How to Live With Multiple Myeloma

How to Live With Multiple Myeloma

Written by Alexa Canell on April 23, 2009 - 3:28pm

Multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cell, is an incurable but treatable disease.

A myeloma diagnosis can be devastating, it is important to remember that there are several promising new therapies. The estimated frequency of multiple myeloma is 5 to 7 new cases per 100,000 persons per year.

Multiple myeloma is characterized by excessive numbers of abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow and overproduction of intact monoclonal immunoglobulin.

Hypercalcemia, anemia, renal damage, increased susceptibility to bacterial infection, and impaired production of normal immunoglobulin are common clinical manifestations of multiple myeloma. It is often also characterized by diffuse osteoporosis, usually in the pelvis, spine, ribs, and skull.

SYMPTOMS:
There are often no symptoms in the early stages of myeloma. In some cases, myeloma may be discovered by accident during routine blood testing. When present, symptoms may be vague and similar to those of other conditions.

Pain: a common early symptom of multiple myeloma is pain in the lower back or in the ribs. This is the result of tiny fractures in the bones caused by accumulation of plasma cells and weakened bone structures.

Fatigue: As the number of malignant plasma cells increases in the bone marrow, the growth and development of red blood cells in the bone marrow may be suppressed, leading to low levels of red blood cells in the blood. Anemia can result in unusual tiredness and abnormal paleness.

Nervous system dysfunction:
Weakening and collapsing bone structures may impinge on nerves, producing severe pain, tingling or numbness. Myeloma cells often produce abnormal proteins which contribute to the symptoms, and, in large amounts, cause a dangerous thickening of the blood known as hyperviscosity. The most visible aspect of myeloma disease is its effect on bones throughout the body. In the majority of patients with multiple myeloma, soft spots develop where the bone structure has been damaged. These can extend from the inner bone marrow to the outside surface of the bone. Soft spots appear as "holes" on a standard bone x-ray and are referred to asosteolytic lesions. These lesions weaken the bone, causing pain and increasing the risk of fractures.

Knowing Your treatment Options:
Information regarding treatments for the disease is constantly changing.
Deciding on a particular treatment for myeloma is a complex process. Treatment is tailored to each patient accordingly. There are several potential outcomes of treatment in myeloma. Although cures have not been documented in patients with myeloma, molecular complete responses have been achieved with some of the new therapies in clinical trials. Relapses still occur after molecular complete response, usually after a longer period of event-free survival. The choice of initial therapy is dependent on whether a patient is a candidate for high dose chemotherapy andautologous stem cell transplant a therapeutic strategy that offers improved response rates and survival in myeloma.
If a patient is not a candidate for an autologous transplant, the most common initial treatment is a combination of melphalan, a type of chemotherapy and prednisone, a type of corticosteroid . Cyclophosphamide and prednisone CP or other combinations of agents may also be used. High-dose dexamethasone another corticosteroid is often used in older patients who may be unable to tolerate other therapies, as is combination Thalomid thalidomide, Celgene and dexamethasone. .

Supportive therapies commonly used in myeloma include: Supportive care measures are an important aspect of the treatment of myeloma because they address the symptoms and complications of the disease.
Bisphosphonates, Growth factors, which help the bone marrow produce more red and white blood cells. Antibiotics, which help treat and prevent infection. Orthopedic interventions, which help control pain and improve functioning and mobility Pain control measures, such as medication, radiation, and radiopharmaceuticals such as Quadramet.

A special course of medicated enema called 'Ksheer-Basti' is used in multiple myeloma. This procedure is believed to act directly on the bone and bone marrow. Repeated courses of this procedure are effective in correcting the abnormal bone marrow and in reducing bone pain and fractures.

In addition to conventional treatments you can also use herbal treatments as well. I am not saying to stop your treatment with your oncologist but you can talk to your doctor about adding some herbal supplements to aid in your recovery and to ease some of the pain and other symptoms caused by your treatment as well as symptoms from the multiple myeloma.

Herbs are often used in combinations when combating an illness. These herbs and vitamins were picked up from different herbal combinations and are not meant to form a recipe.

Maritime Pine Bark a super antioxidant to dramatically stimulate the patients immunity and ability to fight the cancer.

Carotenoids very important for rebuilding and repair of body cells which is critical for multiple myeloma and cancer patients. Generally, a carotenoid mixture combined with a complete multi-vitamin with good mineral content will produce good results.

Lutein carotenoid that helps heal and prevent myeloma and cancer.

Vitamin A works with carotenoids

Garlic garlic has been shown to inhibit the formation of free radicals which can benefit those with cancer. Garlic also helps boost the immune system. A combination herbal immune system remedy often includes garlic.

Shiitake The shiitake mushroom stimulates a person's immune system to produce more interferon

Reishi The herb reishi mushroom serves both to boost the immune system and it also has anti-tumor fighting abilities. Normally it maybe found in an immune system herbal mixture

Blessed Thistle herb used in Europe for almost any problem and used for many inflammation problems and for cancers. Often used in a blend with myrrh and frankincense.

Red Clover Herb good for cancer therapy and works well with all of the other herbs listed on this page.

Carnitine Protects against damage from free radicals and toxins which are associated with cancerous cells.

Advanced Omega Increase to 5 tablets a day for 3 weeks then reduce to 4 tablets a day for 4 weeks then use normal dosage. The Advanced Omega should help with inflammation and pain.

These are just some of the vitamins and herbs that can help your therapy progression. I know that most vitamins and herbs can be very expensive but you can go online to Swanson Vitamins they have good quality vitamins and herbs at very low prices. Anything extra that you can do to speed up your recovery and keep you in remission is worth everything. You cant put a price on you life.

-LIQUID ORGANIC SPIRULINA

Products - Health Drink - K-LIQUID ORGANIC SPIRULINA

K-Liquid Organic Spirulina is an amazing supplement for health, energy and vitality as spirulina contains at least 12 vitamins, 11 minerals, 4 important pigments, 14 essential and non-essential fatty acids and 18 essential and non-essential amino acids.

Why choose spirulina?

