the drugs were administered .... it was only 3 or 4 seconds before my daughters eyes rolled back in her head and her body went limp. It was a vision I will never be able to get out of my mind. My eyes filled with tears, as it appeared the life had been taken completely out of her. She was placed on a table, and we were politely asked to leave. What a gut-wrenching feeling I had in my stomach as I walked away from her now motionless body.
The nurse said, "she'll be OK, she's just sleeping .. the procedure won't take long, and she'll soon be back in your arms".
From that point on, time seemed to stand still. I could hear the clock ticking. 10 minutes went by, then 20 and pretty soon 30 minutes had elapsed and still nothing. It was then that I knew that this was as serious as Laura's pediatrician had thought. The waiting was unbearable.
Finally, the doctors emerged and their faces said it all. There were no smiles. The lead doctor came over and invited us into another room, and then it came ... "I'm sorry, but your daughter has leukemia". There was total silence.
PART 2: The reason why?
As time went by, I kept thinking to myself, "why did this happen? We've had no history of cancer on either side of our families, much less leukemia". Were we being punished for some reason?
We had our home and the babysitter's home tested for radon gas ... both came back negative.
We don't live near a bunch of powerlines, so electromagnetic wires were not the culprit.
Could this have happened during childbirth? (Laura was delivered by C-section)
So many questions were being asked, without getting any answers, which only led to more questions.
The one that kept coming back into my head was "How"? How did this happen .. and why her? I felt so helpless, but knew that I had to do something to help my little girl (as well as my other daughter, my wife and myself). Something brought this on, I just didn't know what.
So I started educating myself, not just on leukemia, but health in general, and what I found out was disturbing to say the least. We are living in a toxic mess - exposing our bodies to a virtual onslaught of dangerous chemicals every day.
Chemicals in body wash, in shampoos, in soap, in body lotion, in toothpaste, in mouthwash, in hair spray, in cosmetics, in air fresheners, in household cleaners, in dish detergents .. the list goes on and on. Could this be what caused my daughter's illness? Could it have been brought on by the lifestyle that my wife and I were living prior to conception? Could it have been brought on during the pregnancy? Could it have happened after Laura was born?
Was her sickness caused by these things that we used on a daily basis?
To this day, we still don't have all the answers, but we have changed our lifestyle. I didn't realize how much I took health and life for granted until I thought my daughter's was in jeopardy. Every day is a gift now.
I believe everything in life happens for a reason. Perhaps God chose me deliberately .. to go thru this, learn from it and then pass along my new found knowledge. My guess is, his plan was for me to teach others so that they may never have to endure the pain and agony of watching their child (or some other loved one) go thru what our child went thru. Learn from my experience, so that you may possibly avoid one.
Knowledge is one thing, but action is quite another. The second part of this plan must have been to align me with a company which offers products of unrivalled purity and effectiveness - free from any harmful ingredients. It is this company and their products that I now use and recommend to all that come in contact with me. I feel it's my duty in life and something that I was meant to do.
Cancer is a dreaded disease that has robbed us all of so many wonderful people. I have seen first hand what it's like to watch somebody battle thru it. It's not fun and it's not pretty. In fact some researchers are predicting that by the year 2030, 26 million people a year worldwide will be diagnosed with cancer, with 17 million dying from it.
So it is my mission to educate people on the dangers in the products they are using on a daily basis and offer them healthy alternatives. I'm actually quite angry at what is being sold to unknowing customers ... products being touted as "safe", as "natural", as "gentle", as "organic" ... are really anything but that. Products with catchy names and slogans in brightly colored, fancy shaped packages - all in the hopes of making a healthy profit, but making it anything but healthy for the end user. Unless we change our lifestyles and start supporting companies like the one I've aligned myself with, those researchers may well have made an accurate prediction for the year 2030. My goal is to make those numbers much, much less .. one person or one generation at a time.
In closing, let me leave you with a thought - perhaps the final part of God's plan was for you to read this story and then see if you'll act on it.
Like I said earlier, I believe everything in life happens for a reason.
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