Asbestos represents a mineral that has a fibrous form and is known for its heat and chemical resistance, flexibility and strength. These qualities recommended this mineral as an excellent building material for automobile industry, roofs, ships, and etc. Under asbestos exposure is understood a condition when a person inhales asbestos fibers constantly for a prolonged period of time. Those fibers are microscopic and after person inhales them all the time they have a tendency to settle in the lungs harming them gradually. The effect can be detected after 15 years usually. In some cases it takes up to 40 years for the condition to show up. Constant exposure to asbestos leads to asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma as it has already been mentioned.

There is a high-risk group of people who are prone to be exposed to asbestos frequently. They are construction site workers, mine workers and those who live in close proximity to mines, ship building workers and breakers, people involved into of auto clutch and brake assemblies manufacture, house and building renovators.

It was in 1920s when the fact that asbestos inhalation somehow triggers lung cancer and nowadays this supposition has been proved completely right. All types of asbestos – chrysotile, amosite, anthophyllite, and crocidotile – are able to cause lung cancer.

Constant asbestos inhalation also leads to a more rare type of lung cancer – mesothelioma. In this case membrane that lines the lungs and chest is affected. The condition takes a long time to develop and therefore senior people are often diagnosed with it. In some cases the period of development lasts 30-40 years. This condition is the most severe, painful and generally fatal.

Still, harmful influence of asbestos doesn’t end up with just those two conditions. It has been investigated recently that constant exposure to asbestos is able to evoke also larynx, stomach, colon, oral cavity, and kidney cancers; and if asbestos is present in great quantities in water it leads to the development of cancer of the esophagus, stomach and intestines with a higher-than-average death rate.

Asbestos exposure is even more harmful if a person smokes as such a combination leads to lung cancer almost guaranteed. In case a person has been diagnosed with an asbestos exposure related disease it is recommended to quit smoking at once in order to reduce the risk of further condition development and impairment.

In order to prevent the condition from happening some recommendation should be followed: in case you need to renovate or break an old construction do not do it yourself. It is much wiser to apply for the assistance of professionals who know the job well as well as the ways of avoiding unnecessary risks.

Carcinogens are extremely dangerous because they attack the cells and attach to DNA. As a result cellular metabolism gets changed or DNA is ruined completely. Damaged DNA, if it follows a normal way, undergoes biotransformation when it becomes water soluble and gets flushed out. But in certain cases damaged DNA cannot follow the normal way and turn cancerous evoking tumor formation. This generally happens in the conditions of weakened immune system condition.

Carcinogens are easily found in tobacco smoke and asbestos; the later is dangerous if inhaled. Other carcinogen-containing things are dioxins, radioactive material (i.e. gamma rays, alpha particles and x-rays). Natural carcinogens are also present in nuts and grains, for instance aflatoxin. Formaldehyde used in embalming and plastic making is very carcinogenic as well as vinyl chloride utilized in PCV constructing. Cooking food at high temperature is also fraught with the appearance of carcinogens (i.e. potato chips and French fries).

Smoking cannot be underestimated because there are more than 4,000 toxic and carcinogenic chemical compounds able to damage the organism. Water has also become a source of danger as well. The excessive chemical presence in water (i.e. chlorine) does not make it healthier.

One should also know about the effect of medications. They are treatment, undoubtedly, but it is a challenge to the immune system as well every time you take a pill. Remedies are man made and are intended to temporarily eliminate a medical problem therefore you need pills all the time and the eventual effect cannot be predicted.

The immune system is a powerful device and it is particularly designed to fight back illnesses. Nevertheless when this system is weakened it becomes unable to resist deadly carcinogens influence and ending up with DNA damage.

It is mostly we ourselves who create the world as it is around. And we poison ourselves consciously with all the things we create making environment hostile not friendly. Perhaps, it is worth trying to create a so-called free from cancer zone by changing a lifestyle and reviewing some priorities. The world will become healthier, for sure.

We also differentiate the following types of cancer: carcinomas, or cancer of the epithelial cells, (that in its turn subdivide into squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma); melanomas, or cancer of the melanocytes; sarcomas, or cancer of the bones, muscles and blood vessels; lymphomas, or cancer of the lymph glands; and leukemia, or cancer of the blood. Lung, skin, breast, prostate, colon, stomach and pancreatic cancers are the most frequent.

Cancer treatment is a serious mater. It depends on what kind if cancer it is and where it is located, also a person’s general health and whether metastases have developed.

The condition is treated surgically when a tumor is removed with its surrounding tissues; in some cases an organ is removed. Radiation surgery is also used; it uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and make tumors smaller. This procedure has a list of adverse effects. Another treatment way is chemotherapy which presupposes anti cancer drugs usage orally or into the veins. Cancer treatment has also other options such as: hormone therapy, immune therapy and alternative medicines.