• Spirulina has an amazing high nutritional profile.
• Spirulina is a rich source of enzymes and is the best whole-food source of Gamma Linelonic Acid (GLA). GLA is known to stimulate growth, act as anti-inflammatory and alleviate arthritic symptoms.
• Spirulina is the richest whole food source of protein, containing up to 70% of the nutrient as compared to eggs (12%), soybeans (35%), beef (17%), dried skim milk (35%), peanuts (25%), grains (8-14%) and whole milk (3%).
• Spirulina is rich in beta carotene. Its beta carotene is 10 times higher than that of a carrot. Beta carotene has anti-oxidant properties and plays a role in preventing heart disease and cancer.
• Spirulina contains a whole spectrum of natural mixed carotene and xanthophylls phyto-pigments. Spirulina’s pigments include chlorophyll, carotenoids, phycocyanin and superoxide dismutase, while calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, mangananese, zinc, selenium, copper and chromium constitute its minerals content.
• K-Liquid Organic Spirulina is an effective energy booster and an ideal food supplement for people of all ages and lifestyles. It also cleanses our body’s internal organs and boosts our immune system.
• K-Liquid Organic Spirulina is derived from pure, unmodified and 100% natural organic spirulina. The organic spirulina is ecologically cultivated in the world’s largest spirulina farm in California , USA . The scientifically controlled cultivation spirulina is free from pesticides, herbicides and other impurities.
  

K-LIQUID CHLOROPHYLL

Products - Health Drink - K-LIQUID CHLOROPHYLL

K-Liquid Chlorophyll’s three main benefits:

1. Cleansing - refers to detoxification and eliminating impurities from our body.
2. Regulating - balances the hormones, acid and alkaline in our body.
3. Nourishing - provides nutrients for healthy blood to increase the oxygen level and red blood count.

What is Chlorophyll?

Chlorophyll is life’s natural elixir contained in the green pigment of plants. In the process known as “photosynthesis”, chlorophyll in green plants traps and stores the energy of sunlight, together with carbon dioxide in the air, water and minerals from the soil to produce food. The energy is required to convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose – the chief source of energy for living organisms.

Why choose Alfalfa?

Alfalfa is chosen because it contains 4 times the chlorophyll of other vegetables. Its roots grow deep into the soil to absorb minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium and etc.

One table spoon of K-Liquid Chlorophyll is equivalent to 1 kg of vegetable consumption. It is a natural source of nutrient that is vital in stimulating good health.

Fights Free Radicals to Reduce Wrinkles & Aging

The chlorophyll in alfalfa contains antioxidants, which can help reduce free radicals in our body. Free radicals weaken our body, making us more susceptible to sickness. Free radicals are an active oxidized substance, generated by our own body through metabolism (breakdown of food and oxygen), that will destroy protein, lipid and DNA. It will affect normal cells to change and cause various diseases in the human body. Free radicals are a major contributor to ageing.

Chlorophyll is rich in:

Zinc –Zinc combines with vitamin A to promote good health
Selenium –Protects and energizes body cells
Vitamin E –Anti-ageing, nourishes skin and keeps the brain active
Vitamin C –Increases alertness and possesses anti-cancer properties
Vitamin A –Strengthens the heart’s function and improves vision.

Other nutrients include protein, biotin, folic acid, pantothenic acid and minerals such as calcium, cobalt, chromium, phosphorus, silicon, potassium, manganese, magnesium and iron.

Promotes Cell Regeneration and Boosts the Immune System

Dr. Richard Willstatter and Dr. Hans Fisher have in 1915 and 1930 respectively received the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Chemistry for discovering the molecular structure of human red blood cells and chlorophyll. Due to this, chlorophyll is shown to promote cell regeneration and reproduction as well as assist in building up the immune system.

Blood Production Property

Nobel Prize recipients, Dr. Richard Willstatter and Dr. Hans Fisher further discovered that the only difference between red blood cells and chlorophyll is that chlorophyll has a magnesium atom in its nucleus while red blood cells have iron. Thus, chlorophyll can help in cases of anemia and other blood deficiency conditions.

Cleanses Body of Pesticides and Drug Residue Toxins

Nutritionist Prof. Bernard Jensen pointed out that chlorophyll is effective in reducing toxin caused by pesticides and drug residue by purging them from the body. He further observed that healthy people generally have higher blood counts compared to the sick. However, after high consumption of chlorophyll, the sick showed an increase in blood count and improved health.

Reduces the Body’s Problems

Scientist Offen Krantz found that chlorophyll is highly beneficial to patients with stomach ulcers. Chlorophyll complements the medication prescribed by doctors for stomach ulcers.

Improves Skin Problems, Beautifies Complexion

The New England Medical Journal reported that chlorophyll can help in controlling skin problems and internal infection. The American Journal of Surgery published findings by Temple University on the use of chlorophyll to treat surgical wounds and other similar conditions.

ZOMETA

ZOMETA

GOLONGAN

GENERIK Zoledronic acid.

INDIKASI Pengobatan hiperkalsemia pada malignansi. Pencegahan kasus yang berhubungan dengan skeletal (fraktur patologis, kompresi spinal, radiasi atau operasi tulang, atau hiperkalsemia yang diinduksi oleh tumor) pada pasien dengan keganasan tingkat lanjut yang mengenai tulang. Terapi hiperkalsemia pada keganasan (HCM).

KONTRA INDIKASI Hamil dan laktasi.

PERHATIAN - Gangguan hati dan ginjal berat. - Monitor elektrolit dan kreatinin serum. - Menetap status hidrasi. Interaksi Obat: Efek aditif dengan aminoglikosida.

EFEK SAMPING Peningkatan suhu tubuh, flu-like syndrome, reaksi pada tempat suntikan ruam, pruritus, nyeri dada, dan gangguan gastro intestinal.

INDEKS KEAMANAN PADA WANITA HAMIL D: Positif ada kejadian yang berbahaya pada janin manusia, tetapi keuntungan dari penggunaan oleh wanita hamil mungkin dapat diterima walaupun berisiko. (Misalnya jika obat digunakan untuk situasi menyelamatkan nyawa atau penyakit yang serius dimana obat yang lebih aman tidak dapat digunakan atau tidak efektif).

KEMASAN Vial 4 mg/5 mL x 1's.

DOSIS Dewasa dan usia lanjut Pencegahan kasus yang berhubungan dengan skeletal pada paien dengan keganasan tulang tingkat lanjut : 4 mg sebagai 15 menit infus Intra Vena tunggal tiap 3 - 4 mgg. Pasien harus diberikan suplemen kalsium 500 mg per oral dan 400 iu vitamin D per hari. Terapi hiperkalsemia pada keganasan (HCM): 4 mg sebagai 15 menit infus intra vena tunggal. Tunggu 7 sampai 10 hari sebelum mengulang terapi.

