Fred Taussig collected a varied series of vulval cancer cases from the years 1911 to 1940. First he started his series with a radical excision of the primary tumor with an en bloc dissection of the inguinal lymph node and then afterwards he altered the technique for the patients who had small lesions. He tried to reduce the operative morbidity. There were separate incisions for the dissection of groin, and also for vulval excision. But this procedure was not entirely put into action, till Hacker told about his experience with more than 100 patients. This happened in the year1981. He told that he used three separate incisions, which was the same thing Taussig described . These separate incisions were tried with patients who were in the Stage I of the clinical disease. Then the five year rate of survival was around 97%.

Vulval cancer statistics show the deprivation, the trends, and the stage of diagnosis and also highlights the age at which it was done. The data for those having vaginal and vulval cancers shows that the cancer survival rate for such cases mainly is dependent on the stage at which the disease is and also the age of the patient. The trends show that from the years 1996 to the year 1999, the survival rate of women shown with vaginal and vulval cancers was around 58% and the rate of survival for one year was 76%.

Then there is another survival rate data which shows the women who were diagnosed with vulval cancer and showed a healthy rate of survival between 1971 to 1990. Then the trend in the years 1971 to 1975 showed a 40% to 58% survival rate for five years and a 62% to 76% survival rate for a year’s survival rate.

There are also evidences that suggest that the survival rates for those women who have been deprived are much lesser than those women who fall in the affluent category. The survival rates for those women who were aged were less than those who were young. Thus in the year 1996 to 1999 it was seen that the survival rate for women between 15 to 49 was around 83% and for women who were 50 to 69 the survival rate was around 65% and for those above the age of 70 the rate was around 52%.

Then there is the survey of patients suffering from vulval cancer which showed a cancer survival rate of around 31% fro all those women with a stage III tumour. For those women who were in the Stage I tumour, the survival rate was 77% . The survival rate for five years for those node negative patients after a surgery is around 70% to 90%. If the nodes are involved then the survival rate reduces to 25% to 40%.

Thus the vulval cancer survival rate in women depends on age, stage of disease and the type of cancer .

Primary brain cancers:

A malignant brain tumor originating from our brain is referred to as primary brain cancer. This type of brain cancer occurs less frequently compared to secondary brain cancers. A primary brain cancer can begin from different parts of our brain. Primary tumors of the brain are mostly treated using radiotherapy and chemotherapy; surgery is done only if the tumor is located in an area from where it can be removed safely.

As mentioned earlier, primary brain cancers can begin from different tissues of the brain. A lymphoma begins from the lymphocytes; the pineal gland tumors originate from the patient’s pineal gland; a meningioma starts from the meninges; pituitary adenoma originates from out pituitary gland’s surface cells; schwannoma is the brain cancer types originating from myelin sheath of axon of neurons; acoustic neuroma begins from our vestibulocochlear nerves; glioblastoma multiforme, a cancer type beginning from glial cells of cerebrum. The other brain cancer types affect more than one part of brain at a time. Astrocytomas affect the spine, brain stem, white matter and cerebellum. Brain stem gliomas can occur in more than one part of our brain stem for instance midbrain, pons and medulla. Choroid plexus papillomas affect different ventricles of our brain. The ependymomas occur in our spine’s central canal and within ventricle membranes.

Secondary brain cancers:

This brain cancer type occurs due to metastases of some other cancer type. Secondary brain cancers occur when a portion of original cancerous tumor moves along our bloodstream through lymphatic system for invading our brain, where cancerous cells fabricate another tumor. Diagnosis revealing occurrence of multiple tumors in our brain generally vouches for a secondary brain cancer.  Common cancer types metastasizing to our brain are: breast cancer, colon cancer, bowel cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer and kidney cancer.

• Older age is a risk factor of kidney cancer; majority of the kidney cancer patients are above the age of 50 years.
• Men are at higher risk of developing this cancer type compared to the women.
• If you smoke, your chances of having kidney cancer will be more than a person who does not smoke; however, the risk tends to decrease when one quits smoking.
• Obesity or being overweight increases one’s risk of having kidney cancer.
• The incidence of kidney cancer is also more frequent among people with hypertension or high blood pressure.
• People who work in factories and get exposed to chemicals like cadmium and asbestos have high chances of suffering from kidney cancer.
• People receiving dialysis for prolonged period of time as a treatment of kidney failure are also more likely to have kidney cancer.
• Von Hippel-Lindau is a disorder that we inherit; being a victim of this disorder increases one’s chances of developing different kinds of tumors, which also includes tumors formed due to renal cell carcinoma.

