Cancer is a group of many different diseases that have some important things in common. They all affect cells, the body's basic unit of life. To understand different types of cancer, such as bladder cancer, it is helpful to know about normal cells and what happens when they become cancerous.

The body is made up of many types of cells. Normally, cells grow and divide to produce more cells only when the body needs them. This orderly process helps keep the body healthy. Sometimes cells keep dividing when new cells are not needed. These cells form a mass of extra tissue, called a growth or tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant.

Benign tumors are not cancer. They often can be removed and, in most cases, they do not come back. Cells in benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body. Most important, benign tumors are rarely a threat to life.

Malignant tumors are cancer. Cells in malignant tumors are abnormal and divide without control or order. These cancer cells can invade and destroy the tissues around them. Also, cancer cells can break away from a malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. This process is the way cancer spreads from the original (primary) tumor to form new tumors in other parts of the body. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.

Most cancers are named for the part of the body or type of cells in which they begin. About 90 percent of bladder cancers are transitional cell carcinomas, cancers that begin in the cells lining the bladder. Cancer that is confined to the lining of the bladder is called superficial bladder cancer. After treatment, superficial bladder cancer can recur; if this happens, most often it recurs as another superficial cancer.

In some cases, cancer that begins in the transitional cells spreads through the lining of the bladder and invades the muscular wall of the bladder. This is known as invasive bladder cancer. Invasive cancer may grow through the bladder wall and spread to nearby organs.

Bladder cancer cells may also be found in the lymph nodes surrounding the bladder. If the cancer has reached these nodes, it may mean that cancer cells have spread to other lymph nodes and to distant organs, such as the lungs. The cancer cells in the new tumor are still bladder cancer cells. The new tumor is called metastatic bladder cancer rather than lung cancer because it has the same kind of abnormal cells that were found in the bladder.

Bladder Cancer

Each year, nearly 55,000 people in the United States learn that they have bladder cancer. We insist to help patients with bladder cancer and their families and friends better understand this disease. We hope others will read it as well to learn more about bladder cancer.

This booklet discusses symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. It also has information to help patients cope with bladder cancer.

The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower abdomen. It stores urine, the waste that is produced when the kidneys filter the blood. The bladder has a muscular wall that allows it to get larger and smaller as urine is stored or emptied. The wall of the bladder is lined with several layers of transitional cells.

Urine passes from the two kidneys into the bladder through two tubes called ureters. Urine leaves the bladder through another tube, the urethra.

Symptoms:

1. Blood in the urine (slightly rusty to deep red in color).
2. Pain during urination.
3. Frequent urination, or feeling the need to urinate without results.

When symptoms occur, they are not sure signs of bladder cancer. Infections, benign tumors, bladder stones, or other problems may also cause them. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis. (People with symptoms like these generally see their family doctor or a urologist, a doctor who specializes in diseases of the urinary system.) It is important to see a doctor so that any illness can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible

Diagnosis and Staging:

To find the cause of symptoms, the doctor asks about the patient's medical history and does a physical exam. The physical will include a rectal or vaginal exam that allows the doctor to check for tumors that can be felt. In addition, urine samples are sent to the laboratory for testing to check for blood and cancer cells.

The doctor may use an instrument to look directly into the bladder, a procedure called cystoscopy. This procedure may be done with local or general anesthesia. The doctor inserts a thin, lighted tube (called a cystoscope) into the bladder through the urethra to examine the lining of the bladder. The doctor can remove samples of tissues through this tube. A pathologist then examines the sample under a microscope. The removal of tissue to look for cancer cells is called a biopsy. In many cases, performing a biopsy is the only sure way to tell whether cancer is present. If the entire cancer is removed during the biopsy, bladder cancer can be diagnosed and treated in a single procedure.

A patient who needs a biopsy may want to ask the doctor some of the following questions:

• Why do I need to have a biopsy?
• How long will it take? Will I be awake? Will it hurt?
• What side effects can I expect?
• How soon will I know the results?
• If I do have cancer, who will talk with me about treatment?
• When?

Once bladder cancer is diagnosed, the doctor will want to learn the grade of the cancer and the stage, or extent, of the disease. Grade is important because it tells how closely the cancer resembles normal tissue and suggests how fast the cancer is likely to grow. Low-grade cancers more closely resemble normal tissue and are likely to grow and spread more slowly than high-grade cancers.

Staging is a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, what parts of the body are affected. The stage of bladder cancer may be determined at the time of diagnosis, or it may be necessary to perform additional tests. Such tests may include imaging tests--CT scan, MRI, sonogram, IVP, bone scan, or chest x-ray.