PENYAJIAN Tak ada pilihan

HARGA : Rp. 3.852.994/kemasan

Multiple myeloma

Definition

By Mayo Clinic staff

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of your plasma cells. Plasma cells are a type of white blood cell present in your bone marrow.

In multiple myeloma, a group of abnormal plasma cells (myeloma cells) multiplies, raising the number of plasma cells to a more than normal level. The result can be erosion of your bones. The disease also interferes with the function of your bone marrow and immune system, which can lead to anemia and infection. Multiple myeloma may also cause kidney problems.

The disease is called multiple myeloma because myeloma cells can occur in multiple bone marrow sites in your body.

If you have multiple myeloma but don't have symptoms, your doctors may just monitor your condition. If you're experiencing symptoms, various treatments are available.

Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic staff

Although multiple myeloma may not cause symptoms early in the disease, it's likely that you'll experience signs and symptoms as the disease progresses.

Signs and symptoms of the disease can vary from person to person. Common multiple myeloma symptoms include:

• Bone pain.
• Presence of abnormal proteins — which can be produced by myeloma cells — in your blood or urine. These proteins — which are antibodies or parts of antibodies — are called monoclonal, or M, proteins. Often discovered during a routine exam, monoclonal proteins may indicate multiple myeloma, but also can indicate other conditions.
• High level of calcium in your blood. This can occur when calcium from affected bones dissolves into your blood.

If you have a high calcium level in your blood, you may experience signs and symptoms such as:

• Excessive thirst and urination
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Mental confusion

Anemia can occur as myeloma cells replace oxygen-carrying red blood cells in your bone marrow, which may lead to another common symptom — fatigue.

Other signs and symptoms of multiple myeloma may include:

• Bone pain, particularly in your back or ribs
• Unexplained bone fractures
• Repeated infections — such as pneumonia, bladder or kidney infection, or sinusitis
• Weight loss
• Weakness or numbness in your legs

Causes

By Mayo Clinic staff

Multiple myeloma

(The growth of myeloma cells (bluish-stained cells) inhibits the growth of normal bone marrow cells.)

Although the exact cause isn't known, doctors do know that multiple myeloma begins with one abnormal plasma cell in your bone marrow — the soft, blood-producing tissue that fills in the center of most of your bones. This abnormal cell then starts to multiply.

Because abnormal cells don't mature and then die as normal cells do, they accumulate, eventually overwhelming the production of healthy cells. Healthy bone marrow consists of a small number of plasma cells, less than 5 percent. But in people with multiple myeloma, the number of plasma cells often increases to more than 10 percent.

Because myeloma cells may circulate in low numbers in your blood, they can populate other bone marrow sites in your body, even far from where they began. Uncontrolled plasma cell growth can damage bones and surrounding tissue. It can also interfere with your immune system's ability to fight infections by inhibiting your body's production of normal antibodies.

Researchers investigating cause
Experts aren't sure why this process begins. But, researchers are studying the DNA of plasma cells to try to understand what changes occur that cause these cells to become cancer cells. Though they haven't yet discovered the cause of these changes, they have found some common abnormalities in myeloma cells. For example, many myeloma cells are missing all or part of one chromosome — chromosome 13. Cells with a missing or defective chromosome 13 tend to be more aggressive and harder to treat than are cells with a normal chromosome 13.

A connection with MGUS
Multiple myeloma sometimes develops from a condition called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). MGUS is more common in adults over age 50. This condition, like multiple myeloma, is marked by the presence of M proteins — produced by abnormal plasma cells — in your blood. However, in MGUS, the amount of the abnormal proteins isn't high enough to cause harm, and no damage to the bones occurs.

Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff

Multiple myeloma isn't contagious. Most people who develop multiple myeloma have no clearly identifiable risk factors for the disease.

Some factors that may increase your risk of multiple myeloma include:

• Age. The majority of people who develop multiple myeloma are older than 50, with most diagnosed around age 70. Few cases occur in people younger than 40.
• Sex. Men are more likely to develop the disease than are women.
• Race. Blacks are about twice as likely to develop multiple myeloma as are whites.
• History of a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Every year 1 percent of the people with MGUS in the United States develop multiple myeloma.
• Obesity. Your risk of multiple myeloma is increased if you're overweight or obese.

Other factors that may increase your risk of developing multiple myeloma include exposure to radiation and working in petroleum-related industries.

When to seek medical advice

By Mayo Clinic staff

If you're persistently more tired than you used to be, you've lost weight, and you experience bone pain, repeated infections, loss of appetite, excessive thirst and urination, persistent nausea, increased constipation, or weakness or numbness in your legs, your signs and symptoms may indicate multiple myeloma or other serious diseases. See your doctor to determine the underlying cause.

Tests and diagnosis

By Mayo Clinic staff

Your doctor may first detect signs of multiple myeloma before you ever have symptoms — through blood and urine tests conducted during a routine physical exam. If you don't yet have symptoms, these lab tests may be repeated every few months so that your doctor can track whether your disease is progressing and determine the best time to start treatment.

Blood and urine tests
A blood test called serum protein electrophoresis separates your blood proteins and can detect the presence of M proteins, called an "M spike," in your blood. Parts of M proteins may also be detected in a test of your urine — when found in urine, they're referred to as Bence Jones proteins.

If your doctor discovers M proteins, you'll likely need additional blood tests to measure blood cell counts and levels of calcium, uric acid and creatinine. Your doctor may also conduct other blood tests to check for beta2-microglobulin — another protein produced by myeloma cells — or to measure the percent of plasma cells in your bone marrow.

Other tests
You may also need other tests. They may include:

• Imaging. X-rays of your skeleton can show whether your bones have any thinned-out areas, common in multiple myeloma. If a closer view of your bones is necessary, your doctor may use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT) scanning.
• Bone marrow examination. Your doctor may also conduct a bone marrow examination by using a needle to remove a small sample of bone marrow tissue. The sample is then examined under a microscope to check for myeloma cells.

Staging and classification
These tests can help confirm whether you have multiple myeloma or another condition. If tests indicate you have multiple myeloma, the results from these tests allow your doctor to classify your disease as stage 1, stage 2 or stage 3. People with stage 3 myeloma are more likely to have one or more signs of advanced disease, including greater numbers of myeloma cells and kidney failure.