The condition of brain cancer is not so wide-spread as the ones of breast or prostate cancer but not less dangerous.  According to the data of National Cancer Institute (NCI) it has a tendency to develop in about 22,000 new people per year; in many cases it actually leads to death.

The condition has several grades according to which its severity is estimated. It develops individually in every person and can have different extent of manifestation.

There are four main grades of brain cancer according to NCI:

• Grade I means that the brain tissue is benign and that the cells composing the tumor grow slowly and look almost normal.
• Grade II entails that the brain tissue is malignant and that the cells composing the tumor look less than normal.
• Grade III stands for the malignant brain tissue and estimates the cells as anaplastic (almost abnormal) and active in their spreading.
• Grade IV means a malignant tumor and that the cells are abnormal and grow exceedingly fast.

Moreover, primary brain tumors bear the names of the tissues they originate from. The examples are: gliomas, meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, vestibular schwannomas, and medulloblastomas. These names (together with the number of the grade) make it easier for doctors to estimate the severity of the condition. Though there are malignant and benign tumors it does not mean that the latter are safe. They as well are dangerous and can cause troubles especially in case they grow too large and interfere with normal body functioning.

The condition has been studied for some period of time and according to the numerous researches the main reasons for the appearance of breast cancer are considered genetic or hormonal factors. The illness is characterized by having several stages and according to them the treatment is selected. It can be surgery, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, and chemotherapy.

It is a very important matter for any women. No surprise that she wants to know everything about the illness and the progress of the treatment. It makes her stronger and more hopeful as this diagnosis brings a lot stress and shock into a woman’s life.

Therefore when you go to consult your doctor it may help to keep the track of questions and answers in order not to get confused and even more distressed. Some friend’s or a family member’s assistance can be of great support as well.

Your doctor will surely refer you to other specialists for a more precise investigation (surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists, even to a plastic surgeon if needed).

As it has already been mentioned the condition has a variation of treatment choices; in some cases the therapy can be combined with another one for better effect. In any case the therapy will depend on the stage of the disease. The condition can require surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone or biological therapy.

All of them are different and have different after-effects both concerning the way you feel and look. The treatments can be roughly divided into local and systemic. The former includes surgery and radiation therapy and is meant to kill the cancer in the breast or control the rate of its spread if the condition has already reached such an extent. Chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and biological therapy refer to systemic therapy. They function by invading the bloodstream and therefore controlling the spread of cancer or eliminating it. In some cases systemic therapy is carried out before surgery or in preventive measures from the return of cancer.

It should be remembered that whatever the treatment it will be fraught with some after-effects and a women should be prepared for it. The severity of adverse effects is connected with the kind of treatment undergone and its intensity. They are also individual for each woman.

It is vital for a woman on any stage to have support. The condition is not the one to be trifled with and is painful both physically and emotionally. Therefore friends and family should be always near.

The condition can be connected to benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) but its real reasons stay unknown. Genetic factor can trigger the illness as well as aging, hormonal disbalance or any environmental factor. It is evident that the older the person is the more the risk of the illness is. It is generally starts in the men over 40 therefore men of this age group are recommended to undergo the check-ups every year as a preventive measure.

In the U.S. prostate cancer is the second leading disease after lung cancer that causes death. It may be above mentioned genetic factor that features here. But the facts are that the Americans are more prone to have prostate cancer than the Europeans or the Japanese. Perhaps the genetic predisposition is connected with environment and lifestyle habits. The risk of having prostate cancer can also be genetically conditioned from the point of family. Those people whose fathers and grandfathers suffered from the condition are much more liable to have it as well. However, notwithstanding any researches and investigations no specific prostate cancer gene has been found.

Another possible reason can be testosterone that causes the growth of both normal prostate tissue and prostate cancer cells. Why the assumption is considered close to the truth? It’s because with the reduction of testosterone levels the process of prostate cancer development slows down.

Some environmental aspects should also be taken into consideration. They are smoking and love to fatty foods. These are not strictly claimed as reasons for the condition but as well can be the ones.

An abnormal PSA blood test can show the presence of prostate cancer as well as a hard nodule found during a routine digital rectal examination. Generally if such a suspicion exists a biopsy of the prostate gland is carried out. If the presence of cancer cells is confirmed the diagnosis is stated.

It is individual in any person whether the case is severe or it is not recognizable at all. The treatment is selected and carried out in accordance with the severity of condition, size, contraindications, age and general health of a patient. There are different means of treatment; among them are surgery, radiation therapy, hormonal treatment, cryotherapy, chemotherapy, and watchful waiting.