If you’re concerned about liver cancer, understanding how doctors diagnose it can provide reassurance and clarity. The diagnostic process typically begins with a thorough physical examination and a detailed medical history. Your doctor will inquire about a...
Surgery is often the primary treatment for many types of brain tumors, aiming to remove or biopsy the abnormal tissue and alleviate symptoms. Here's what you need to know about surgery for brain tumors:1. Craniotomy Procedure: During a craniotomy, a neuros...
If you're experiencing symptoms suggestive of vulvar cancer, your doctor may conduct specific tests to determine if cancer is present. The diagnostic process typically involves the following steps:1. Physical ExaminationYour doctor will begin by visually i...
The most common symptoms of Hodgkin's disease are: Painless swelling in the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm or groin Fever Night sweats Tiredness Weight loss Itching skin These symptoms are not sure signs of cancer. They may also be caused by many common...
If Hodgkin's disease is suspected, the doctor will ask about your medical history and will do a thorough physical exam. Blood tests and x-rays of the chest, bones, liver and spleen will also be done. Tissue from an enlarged lymph node will be removed. This...
Hodgkin's disease facts: The American Cancer Society estimates that about 7,350 new cases of Hodgkin's disease will be diagnosed in the United States this year. Hodgkin's disease affects women somewhat less often than men. Of those new cases, 3,370 will oc...
Warning signs of head and neck cancers depend on the location of the cancer. Sometimes there are no warning signs. That's why men and women over 40 may wish to get an annual cancer-related health checkup, especially if they use tobacco or alcohol. Having a...
These symptoms might be caused by liver cancer: Unexplained weight loss Anorexia (persistent lack of appetite) Early satiety (feeling very full after a small meal) Persistent abdominal pain Increasing abdominal girth (swelling of the "stomach" area) with o...
The symptoms of bone cancer vary from person to person, depending on the location and size of the cancer. Pain is the most common symptom. Tumors that occur in or near joints may cause swelling or tenderness in the affected area. Bone cancer can also inter...
The doctor will ask about your medical history and will do a careful physical exam, with special attention to feeling your thyroid and checking for lumps in the neck. You may also be asked to have a blood test or special scans. The best screening test for ...
While doctors can seldom explain why one person gets thyroid cancer and another doesn't, we do know that the disease is not contagious; no one can "catch" thyroid cancer from another person. Scientists do not know exactly what causes this disease, but rese...
Here are some questions you may want to ask your doctor: How can this disease be treated? What are my treatment choices? How successful is the treatment likely to be? Would a clinical trial be appropriate for me? What are the expected benefits of treatment...
The methods used to treat endocrine cancer are very powerful. That's why treatment often causes side effects. Fortunately, most side effects are temporary. The side effects of chemotherapy depend on the drugs given and the individual response of the patien...
Because of advances in diagnosis and treatment of endocrine cancer, a longer and better life is possible for patients today. Treatment planning takes into account the size and location of the tumor, whether it is likely to grow slowly or rapidly, and the g...
The doctor will ask about your medical history and will do a careful physical exam. You most likely will be asked to give blood for hormone measurements, and you may also be asked to have an ultrasound, CT scan or MRI to enable the doctor to determine wher...
Surgery is sometimes a treatment options for spine tumors. The type of surgery that your doctor recommends will depend on the type of tumor, the location, and the symptoms you are experiencing. If you have weakness, numbness of paralysis of arms and legs, ...
Stereotactic radiosurgery is a radiation therapy technique for treating brain tumors without surgery. A rigid head frame is used to help aim high-dose radiation beams directly at the tumors and not at normal brain tissue. One stereotactic radiosurgery tech...
Clinical trials are designed to determine whether a new approach is both safe and effective. Treatments that may be studied include: Radiation twice daily Hyperthermia, in which a tumor is heated to increase the effect of radiation Drugs injected into the ...
Stereotactic radiosurgery is another way to treat brain tumors. An MRI or CT scan is used to pinpoint the location of the tumor, and the treatment is given in one session. High-energy rays are aimed at the tumor from many angles. A high dose of radiation r...
There are primary and secondary brain tumors. Tumors that begin in brain tissue are known as primary tumors. Secondary tumors are when cancer spreads from another site to the brain, which is called metastasis. Brain tumors are classified by the type of tis...
The symptoms depend on the size of the tumor and the location. Symptoms are caused by damage to vital tissue and by pressure from the tumor or swelling, which may happen if the tumor blocks the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Headaches that tend to be worse i...
Benign brain tumors do not contain cancer cells, but they can press on sensitive areas in the brain and cause symptoms. They are usually a collection of extra cells that cause a mass of tissue called a "tumor." They typically have clear borders and do not ...
To diagnose bone cancer, the doctor asks about the patient’s personal and family medical history and does a complete medical exam. The doctor may suggest a blood test, since some bone tumors can be associated with increased levels of certain proteins in th...
Primary bone cancer refers to cancers that start in the bone. Secondary bone cancer is cancer that spreads to the bone from another part of the body. Primary bone cancer is rare, with approximately 2,400 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States....
Cancer that starts in the bone (primary bone cancer) is relatively rare, with about 2,500 cases diagnosed in the United States each year. The most common types of bone cancer occur more frequently in children and young adults, while other bone cancer is pr...
Check the other breast. Some lumpiness is normal. However, if the lump is new or unusual, it warrants examination by a physician. A lump found during a breast self-exam, a clinical breast exam or a mammogram does not necessarily mean that a woman has breas...