Complications

By Mayo Clinic staff

Multiple myeloma can result in several complications:

• Impaired immunity. Myeloma cells inhibit the production of antibodies needed for normal immunity. Having multiple myeloma may make you more likely to develop infections, such as pneumonia, sinusitis, bladder or kidney infection, skin infections and shingles.
• Bone problems. Multiple myeloma also can affect your bones, leading to erosion of bone mass and fractures. The condition may cause compression of your spinal cord. Signs of this medical emergency include weakness, or even paralysis, in your legs.
• Impaired kidney function. Multiple myeloma may cause problems with kidney function, including kidney failure. Higher calcium levels in the blood related to eroding bones can interfere with your kidneys' ability to filter your blood's waste. The proteins produced by the myeloma cells can cause similar problems, especially if you become dehydrated.
• Anemia. As cancerous cells crowd out normal blood cells, multiple myeloma can also cause anemia and other blood problems.

Treatments and drugs

By Mayo Clinic staff

Generally, if you have multiple myeloma and aren't experiencing symptoms, you don't need treatment. However, your doctors will likely monitor your condition at variable intervals, checking for signs — such as increasing levels of M protein in your blood or urine — that indicate the disease is progressing. If it is, you may need treatment to help prevent symptoms. In people diagnosed with asymptomatic multiple myeloma, the risk of developing symptoms is about 10 percent a year for the first five years after learning that they have the disease.

If you're experiencing symptoms, treatment can help relieve pain, control complications of the disease, stabilize your condition and slow the progress of the disease.

Standard treatments for myeloma
Though there's no cure for multiple myeloma, with good treatment results you can usually return to near-normal activity. The appropriate multiple myeloma treatment depends on your needs, medical status and general health. You may also wish to consider approved clinical trials as an option.

Standard treatment options include:

• Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy involves using medicines — taken orally as a pill or given through an intravenous (IV) injection — to kill myeloma cells. Chemotherapy is often given in cycles over a period of months, followed by a rest period. Often chemotherapy is discontinued during what is called a plateau phase or remission, during which your M protein level remains stable. You may need chemotherapy again if your M protein level begins to rise. Common chemotherapy drugs used to treat myeloma are melphalan (Alkeran), cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), vincristine (Oncovin), doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil).
• Corticosteroids. Corticosteroids such as prednisone and dexamethasone (Decadron) have been used for decades to treat multiple myeloma. They are typically given as pills. Some research suggests that high doses of steroids may not be needed, and that lower doses may be safer and more effective.
• Stem cell transplantation. This treatment involves using high-dose chemotherapy — usually high doses of melphalan — along with transfusion of previously collected immature blood cells (stem cells) to replace diseased or damaged marrow. The stem cells can come from you or from a donor, and they may be from either blood or bone marrow.
• Thalidomide (Thalomid). Thalidomide, a drug originally used as a sedative and to treat morning sickness in the 1950s, was removed from the market after it was found to cause severe birth defects. However, the drug received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) again in 1998, first as a treatment for skin lesions caused by leprosy. Thalidomide is currently FDA-approved in conjunction with the corticosteroid called dexamethasone for the treatment of newly diagnosed cases of multiple myeloma. This drug is given orally.
• Bortezomib (Velcade). Velcade was the first approved drug in a new class of medications called proteasome inhibitors. It is administered intravenously. It works by blocking the action of proteasomes, which causes cancer cells to die. One study showed that bortezomib had more than twice the response rate of a commonly used drug, dexamethasone. Bortezomib is approved for use as an initial treatment for people with multiple myeloma.
• Lenalidomide (Revlimid). Lenalidomide is chemically similar to thalidomide, but appears to be more potent and cause fewer side effects. It is given orally. Lenalidomide is FDA-approved for use in combination with dexamethasone as a treatment for people who have received at least one prior therapy for multiple myeloma.
• Radiation therapy. This treatment uses high-energy penetrating waves to damage myeloma cells and stop their growth. Radiation therapy may be used to target myeloma cells in a specific area — for instance, to more quickly shrink a tumor that's causing pain or destroying a bone.

Initial therapy for myeloma
The initial chemotherapy used to treat multiple myeloma depends on whether you're considered a candidate for stem cell transplantation. Factors such as the risk of your disease progressing, your age and your general health play a part in determining whether stem cell transplantation may be right for you.

• If you're considered a candidate for stem cell transplantation: Your initial therapy will likely exclude melphalan because this drug can have a toxic effect on stem cells, making it impossible to collect enough of them. You may begin treatment with the most common initial myeloma therapy in the United States, thalidomide plus dexamethasone. Or your doctor may instead recommend a newer regimen, lenalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone.

  Your stem cells will likely be collected after you've undergone three to four months of treatment with these initial agents. Your doctor may recommend undergoing the stem cell transplant soon after your cells are collected or delaying the transplant until after a relapse, if it occurs. Your age and your personal preference are important factors that will help your doctor make his or her recommendation.

• If you're not considered a candidate for stem cell transplantation: Your initial therapy is likely to be a combination of melphalan, prednisone and thalidomide (MPT). If the side effects are intolerable, melphalan plus prednisone is another option (MP). This type of therapy is typically given for about 12 to 18 months.

Treatments for relapsed or treatment-resistant multiple myeloma
Most people who are treated for multiple myeloma eventually experience a relapse of the disease. And in some cases, none of the currently available, first-line therapies slow the cancer cells from multiplying. If you experience a relapse of multiple myeloma, your doctor may recommend repeating another course of the treatment that initially helped you. Another option is trying one or more of the other treatments typically used as first-line therapy, either alone or in combination.

Research on a number of promising new treatment options is ongoing, and these drugs offer important options for those with multiple myeloma. Talk to your doctor about what clinical trials may be available to you.

Treating complications
Because multiple myeloma can cause a number of complications, you may also need treatment for those specific conditions. For example:

• Back pain. Taking pain medication or wearing a back brace can help relieve the back pain you might experience with multiple myeloma.
• Kidney complications. People with severe kidney damage may need dialysis.
• Infections. Antibiotics may be necessary to help treat infections or to help reduce your risk of them.
• Bone loss. You may take medications called bisphosphonates, such as pamidronate (Aredia) or zoledronic acid (Zometa), which bind to the surface of your bones and help prevent bone loss. Treatment with these drugs is associated with the risk of harm to the jawbone. If you're taking these medications, don't have dental procedures done without consulting your doctor first.
• Anemia. If you have persistent anemia, your doctor may prescribe erythropoietin injections. Erythropoietin is a naturally occurring hormone made in the kidneys that stimulates the production of red blood cells. Research suggests that the use of erythropoietin may increase the risk of blood clots in some people with myeloma.