Breast cancers are malignancies -- life-threatening tumors -- that develop in one or both breasts. The interior of the female breast, which consists mostly of fatty and fibrous connective tissues, is divided into about 20 sections called lobes. Each lobe is further subdivided into a collection of lobules, which are structures that contain small milk-producing glands. These glands secrete milk into a complex system of tiny ducts. The ducts carry the milk through the breast and converge in a collecting chamber located just below the nipple. Breast cancer is either invasive (spreading) or noninvasive (generally known as in situ -- that is, confined to the site of origin). Infiltrating ductal carcinoma, an invasive cancer, penetrates the wall of a duct, and is the most common form of breast cancer, constituting about 70% of all cases. Infiltrating lobular carcinoma, an invasive cancer that has spread through the wall of a lobule, accounts for about 8% of all breast cancers. It is much more likely to appear in both breasts, often in several separate locations. Noninvasive breast cancers include ductal carcinoma in situ (also called intraductal carcinoma) and lobular carcinoma in situ and account for about 10% of all cases. These cancers are termed noninvasive because at the time of diagnosis there is no evidence of invasion through the basement membrane, a layer separating the affected cells from the underlying connective tissue, which is rich in blood vessels. Ductal carcinoma in situ is considered to be an early malignancy; if left untreated, it may sometimes progress to an invasive, infiltrating ductal breast cancer. Lobular carcinoma in situ seems to be a marker for an increased risk of cancer in both breasts. In at least 20% of these cases, invasive cancer (often of the ductal variety) eventually develops, sometimes in a different location from the original lobular carcinoma in situ.

Who Gets Breast Cancer?

Age, Gender, and Ethnicity

Experts estimate that 175,000 cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 1999 in US. At this time, age is the major identifiable risk factor. More than 80% of breast cancer cases occur in women over 50, and there is a one in nine chance of having breast cancer if a woman lives to 85. At 40, however, her odds are one in 217, and at 50 they are one in 50. Cancer in women younger than 30 is very rare, accounting for only 1.5% of all breast cancer cases. Native Americans and Asians have lower rates of breast cancer than whites, Hispanics, and African Americans. About 1,600 breast cancers will be diagnosed in men. The mortality rate in African Americans is twice that of whites. According to one study this higher rate is due not only to socioeconomic factors but may also reflect biologic differences. African American patients tend to have larger more aggressive cancers.

About 10% of all women with breast cancer have a family history of the disease. The mutations in genes known as BRCA1 and BRCA2 are now well-known culprits in some early-onset breast and ovarian cancers. About half of BRCA1 carriers have a chance of developing breast cancer by age 70, and according to one study, about 37% of BRCA2 carriers develop the disease. (These percentages may be higher in high-risk families.) Either the mother or the father can pass down BRCA2 and BRCA1 traits to the daughter. Only about 0.1% of the population carries them. It should be further noted that a family history of breast cancer puts a woman at risk for the disease, even if these genetic mutations are not detected. A defective BRCA gene also sometimes appears in nonintegrated breast and ovarian cancer patients. Cancer may even develop if the normal BRCA1 gene (which is protective) is either under expressed or, in some cases, appears to "hide" outside the nucleus of the cell, where it is ineffective.

Researchers have also identified other defective genes that cause breast cancer, including BRCA3, p53, and NOEY2 (which is inherited from the father). A mutant gene for the rare disorder ataxia-telangiectasia may account for many breast cancers. (The disease itself is rare, requiring two copies of the gene, but 1% of the population carries a single copy, which is enough to increase the risk for breast cancer.) Women who have this gene are also more likely to be harmed by radiation, including that from mammography.

Because breast tissue is highly sensitive to estrogens, the longer a women is exposed to estrogen over her lifetime, the higher the risk for breast cancer. In fact, one study reported that blood tests measuring high levels of estrogen and testosterone might eventually identify older women at increased risk for breast cancer.

Early Menstruation and Late Menopause. Women who started menstruation early (before age 12) or went through menopause late (after age 55) are at slightly higher risk, as are those who never had children or had them after the age of 30.

Pregnancy and Abortion.

 Pregnancy plays an odd dual role in breast cancer. It appears to increase the risk for up to 15 years following the first birth, particularly in older women, but after that women who have given birth have a lower risk than those who have not. Subsequent births do not seem to have any additional impact. Studies have detected an increased risk for breast cancer in women who have had abortions, possibly because high estrogen levels occur in the first trimester when abortions are most often performed (estrogen levels tend not to be high when a natural miscarriage occurs). The increased risk from abortion is most likely to be very small, however.

Oral Contraception. A small risk for breast cancer appears to develop in women while taking oral contraceptives and for about 10 years after stopping the Pill.

Hormone Replacement Therapy.