Physiological Effects of Cancer

Constant Weakness: Cancer patients may feel weakness or tiredness in their body even while doing their routine tasks.

Infertility: Infertility can be experienced by both males and females due to cancer.

Hair Loss: Hair loss is the most common effect of cancer. Consult with your doctor for proper treatment if this problem exists.

Sexual Dysfunction: The sexual dysfunction is experienced by some of the cancer patients. This happens to both males and females.

Lack of sensation: A condition named ‘Neuropathy’ causes numbness or lack of sensation. It occurs in the hands and of the patients.

Chronic Pain: Consistent chronic pain is experienced by the cancer patients after prolonged cancer treatment.

Multiple Cancers: Sometimes, there is possibility of second cancer other than the one which is diagnosed.

Incontinence: Cancer treatment may cause uncontrollable urination.

Psychological Effect of Cancer

Stress: Stress is common in cancer patients.

Depression: Both cancer survivors and cancer patients can become victims of depression. It is due to physical changes that occur due to cancer treatment.

Low Confidence: Due to cancer and cancer treatment, many mental and physical changes occur in the sufferer which loosens the patient’s self confidence and esteem.

It is necessary to consult the doctor and take his advice if any of these side effects are found in the person suffering from cancer. Try to help the people around you who are cancer victims and are not aware of its treatment. Ask the concerned doctor about all the pros and cons in order to get mentally prepared to handle the coming situation.

Stage IV of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma:

In this stage the disease reaches the lymph nodes of the patient and start affecting organs located in different parts of his body. The most common sign of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in this stage is swelling of the lymph nodes. Enlargement of the lymph node might result in exertion of excess pressure on the patient’s lungs. Causing symptoms like chest congestion and breathing difficulties. Inflammation of the abdominal nodes can trigger loss of appetite, pain in the abdomen and constipation. Lymph node enlargement in most other body parts results in swelling of that region. Some other common sign of this non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma stage are severe fatigue, night sweats, weight loss, fever etc. The disease may also invade the patient’s skin making it patchy and much thicker.

Stage IV of Hodgkin’s lymphoma:

In this stage the disease invades the patient’s lymph node and tissues and organs like liver, bone and brain get affected. The patients are likely to experience symptoms like fatigue, weight loss, fever, anemia, breathing problems, coughs etc. Invasion of the cancer into the patients liver may cause jaundice.

Skin irritation:

Skin areas treated with radiation therapy might experience changes like peeling and sun burn like effects. These conditions can be reduced up to a certain extent by avoiding use of perfumed skincare products and harsh soaps.

Soreness and pain in the mouth:

These side effects are observed in close to 7-10% of the head and neck cancer patients treated with radiation therapy. Mouth tissues of these patients can become sore and inflamed frequently and they might have ulcers in the on the inner part of their cheeks, lips or tongue. These conditions get aggravated further when they eat salty, acidic, spicy food items; so it is advisable that these patients stay away from such foods.

Taste changes and dry mouth:

Radiation treating head and neck cancer can reduce saliva production resulting in dry mouth. The decrease in moisture within the mouth affects the patients state buds causing altered or diminished sense of tastes.

Sore throat:

This condition is observed in majority of the head and neck cancer patients treated with radiation therapy. This side effect is also considered to be the most severe effect of radiation on head and neck and patients. Sore throat can even stop the patients from eating and drinking as it often makes swallowing extremely difficult.