Lifestyle and home remedies

By Mayo Clinic staff

The following tips may help you keep multiple myeloma under control:

• Stay active. Exercise helps keep your bones stronger. If pain keeps you from being active, ask your doctor about ways to lessen the pain.
• Drink fluids. Drinking fluids can help keep you from becoming dehydrated. And by drinking plenty of fluids, you help dilute the Bence Jones protein fragments in your urine, which may help prevent kidney damage.
• Eat a balanced diet. One way to promote your overall health and cope with any form of cancer is to eat well. The amount of M protein in your system isn't affected by how much protein you eat, so there's no need to limit protein intake unless told otherwise by your doctor. Don't take vitamins, herbs or medications without your doctor's approval because they may interfere with your treatment.

Coping and support

By Mayo Clinic staff

A diagnosis of cancer can be extremely challenging. Remember that no matter what your concerns or prognosis, you're not alone. These strategies and resources may make dealing with cancer easier:

• Know what to expect. Find out everything you can about your cancer — the type, stage, risks, your treatment options and their side effects. The more you know, the more active you can be in your care. In addition to talking with your doctor, look for information in your local library and on the Internet. The National Cancer Institute will answer questions over the phone from the public at 800-4-CANCER, or 800-422-6237. Or contact the American Cancer Society at 800-ACS-2345, or -800-227-2345. Information is also available on their Web sites.
• Be proactive. Although you may feel tired and discouraged, don't let others — including your family or your doctor — make important decisions for you. It's vital that you take an active role in your treatment.
• Maintain a strong support system. Having a support system and a positive attitude can help you cope with any issues, pain and anxieties that might occur. Although friends and family can be your best allies, they sometimes may have trouble dealing with your illness. If so, the concern and understanding of a formal support group or others coping with cancer can be especially helpful. Although support groups aren't for everyone, they can be a good source for practical information for you and your family, too. You may also find you develop deep and lasting bonds with people who are going through the same things you are.
• Set reasonable goals. Having goals helps you feel in control and can give you a sense of purpose. But don't choose goals you can't possibly reach. You may not be able to work a 40-hour week, for example, but you may be able to work at least part time. In fact, many people find that continuing to work can be helpful.
• Take time for yourself. Eating well, relaxing and getting enough rest can help combat the stress and fatigue of cancer. Also, plan ahead for the downtimes, when you may need to rest more or limit what you do.
• Stay active. Having cancer doesn't mean you have to stop doing the things you enjoy or normally do. For the most part, if you feel well enough to do something, go ahead and do it. It's important to stay involved as much as you can.

Poly-MVA to Treat & Prevent Cancer

The Starfish Project

The combined effort of our whole family.

Poly-MVA to Treat & Prevent Cancer

leave a comment »

“I had this terrible bone pain in my head, spine, ribs, and all over. Then the doctor told me he had discovered holes in my skull the size of nickels and dimes. I felt just terrible pain and needed to sleep all the time to escape it. I took pain pills and sleeping pills. It turned out – the final diagnosis offered by my newly acquired oncologist – that I had been struck by multiple myeloma,” states 67-year-old clergyman Kenneth Walker of Fox Island, Washington. “On March 19, 2001 he told me the diagnosis and in June he advised that because my anemia was so severe, ‘The cancer is ravaging your bone marrow – you have less than three months to live unless you undergo chemotherapy.’”

Also referred to as malignant plasmacytoma or plasma cell myeloma or myelomatosis, multiple myeloma is a disseminated neoplasm of marrow plasma cells. The disease infiltrates bone to produce osteolytic lesions throughout the skeleton (particularly in the flat bones, vertebrae, skull, pelvis, and ribs). Standard treatment is cytotoxic chemotherapy using cyclophosphamid or melphalan – both administered with prednisone to suppress plasma cell growth and control pain. The medical profession considers this disease incurable. According to a respected reference source, within three months of diagnosis 52% of patients die; within two years, 90% die.¹

“Today, this same oncologist advises me that if I was visiting him for the first time, he would not suspect cancer had ever been present. The treatment I researched and adopted on my own saved me,” affirms Reverend Walker. “At the doctor’s request I have documented what he describes as ’such a fantastic result.’”

Illustrative of the “fantastic result” for Ken Walker is that no symptoms of multiple myeloma remain. He is now retired and enjoying a leisure life to the fullest. During the late summer of 2001, for example, the retired clergyman and his wife spent six weeks circumnavigating Canada’s Vancouver Island in their sailboat. During the week just prior to Thanksgiving 2002, he flew to Aruba to engage in scuba diving with dive master and Oriental medicine specialist Carlos Viana, OMD, who practices holistic medicine in Aruba and throughout the Netherlands Antilles.

Reverend Ken Walker (no relation to the author) is utilizing the newest concept in nutritional supplements, an organic “metallovitamin” and amino acid produced under three patents first issued by the US Government in October 1995 to electro-biochemist and former US Navy dentist Merrill Garnett, PhD, DDS, of Islip, Long Island, New York. This metallovitamin derived from a lipoic acid and palladium complex, will be described in detail.

Breast Cancer Remission for Sarah J. Jones

“During February 2002, I discovered a lump in my left breast that seemed pretty big,” says Sarah J. Jones of Denver, Colorado. “Because I could not get an evaluation appointment at the Sally Jobe Diagnostic Center in Greenwood Village, Colorado for several weeks, I researched the holistic medical literature on my own and took a number of nutritional supplements,” Sarah says. “When finally I was seen at the Sally Jobe Center, their multiple Doppler ultrasound films confirmed my breast lump as potentially cancerous. The radiologist browbeat me to have a biopsy, which I refused because of what I had learned from my reading about the spread of cancer from biopsies.

“With hands on hips and challenge in her voice, the head nurse at Sally Jobe Center announced to me, ‘From their star shape, I guarantee that the cells in your breast lump are cancerous.’ “If that be true,” I wondered, “why do I need a biopsy?”

Sarah is married to cancer researcher Bob Jones, inventor of the Cavitat®, a sonogram diagnostic device for detecting neuralgia-inducing cavitational osteonecrosis (NICO) arising from implanted root canal teeth. The Cavitat® is renowned for its diagnostic endodontic excellence among holistic, biological, mercury-free dentists such as those who are members of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, the Environmental Dental Association, the American Academy of Biological Dentistry, and the Holistic Dental Association. The enlightened dentists who are members of these professional organizations consider Sarah and Bob Jones holistic dental visionaries.