 A number of studies have indicated an increased risk for breast cancer in women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Although studies indicate that the risk exists only with long-term therapy, one study reported that even one year of HRT could increase the chances of breast cancer. Of further concern for women taking HRT, breast tissue density increases and mammograms may miss some breast cancers. In virtually all studies, however, the real dangers for most women taking HRT are very low. Breast cancers that do occur in women taking hormone replacement therapy also tend to be smaller and less aggressive than most. Some experts argue, however, that the risk of breast cancer from HRT may be underestimated, because until recently women who took HRT tended to be at risk for osteoporosis or heart disease and so were likely to have low estrogen levels. Studies, then, may not yet be reporting the risks for women with normal or high estrogen levels who are now taking HRT to reduce menopausal symptoms or to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Many experts believe that any risk for breast cancer should be weighed against the other health benefits provided by HRT.

A history of proliferate breast disease or atypical cell growth, known as hyperplasia, is a significant risk factor for breast cancer. Benign fibroid tumors may increase risk after many years, particularly if they are complex, such as cysts or if they cause scarring.

Studies have reported mixed effects on the association between obesity and breast cancer. Some suggest that simply being overweight is not a risk factor but that excessive weight gains after menopause is. A number of studies have reported an association between being overweight as a child or young woman and a lower risk for breast cancer. (Estrogen levels are actually reduced in the presence of high fat levels in premenopausal women.) Women with heavy dense bones are at higher risk for breast cancer, since estrogen helps build bone mass. There have been reports of a link between increased height and breast cancer risk, but one controlled study of almost 10,000 women found no association at all. However, women who reached their maximum height at age 18 may have a lower breast cancer risk than women who reached their full height at 13 or younger -- again probably because they had higher levels of estrogen at an earlier age.

Environmental Factors

Exposure to Estrogen-like Chemicals.

Chemicals with estrogen-like effects -- called xenoestrogens -- that are found in pesticides and other common industrial products have been suspects for the increased risk of breast cancer found in specific regions. A number of studies have found no danger to most women from two of the most common environmental estrogens -- PCBs and DDT. Other estrogen-like chemicals that have a stronger association with breast cancer include dieldrin and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane. Although such chemicals are very weak estrogens, one study stirred alarm by reporting that although exposure to a single weak-estrogen compound poses no risk, combinations of them result in extremely powerful estrogenic chemicals. Many women who took diethylstilbestrol (DES) to prevent miscarriage produced children with abnormal reproductive systems, and there is some indication that it increased the risk for breast cancer in their offspring.

Radiation and Electromagnetic Fields.

Heavy exposure to radiation is a significant risk factor for breast cancer. Women who were treated with high doses of radiation for childhood cancers face a high risk for breast cancer in adulthood. Studies have been conflicting on increased risks from intensive exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). If any risk exists, however, it is likely to be very small.

Reduced Melatonin.

A reduced level of melatonin -- a powerful hormone that affects sleep and other vital functions -- has been associated with breast cancer. This might account for the higher incidence observed in flight attendants.

THE TOLE'S WAY OF MEDICATION has been proven effective for breast cancer and it has taken many years of research before coming to our present way of medication and result. The special formulars for all types of breast cancer and at different stages and conditions. When you want to starts our treatment you have to e-mail to us all your history and conditions, types of food intake and current conditions and medications. Then we can guild you on the herbs prescriptions and what to DO and what not to DO and food intake. We will then continue to guild you on the next course of medications and life.

Liver Cancer

What is adult primary liver cancer?

Adult primary liver cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells start to grow in the tissues of the liver. The liver is one of the largest organs in the body, filling the upper right side of the abdomen and protected by the rib cage. The liver has many functions. It has an important role in making food into energy and also filters and stores blood.

People who have hepatitis B or C (viral infections of the liver) or a disease of the liver called cirrhosis are more likely than other people to get adult primary liver cancer. Primary liver cancer is different from cancer that has spread from another place in the body to the liver.

A doctor should be seen if the following symptoms appear: a hard lump just below the rib cage on the right side where the liver has swollen, discomfort in the upper abdomen on the right side, pain around the right shoulder blade, or yellowing of the skin (jaundice).

If there are symptoms, a doctor may order special x-rays, such as a computed tomographic scan or a liver scan. If a lump is seen on an x-ray, a doctor may use a needle inserted into the abdomen to remove a small amount of tissue from the liver. This procedure is called a needle biopsy, and a doctor usually will use an x-ray for guidance. The doctor will have the tissue looked at under a microscope to see if there are any cancer cells. Before the test, a patient will be given a local anesthetic (a drug that causes loss of feeling for a short period of time) in the area so that no pain is felt.

A doctor may also want to look at the liver with an instrument called a laparoscope, which is a small tube-shaped instrument with a light on the end. For this test, a small cut is made in the abdomen so that the laparoscope can be inserted. The doctor may also take a small piece of tissue (biopsy specimen) during the laparoscopy and look at it under the microscope to see if there are any cancer cells. An anesthetic will be given so no pain is felt.

