I am often considering graphics, articles and other helpful information on cancer, including this informative article on Signs Of Kidney Cancer which readers might appreciate as it helps you to be more aware of how to identify kidney cancer. Be sure to peruse it all. Don’t forget to add your opinions so we can all learn from your advice:

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Signs Of Kidney Cancer – How You Can Tell

Kidney cancer occurs in approximately thirty one thousand Americans per year and most patients diagnosed are between the ages of fifty and seventy. It affects men about twice as often as women. At present, the causes of kidney cancer are not well understood and can seldom be explained why one person gets the disease and another doesn’t.

Many factors are linked with the increased probability of kidney cancer; one major risk factor is cigarette smoking. Smokers are twice likely to get the disease more than non-smokers.

Renal cell carcinoma, also known as gurnistical tumor, is the most common form of kidney cancer arising from the renal tubule, and the most common type of kidney cancer in adults. The most common warning sign or symptom of this disease is blood in the urine. In some cases, the person can actually see the blood.

It may be there one day and not the next. A urine test done as a part of regular checkup called urinalysis may also find traces of blood in the urine. Another symptom is lump or mass that can be felt in the kidney area. The tumor may cause a dull ache or pain in the back side. Symptoms may develop abruptly.

However, as with other cancer types, kidney cancer can cause a general feeling of poor health. Weight loss, fever, feeling very tired, and loss of appetite can be some more symptoms felt by someone with the disease. Though most often, these symptoms do not mean cancer. Other conditions may be causing the symptom that is why consulting a doctor is best advised when one experiences any of these problems.

To diagnose a kidney cancer, the patient’s personal and family medical history is taken and a thorough physical examination is conducted. The doctor usually orders blood and urine tests and may do one or more of these exams:

IVP (Intravenous Pyelogram) is a test that lets the doctor see the kidneys, ureters, and bladder on x-rays. The x-rays are taken after an injection of dye that shows up on the x-ray film.

CT or CAT Scan is another x-ray procedure that gives detailed pictures of cross-sections of the body. The pictures are created by a computer.

Ultrasound is a test that sends high-frequency sound waves, which cannot be heard by humans, into the kidney. The pattern of echoes produced by these waves creates a picture called a sonogram. Healthy tissues, cysts, and tumors produce different echoes.

Arteriogram is a series of x-rays of blood vessels. Dye is injected into a large blood vessel through a narrow tube called a catheter. X-rays show the dye as it moves through the network of smaller blood vessels around and in the kidney.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) uses a very strong magnet linked to a computer to create pictures of cross-sections of the kidney.
Nephrotomogram is a series of x-rays of cross-sections of the kidney. The x-rays are taken from several angles before and after injection of a dye that outlines the kidney.

When a person is diagnosed with kidney cancer, it is important to know the extent, or stage of the disease because it can spread to the bones, lungs, liver, and brain. Staging procedures may include special x-rays and tests to check these organs.

If the disease is only in the kidneys, which is about forty percent of cases, it can be cured roughly ninety percent of the time with surgery. But if it has spread outside of the kidneys, often into the lymph nodes or the main vein of the kidney, then it must be treated with chemotherapy and other treatments.

The news that someone close to us or someone particularly famous has been diagnosed with a malignant disease, may cause us to pause for thought. When this happens we often stop to think that, when it comes to cancer, the odds are pretty much stacked against us and that it is only a matter of time before we have to confront that "suspicious" lump or a sinister shadow on the X-ray plate.

These thoughts are not really surprising considering the large number of different cancers that have the potential to invade our bodies – common cancers such as those of the breast, prostate, colon, lung as well as the not so common cancers such as leukemia and thyroid cancer.

If we are wise we will be making an effort to reduce our cancer risk by eating sensibly, not smoking, reducing our alcohol intake and by exercising regularly. What we should also be doing, according to a growing body of research, is eating more foods containing the natural compound apigenin.

SOURCES OF APIGENIN

Apigenin is an antioxidant flavonoid found in herbs, spices and other food plants. Examples of foods that contain apigenin are the herbs and spices, coriander, licorice, marjoram, parsley, oregano, rosemary and tarragon. Other foods such a citrus, tea, celery and wheat also contain significant quantities of this yellow cancer fighting compound.

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Although most of the research into this compound has been confined to the laboratory, scientists studying apigenin have discovered that it exhibits several different mechanisms that all work to counter the complex factors underlying cancer cell growth.

As well as interfering with a number of cancer signaling processes, apigenin also inhibits the growth of new blood vessels that malignant cells need to grow and proliferate.

HER2 BREAST CANCER GENE

As far as breast cancer is concerned, it also inhibits the expression of the HER2/neu gene. Woman who carry HER2/neu are much more susceptible to an aggressive, treatment-resistant form of cancer for which, until recently, there was no effective treatment.

Apigenin has been shown to suppress the activity of this gene and, in this regard it joins its fellow green tea based flavonoid, epigallocatechin-gallate as a potent preventive agent in those unfortunate to inherit the HER2/neu gene.

CANCERS SUSCEPTIBLE TO APIGENIN

To date apigenin has been found to inhibit the following cancer cell lines: breast, prostate, lung, leukemia, colon, ovary, skin and thyroid – malignancies that account for the vast majority of cancers to which most of us fear falling prey.

PREVENTION RATHER THAN CURE

It will be a long time before research is done into the use of apigenin in the TREATMENT of these malignancies.

And, on a cautionary note, there is also some evidence that high doses of apigenin may actually interfere with one or two chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of leukemia.

In other words a higher dosage of a useful anti-cancer phytonutrient is not always better than the lower dosages that are effective in preventing the onset of the disease.

EAT MORE SPICES

Instead of waiting for that to happen we should be more proactive and eat foods that contain this important phytonutrient.

A regular intake of herbs and spices such as coriander (cilantro), licorice, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme (as well as other foods such as whole wheat, celery, tea and citrus) should provide protective amounts of apigenin.

Moreover, these and other spices supply many other compounds that have proven cancer inhibiting capabilities.

Keith Scott is a medical doctor with an interest in the healing properties of herbs and spices. He has written several books including “Medicinal Seasonings, The Healing Power of Spices”. Download a free pdf copy of “Medicinal Seasonings” and read more about the health benefits of spices at: => http://www.medicinal-herbs-and-spices.com Watch the VIDEO: Spices – A Health Mystery Solved => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqIM6QB3wt4

Article Source: ArticleSpan