“Not then or now do I receive physician-administered cancer treatment. The physician who is supervising my Doppler-ultrasound evaluations, Ob-Gyn specialist Asela C. Russell, MD, keeps insisting that I must undergo biopsy, chemotherapy, and radiation,” Sarah Jones says. “The radiologist at the Sally Jobe Center’s Invision Department, Virgini Stefanoudakis, MD, notes about me: ‘Due to her strong beliefs in holistic medicine, she [the patient] may or may not agree to biopsy.’

“I have never undergone biopsy. Near the end of May 2002, after speaking on the phone about my breast cancer to Emmy McAllister, the director of Health Solutions Now!, Bob learned from her about the same anticancer substance containing minerals, vitamins, and amino acids used successfully by Reverend Ken Walker. Then my husband did his own literature search on the substance, Poly-MVA. Consequently, I added this liquid amino acid metallovitamin to my nutritional supplementation, two teaspoonfuls four times a day taken in purified water,” confirms Sarah. “I’ve continued this supplementation on my own without help from any oncologist, except that Sally Jobe Center Ob-Gyn Associate Asela C. Russell, MD, monitors the size of my tumor.”

Sarah Jones concludes, “After she performed an examination of me on November 8, 2002, Dr. Russell wrote on her prescription pad: ‘Sarah Jones’ left breast mass is significantly smaller. [Now reduced to] approximately 1.5 by 1.4 centimeters [2.1 cm³] maximum dimensions.’”

Within six months of beginning her program of nutritional supplementation with Poly-MVA, this most recent oncological measurement for the patient’s cancerous breast lump shows a reduction from her original March 15, 2002 tumor measurement of 5.382 cm³. The malignant breast tumor of Sarah Jones had shrunk by 67 percent.

Both Sarah and Ken Walker are experiencing dramatic results from their use of the inventor’s Poly-MVA anticancer concept. The Poly-MVA name comes from the combined terms Poly meaning “many, much, more than one”; M indicating “minerals”; V signifying “vitamins”; and A symbolizing “amino acids.”²

The PolyMVA Anticancer Concept

A new principle in the nutritional healing of most cancer types is being presented here in the form of Poly-MVA™, the enzymatic complex of polynucleotide reductase which assists in correcting malfunctional nucleic acids in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of genes.³

To explain: the nucleotide component is a single building block or step up the “spiral staircase” of DNA. Nucleotides show up as vital units in DNA because they are the basic molecular structures that control cell division and replication. The reductase enzyme catalyzes oxidation/reduction by which any substance gains one or more electrons; and this enzyme invariably assists in bringing about DNA repair. Subsequently, the polynucleotide reductase that is part of the Poly-MVA molecule biochemically affects multiple units of DNA by functioning as a gene-restoring nutrient.⁴

As stated, the Poly-MVA molecule is a lipoic acid palladium (LAPd) complex, which accomplishes such therapeutic restoration in several ways:

1) Its vitamin complex portion improves synergy with other essential nutrients inside the errant gene.

2) Its metallic components activate cyanocobalamin (vitamin B₁₂).

3) Its alpha lipoic amino acid component aids in energy transfer within cells, which characteristically is highly specific for transferring electron energy from a normal metabolic hydrogen carrier to nucleic acids.

Poly-MVA’s inventor, Merrill Garnett, DDS, PhD, emphasizes that he chose to bind palladium (Pd) to alpha lipoic acid (ALA) because this amino acid is both water and fat-soluble and able to travel everywhere in the human body, even through the blood-brain barrier, taking the palladium molecule with it.

Dr. Garnett, whose Garnett McKeen Laboratory is located in Islip, New York, has produced a self-published book, First Pulse: A Personal Journey in Cancer Research. In it, the author-scientist offers a philosophical, highly technical but interesting anecdotal-filled discussion of how he came to create his invention. Dr. Garnett searched for singular substances for binding together the various ingredients which make up Poly-MVA. He found the therapeutic component in the platinum-derived palladium mineral, poisonous in the hands of an allopathic dentist, but life-saving for someone suffering from cancer. Yet Pd would be poisonous to cancer patients too, if it were not bound tightly to alpha lipoic acid and “sequestered” in the molecule as cobalt is sequestered in vitamin B₁₂. Thus, Pd forms an organic metallovitamin-lipoic acid complex that joins with cobalt (Co), a part of the vitamin B₁₂ (cyanocobalamin) complex.⁵

Dr. Garnett created Poly-MVA based on knowledge unknown before he discovered the Second Genetic Code, a huge scientific breakthrough and probably the crowning achievement of his career. (See the Garnett book for details about the highly complicated Second Genetic Code discovery.)

Dr. Garnett discovered that palladium acts as an excellent catalyst for combining oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H); the metal absorbs over 900 times its volume of hydrogen. He adapts Pd for strengthening the actions of other molecules too; e.g., iron (Fe) holds together the active parts of hemoglobin, and its holding action is reinforced in the presence of palladium. Other amino acids besides alpha lipoic acid make up some part of the Garnett formulation.

Poly-MVA Eliminates Brain Cancer for Mark Olsztyn

Now 38 years old, Mark Olsztyn, the son of Stanley R. Olsztyn, MD(H), popular holistic and homeopathic physician of Phoenix, Arizona, was diagnosed in 1993 with a Stage IV frontal lobe brain tumor the size of a walnut. After excision it was judged to be a low-grade pilocynic astrocytoma. Recommended follow-up was merely with periodic diagnostic Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The imaging was done for five years until Mark decided he was in wonderful shape with no more need for diagnostics.

“While working in Boston, Mark eventually visited his local physician for a routine checkup and a second tumor was found to have grown in the same location of his brain. Surgery turned up that my son now was affected by glioblastoma multiforme, a much more serious condition than the first,” explains Dr. Olsztyn. “The tumor showed as unencapsulated, highly malignant, growing rapidly, and infiltrating extensively. In Boston, he took a full course of radiation therapy and then started on chemotherapy. Realizing that he was not going to live very long, Mark decided to return home to Phoenix expecting to die with his loved ones around him.

“When he came back to Phoenix in early 1998 I became an active participant in his care,” states Dr. Olsztyn. “I put him on a nutritional program, carried on discussions with oncologists about chemotherapy, and acquired Poly-MVA for Mark’s daily use. I invited both Dr. Merrill Garnett and Dr. Albert Sanchez, Sr., to lecture about it at our monthly Arizona Homeopathic Medical Association meeting.