A doctor may also order an examination called an angiography. During this examination, a tube (catheter) is inserted into the main blood vessel that takes blood to the liver. Dye is then injected through the tube so that the blood vessels in the liver can be seen on an x-ray. Angiography can help a doctor tell whether the cancer is primary liver cancer or cancer that has spread from another part of the body. This test is usually done in the hospital.

Certain blood tests (such as alpha-fetoprotein, or AFP) may also help a doctor diagnose primary liver cancer.

The chance of recovery (prognosis) and choice of treatment depend on the stage of the cancer (whether it is just in the liver or has spread to other places) and the patient's general state of health.

Stages of adult primary liver cancer:

Once adult primary liver cancer is found, more tests will be done to find out if the cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body (staging). The following stages are used for adult primary liver cancer:

Localized respectable:

Cancer is found in one place in the liver and can be totally removed in an operation, BUT NOT ADVISABLE FROM OUR TOLE'S point of view. We have many successful cases in this kind of situation.

Localized unrespectable:

Cancer is found only in one part of the liver, but the cancer cannot be totally removed.

Advanced:

Cancer has spread through much of the liver or to other parts of the body, name secondary cancer.

Recurrent:

Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has been operated. It may come back in the liver or in another part of the body.

There are treatments for all patients with adult primary liver cancer. Many kinds of treatment are used:

1. Surgery (taking out the cancer in an operation)
2. Radiation therapy (using high-dose x-rays to kill cancer cells)
3. Chemotherapy (using drugs to kill cancer cells)
4. THE TOLE'WAY OF MEDICATION- to treat with acupuncture and herbal and restructuring life activities, and the result is near to 90%

Surgery may be used to take out the cancer or to replace the liver. Resection of the liver takes out the part of the liver where the cancer is found. A liver transplant is the removal of the entire liver and replacement with a healthy liver donated from someone else. Very few patients with liver cancer are eligible for this procedure and remember the risk is quite high. After effects and rejection are still in the studies.

Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy) or from putting materials that contain radiation through thin plastic tubes (internal radiation therapy) in the area where the cancer cells are found. Drugs may be given with the radiation therapy to make the cancer cells more sensitive to radiation (radio sensitization).

Radiation may also be given by attaching radioactive substances to antibodies (radio labeled antibodies) that search out certain cells in the liver. Antibodies are made by the body to fight germs and other harmful things; each antibody fights specific cells. The side effects can be very drastic but could be controlled by acupuncture and herbal medicine.

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy for liver cancer is usually put into the body by inserting a needle into a vein or artery. This type of chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream; travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells outside the liver. In another type of chemotherapy called regional chemotherapy, a small pump containing drugs is placed in the body. The pump puts drugs directly into the blood vessels that go to the tumor.

Chemoembolization of the hepatic artery involves blocking the hepatic artery (the major artery that supplies blood to the liver) and then injecting chemotherapy drugs between the blockage and the liver, using the liver's arteries to deliver the chemotherapy throughout the liver. Their side effects are very drastic such as total lost of hair become very tire and dry up etc. This could well be reduce and normalize with our acupuncture and herbal medicine.

If a doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the operation, the patient may be given chemotherapy after surgery to kill any remaining cells. Chemotherapy that is given after surgery to remove the cancer is called adjuvant chemotherapy.

Hypothermia (warming the body to kill cancer cells) and biological therapy (using the body's immune system to fight cancer) are being tested in clinical trials. THE TOLE'S is finally this study in the herbal and acupuncture area.

Hypothermia therapy is the use of a special machine to heat the body for a certain period of time to kill cancer cells. Because cancer cells are often more sensitive to heat than normal cells, the cancer cells die and the tumor shrinks.

Treatments for adult primary liver cancer depend on the stage of the disease the condition of the liver, and the patient's age and general health. Standard treatment may be considered, based on its effectiveness in patients in past studies, or participation into a clinical trial. Many patients are not treatmentd with standard therapy, and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired. For these reasons, clinical trials are designed to find better ways to treat cancer patients and are based on the most up-to-date information.

Treatment of advanced adult primary liver cancer depends on what treatment a patient has already received, the part of the body where the cancer has come back, whether the liver has cirrhosis, and other factors.

Treatment of recurrent adult primary liver cancer depends on what treatment a patient has already received, the part of the body where the cancer has come back, whether the liver has cirrhosis, and other factors. Conclusions our rates of treating liver cancer have reach a remarkable lever until not many western universities can belief. This is THE TOLE's specialist area.

Hepatocirrhosis (HC) is a chronic disease, which affects the entire body. Its pathological features include degeneration, necrosis and regeneration of the hepatic cells; proliferation of hepatic fibrous tissue, and disturbance of the normal hepatic structure which lead to deformation and cirrhosis of the liver. Than the term HEPATOCIRRHOSIS is form.

This could be treatment usually before the patient gets into coma. Usually it takes about 3weeks to 6 months to treatment.