1. After recovering from cancer, you must go for physical examinations frequently. After being treated successfully, the cancer patients must get their complete physical examination done after every 3 months for first 2 years. After 2 years, the frequency of the checkups can be reduced to once in every 6 months. The physical exams of these patients should include imaging studies, blood tests etc.
2. Every cancer survivor must exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes on 5 days of a week. Exercise will help them to stay fresh and energetic and boost their immune system. Exercising helps in increasing the production endorphins, as a result of which the cancer survivors gets rid of stress and anxiety.
3. Eating a healthy diet is extremely important for preventing recurrence of cancer. According to expert dieticians, an anticancer diet plan should contain whole grains, vegetables and fruits and must be low in its fat content.
4. We all know that smoking and alcohol consumption trigger cancer types like lung cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer and liver cancer. A person who was once diagnosed with cancer should stay away from cigarettes, alcohol or any other intoxicating substance even if he has recovered from the disease completely.

Other than following the above mentioned instructions, the cancer survivors must consult their physicians to gather further knowledge about prevention of cancer recurrence.

Although no medical study till date have found clear evidences supporting the link between eye melanoma/lymphoma and ultraviolet rays, it is widely believed that too much sun exposure can cause these eye cancer types. Thus, to prevent eye cancer, you must wear sunglasses while going out in the sun. The sunglasses worn by you must be able to block both UVB and UVA rays. According to the regulations set by the US government, the sunglasses must be able to block 95% UVB rays and 99% UVA rays. For maximum effects opt for the wraparound style sunglasses that sit close to the face; such glasses allow very little amount of unfiltered light to reach the eyes.

Several medical studies have however revealed that increasing the strength of the immune system can help in prevention of eye cancer. People suffering from HIV or having immunosuppressants for treatment of certain medical conditions often develop eye cancers. This proves the link between immune system functioning and occurrence of eye cancer.

When taken in low dosage as recommended by the doctor, a vitamin D supplement is unlikely to cause any harm. However, intake of high dosage of vitamin D supplements can result in vitamin D toxicity. One of the rare effects of toxicity caused by overuse of the vitamin is formation of bone tumors. Still bone tumors are not described as possible effects of over consumption of these supplements. However, doctors suggest ensuring that one is taking the right dosage of the supplements for preventing any serious side effect.

According to medical experts, children should consume a maximum of 600IU vitamin D every day for getting its health benefits. The daily dosage for the adults up to the age of 70 years, on the other hand, is 4,000 IU per day. However, according to some a healthy adult can consume up to 10,000IU of the vitamin every day without experiencing any sign of toxicity. Toxicity from vitamin D supplementation is likely to occur as a result of having daily dosage between 10,000 and 40,000 IU.

To make sure that you have not developed any toxicity due to consumption of vitamin D supplements and is not at risk of developing side effects of the vitamin like bone tumors, you must get the 25(OH)D levels checked. Vitamin D gets converted into 25(OH)D after being processed by our liver. Too much high levels of 25(OH)D indicate occurrence of toxicity. Based on the results of the test the doctor will determine whether you need to continue the supplementation or you should stop using it.

Urinary retention:

Correction of enlarged prostates with laser surgery can cause urinary difficulties in a man. The muscles responsible for allowing a man to urinate can get damaged during the procedure, which leads to these urinary difficulties. Urinary retention experienced by prostate cancer patients due to laser surgery of the enlarged prostate is mostly temporary. The doctor might place urinary catheters for some days to ensure that the bladder of the patients get drained regularly.

Retrograde ejaculation:

This condition is marked by ejaculation of a man into his urinary bladder. A laser surgery for prostate cancer often leads to this condition. Retrograde ejaculation occurs primarily when the sphincter protecting our urinary bladder becomes weak. Damages occurring to the muscles due to the laser surgery are responsible for weakening of the sphincter. With time as the sphincter regains its strength, the retrograde ejaculation subsides.

Erectile dysfunction:

A man undergoing laser surgery due to prostate cancer is at high risk of suffering from erectile dysfunction. Often laser surgery ends up damaging the blood vessels and nerve responsible for causing erection. If you are experiencing the problem after laser surgery, report it to your doctor immediately to obtain proper treatment.

Urethra damage:

Laser surgery for prostate cancer can cause serious damage to our urethra, which eventually results in narrowing of the urethra. Healing of the damaged tissues of the urethra causes scarring, due to which walls of the patent’s urethra come close to each other reducing its diameter. Two of the most prominent ill effects of narrowing of the urethra are: urinary tract infection and difficulty in urinating.

If you are experiencing any of the above side effects after undergoing a laser surgery for prostate cancer, consult the physician immediately for getting suitable treatment done.