“While simultaneously taking Poly-MVA and chemotherapy, my son decided to discontinue the chemotherapy altogether because of severe side effects he was experiencing. He therefore uses only his regular large daily doses of Poly-MVA,” Dr. Olsztyn says. “From mid-1998, the only contact Mark has had with conventional oncological medicine is for diagnostic MRIs. Poly-MVA is the only treatment he has taken, and for nearly five years there remains no visible evidence of tumor regrowth. My son is asymptomatic and semi-annual MRI examinations are negative for brain cancer.

“I have recommended Poly-MVA to many people because of my extremely favorable impression of the Garnett concept from several viewpoints: First, the theoretical explanation of how it works makes sense,” states Dr. Olsztyn. “Second, the product is completely safe and definitely effective for healthy tissue. Third, it is highly selective for malignant tissue, by influencing oxygen, water, and electrical inputs to the malignancy.

“Patients I’ve observed taking Poly-MVA have thrived. Numbers of them are following its protocol now. In my opinion Dr. Garnett and Dr. Sanchez are providing a really well thought out, safe treatment for all types of malignancies. They should be commended,” affirms Dr. Stanley R. Olsztyn.

The Poly-MVA Mechanism of Action

As reported in An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer, “A major factor in the success of Poly-MVA has been to provide an electron energy transfer mechanism from normal metabolic hydrogen carriers to nucleic acids. Poly-MVA induces energy-dependent changes in the shape of DNA or RNA [ribonucleic acid] as a result of the new reduced state it induces in the nucleotides.”⁶

Dr. Garnett’s newly conceived molecule of lipoic acid palladium (LAPd) complex repairs the abnormally altered gene that sets potential cancer mechanisms in motion by following the recommended protocol for PolyMVA. The now deceased oncology therapist Rudy Falk, MD, of Barrie, Ontario, Canada, had repeatedly stated, “The greatest use of Poly-MVA is as a cancer prophylactic.”

Dr. Falk experimented with Poly-MVA for several years at the University of Toronto; he was one of the first physicians worldwide to investigate the new anticancer remedy. After years of research he firmly believed that ingesting 1/2 tsp. daily of Poly-MVA would prevent cancer. Today there is an important ongoing Practioners’ Study of Poly-MVA to see if Dr. Falk was correct; that it’s a preventative. The volunteer practitioners and their families are participating in this 20-year study to see if they can beat the odds against cancer, because as high as malignancy statistics are among the general population, they are even more elevated among health practitioners.

A general surgeon from the Dominican Republic, Ahmad Nasri, MD, took over the late Dr. Falk’s Barrie, Ontario practice nearly two years ago. Continuing to utilize Poly-MVA onward from 1997 in his own country, Dr. Nasri advises: “Going back almost fifteen years, Dr. Falk had combined the Palladium Lipoic Complex with hyaluronic acid as a targeting agent and applied them together for their anticancer effects, both intravenously and orally. [Hyaluronic acid is a glycosaminoglycan found in lubricating proteoglycans of human synovial fluid, vitreous humor, cartilage, blood vessels, skin, and the umbilical cord.]

“Dr. Falk and I also had added low dose chemotherapy, high dose vitamins, H₂O₂, other minerals, and vaccines to Dr. Garnett’s organic mineral complex. Poly-MVA was one of our most important cancer remission tools,” continues Dr. Nasri. “With Dr. Falk working in Canada and me in the Dominican Republic, we achieved excellent results against most cancers. We observed tumor shrinkage, cancer down staging from Stage 4 to Stage 2, pain reduction, and additional therapeutic effects. Cancer patients we had started on this protocol even eight years ago remain in good health by self-administration of the oral liquid and periodically receiving intravenous booster injections of Poly-MVA. My practice today involves following the patients’ progress with tumor markers, and resuming their IV treatment if necessary. Today I can definitely offer at least six cancer case histories of patients who stay in good shape from their taking Poly-MVA.”

Poly-MVA is manufactured as a liquid mostly for oral ingestion, although some physicians administer it intravenously.

Dr. Falk’s original anticancer usage protocol strictly for cancer prevention consisted of only 1/2 teaspoonful a day of Poly-MVA. For therapy, a new and updated Poly-MVA protocol is now enthusiastically recommended by the Advanced Medicine and Research Center (AMARC) of Chula Vista, California. The protocol is presented in a publication written by Albert Sanchez, Sr., PhD, EdS, and made available by AMARC.⁷

Recognized Poly-MVA Therapeutic Benefits

From the established therapeutic effects of its alpha lipoic acid/palladium complex, Poly-MVA provides at least 13 recognized anticancer benefits. The benefits are reproduced here from observations described by Dr. Merrill Garnett in a series of reports published on his animal studies conducted at the Garnett McKeen Laboratory in Islip, New York. One by one over time, he has advised that the lipoic acid/palladium complex (LAPd) does the following:⁸

1. LAPd causes an indefinite variety of immune system responses, but with specific manifestations as indicated in the twelve additional attributes listed below.

2. LAPd seeks out and destroys cancer cells anywhere in the body by stealing their electromagnetic energy.

3. LAPd invigorates normal cells and helps to repair any damage the invasive cancer may have left behind.

4. LAPd reduces tumor size or causes the tumor to shink.

5. LAPd produces an idiosyncratic set of effects which include a pattern of lag-arrest-slow death of cancer cells from an inhibition of their energy metabolism.

6. LAPd prevents sterol biosynthesis, thereby preventing new cancer cell plasma membrane synthesis.

7. LAPd shows a very large fraction of sensitive cancer cells as a morphological feature.

8. LAPd promotes the growth of proliferating normal cells surrounding a core of central tumor necrosis consisting of dead cancer cells.

9. LAPd stimulates the infiltration of leukocytes for the removal of cancer cell debris.

10. LAPd has absolutely no toxic reaction – no adverse side effects.

11. LAPd accomplishes its therapeutic benefits in both animals and humans.

12. LAPd works against cancer of many types not only as an orally administered liquid but also perhaps even more effectively as an intravenous injection.

13. LAPd reduces the incidence of cachexia with a potential for increased body weight of the frail cancer patient.

Being aware of the LAPd actions in Poly-MVA, Robert D. Milne, MD, Medical Director of the Milne Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, has employed the metallovitamin complex for a family member and for the adjunctive nutritional healing of cancer in numbers of patients. He does not treat cancer but offers his patients nutritional support for their cancer. Poly-MVA is one of the more vital nutrients that Dr. Milne recommends.

“After undergoing a full oncological evaluation, my father-in-law at age 69 asked me to help him with a potentially deadly 14-cm by 2.5 cm-size Stage 3 transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder producing right-ureter obstruction,” explains Dr. Milne. “Hospitalized in a critical care unit for ten days with acute respiratory distress syndrome from his adverse reaction to chemotherapy, my father-in-law was no longer a candidate for cytotoxic therapy. Upon my educating him about Poly-MVA, he undertook a therapeutic trial of this nutritional agent. With the Poly-MVA, I also recommended that he take 500 mg daily of coenzyme Q₁₀ and 25 tablets daily of pancreatic enzymes. The treatment proved successful for him.

“His original tumor biopsy taken July 2001 was reported by the pathologist as ‘invasive carcinoma Grade 2 with invasion into the muscularis propria.’ Using just the nutritional program I had recommended,” says Dr. Milne, “a report on the six-month followup biopsy of my father-in-law’s tumor on January 11, 2002 stated, ‘There is no cancer.’ And his CAT scan showed, ‘No evidence of the tumor in this patient’s bladder.’

“I believe that the Poly-MVA adjunct for this patient was exceedingly helpful, and the work of Dr. Merrill Garnett is truly remarkable. It’s different from any other therapy that has ever been done against cancer,” says Dr. Robert D. Milne. “Based on my father-in-law’s excellent result and the results experienced by many others, I truly believe that Poly-MVA is worth trying by any person who has cancer or wants to prevent its onset.”

Resources

Further information about Merrill Garnett, PhD, DDS, and his work in the field of bio-energetics may be found on Dr. Garnett’s website at www.electrogenetics.com

People wanting additional information about Poly-MVA should visit the particular website at www.polymva.com

Anyone requiring a contact list of cancer survivors who have benefited from Poly-MVA and for a second list of over 150 health professionals who provide patients with Poly-MVA, should visit the survivors’ website at www.polymvasurvivors.com

Health professionals and others seeking information about how to participate in the Practitioners’ Study on Poly-MVA, may acquire a complimentary practitioners’ informational packet, which includes Dr. Garnett’s published book, First Pulse, plus more general material about the LAPd molecule of Poly-MVA. Make your request to Emmy McAllister at Health Solutions Now!, P.O. Box 1177, Snohomish, Washington 98291; 425-334-9644; Fax 425-334-9834; Email: HealthSolutionsNow@earthlink.net

Ms. Emmy McAllister is the information agent representing the charitable organization responsible for supporting Dr. Merrill Garnett’s metallochemical research, the Advanced Medicine and Research Center (AMARC), Albert Sanchez, PhD, EdS, President, 539 Telegraph Canyon Road, #281, Chula Vista, California 91910; 619-628-4751 or 619-628-4745; Fax 619-628-4749; Email: answers2cancer@hotmail.com.

Health professionals having more technical biochemical/physiological questions may telephone the inventor/creator of Poly-MVA, Dr. Merrill Garnett, directly at his office in Islip, New York at 631-774-3821.

Persons wishing to acquire a supply of oral Poly-MVA and other nutritional substances may contact the primary commercial source in North America, AMARC Enterprises, Inc., Albert Sanchez, Jr., President; 866-Poly-MVA i.e. 866-765-9682; Email: info@polymva.com.

For further information about his multiple myeloma remission experience, contact Reverend Ken Walker, 221 Bella Vista Drive, Fox Island, Washington 98333; 253-549-7676; Email: kwalk@centurytel.net

For further information about her breast cancer reduction experience, contact Sarah Jones, Cavitat Medical Tech Inc., 10691 East Bethany Drive, Suite 900, Aurora, Colorado 80014-2670; 303-755-2688.

For further information about therapy for his son Mark or other patients taking the Poly-MVA, contact Stanley R. Olsztyn, MD, 4350 East Camelback Road, Suite B-220, Phoenix, Arizona 85018; 602-840-8424; Email: srolsztyn@aol.com

For further information about his experience administering Poly-MVA and the adaptation of Dr. Rudy Falk’s original protocol, contact Ahmed Nasri, MD, 730 Essa Road, Barrie, Ontario, Canada L4N 9E9; Tel. 705-735-2354; Email: ncim@hotmail.com.

For his summary judgement about the anticancer qualities of Poly-MVA, contact Robert D. Milne, M.D., Medical Director of the Milne Medical Center, 2110 Pinto Lane, Las Vegas, Nevada 89106; 702-385-1393; Email: mmc@ivcm.com.

Source: Townsend Letter

What Is Cancer ?

What Is Cancer ?

November 18, 2008 at 7:01 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: alternative cancer treatment, breast cancer, cancer, cancer care, cancer remedy, cancer treatment, cervical cancer, kanker, keladi tikus, medicine for cancer, natural cancer treatment, obat kanker, supplement for cancer, Typhonium flagelliforme

Cancer develops when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells.

Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a person’s life, normal cells divide more rapidly until the person becomes an adult. After that, cells in most parts of the body divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells and to repair injuries.

Because cancer cells continue to grow and divide, they are different from normal cells. Instead of dying, they outlive normal cells and continue to form new abnormal cells.

Cancer cells develop because of damage to DNA. This substance is in every cell and directs all activities. Most of the time when DNA becomes damaged the body is able to repair it. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA is not repaired. People can inherit damaged DNA, which accounts for inherited cancers. More often, though, a person’s DNA becomes damaged by exposure to something in the environment, like smoking.

Cancer usually forms as a tumor. Some cancers, like leukemia, do not form tumors. Instead, these cancer cells involve the blood and blood-forming organs and circulate through other tissues where they grow.

Often, cancer cells travel to other parts of the body where they begin to grow and replace normal tissue. This process is called metastasis. Regardless of where a cancer may spread, however, it is always named for the place it began. For instance, breast cancer that spreads to the liver is still called breast cancer, not liver cancer.

Not all tumors are cancerous. Benign (noncancerous) tumors do not spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body and, with very rare exceptions, are not life threatening.

Different types of cancer can behave very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different rates and respond to different treatments. That is why people with cancer need treatment that is aimed at their particular kind of cancer.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Half of all men and one third of all women in the United States will develop cancer during their lifetimes. Today, millions of people are living with cancer or have had cancer. The risk of developing most types of cancer can be reduced by changes in a person’s lifestyle, for example, by quitting smoking and eating a better diet. The sooner a cancer is found and treatment begins, the better are the chances for living for many years.

Source : www.cancerhelps.com