What Is an Oligodendroglioma?

What Is an Oligodendroglioma?

At the age of 6, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It is most commonly found in adults, so perhaps that means I am mature, but likely it only indicates a lack of fortune.

oligodendrogliomas is a type of tumor that is thought to originate the oligodendrogliomas in the brain. Most of the time oligodendrogliomas occur in adults; only four percent of them occur in children. On average, patients diagnosed with them are about 35 years old.

oligodendrogliomas originate from an unknown source at this time. Some studies have shown a link to a viral cause while others have found a genetic cause. More than likely, both are causes.

There is no way to tell if a tumor is an oligodendrogliomasa aside from taking a biopsy. They often take a shape similar to a fried egg and sort of wrap around healthy cells. This can lead to headaches, dizziness, and seizures. Since oligodendrogliomas can occur anywhere in the brain, they can ultimately have a number of different symptoms associated with them. For instance, visual loss, motor problems, and even cognitive difficulties can result depending on the location of the tumor.

Many experts believe that oligodendrogliomas are ultimately incurable. They tend to be slow growing and are difficult to remove completely and so recurrence is almost certain. Depending on the "grade" of the tumor, victims typically live anywhere from 3-12 years (although I have made it almost 30). Of course this range is only semi-accurate as severity of the tumor, type of treatment, general health at the time of diagnosis, etc., all have a significant impact on the survival rate of oligodendrogliomas and any type of cancer for that matter.

There are a number of different approaches to dealing with oligodendrogliomas including:

1. Surgery- obviously one way to remove any tumor is to surgically excise it. This may be a particularly important approach when the tumor is directly affecting particular brain structures.

2. Radiation therapy- this may be done in addition to surgery or as a standalone treatment to destroy the tumor cells. However, it can also damage healthy tissue.

3. Chemotherapy- this is a natural approach to any tumor because it can be effective at killing off tumor cells, but it often also brings harsh side effects.

4. Stereotactic Surgery- this is a relatively recent approach that allows doctors to "target" cells three dimensionally and essentially "shoot" them with radiation. That way only the bad cells are affected, unlike with radiation.

Tags : What is an Oligodendroglioma?, Oligodendroglioma, Brain Cancer

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What Are Asbestos Settlements?

What Are Asbestos Settlements?

Since bringing to the fore of the health hazard constituted by asbestos beginning in the late 1960's, there had been so many cases of asbestos settlements in the United States and in fact in the whole of the western world. Some cases has led to victims been compensated while in some cases the verdict was against the victims. And still in some case the verdicts had been challenged and later overturned.

Exposure to asbestos has been proved to be the primary cause of a vast number of deadly diseases and these include cancer. The material had been used frequently in building because of its thermal and insulation properties but has also be scientifically proven carcinogenic in nature which means long time exposure to it results in dire consequences for the victims.

Helping the victim of exposure related with money to cover medical expenses was the sole purpose of asbestos settlements. It is also meant to cater for incapacity benefit, that is, compensation for the loss of income over the years. However, over the years, there has been numerous allegations of it been turned into a full-fledged enterprise where the attorneys are the big winners since they get a part of the settlement fees as reward for fighting the different cases.

There is no specific formula for estimating the valuation of a settlement as there are a lot of factors to consider carefully before the final verdict and these could be very difficult since some of the factors are subjective rather than quantifiable. Questions like age when exposed? How long the exposure was for? What is the victim's potential earning capacity? Settlements worth billions have been given in asbestos lawsuits settlements worth billions more are pending in various courts worldwide.

It is therefore, imperative to acquire the services of an experience team of attorneys who can perform the investigative stage perfectly and compile evidences in a compelling manner so as to help the court reach a verdict as quickly as possible. Without this aspect done correctly, you've got a no-case. So try to choose wisely and you and your family will smile in the end.

Tags : What Are Asbestos Settlements, Asbestos, Asbestos Sttlements

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Metastatic Lung Cancer Affects Other Body Parts

Metastatic Lung Cancer Affects Other Body Parts

Lung cancer is strongly related to smoking. Cigarette smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, of which 43 are carcinogenic (cancer-causing). These carcinogenic compounds include carbon monoxide, tar, nicotine, arsenic, formaldehyde, etc. Other causes of the disease include radon gas, asbestos, particulate matter, and viruses. Nicotine is highly addictive, thus it can be difficult for smokers to quit their unhealthy habit, even after they are diagnosed with the disease. It becomes even worse because once a smoker has the disease, his or her remaining lifetime will be significantly short, because the survival rate of this cancer is lower than that of other cancers. The cancerous cells can also spread at a faster rate to other parts of body. And even if they don't, a sufferer will still experience breathing problems.

In most cases, metastatic lung cancer affects the liver, brains, adrenal glands and bones. To determine the extent of the cancer spread can be determined using an assessment technique known as lung cancer staging. Staging varies for the two types of the cancer, namely the Small Cell Lung Carcinoma (SCLC) and the Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC).

The SCLC staging can be classified as either limited stage or extensive stage. In the limited stage, the tumor is found in one lung or only in the lymph nodes of that lung. In the extensive stage, the tumor has spread into both lungs or other organs in the body. When the cancer has reached the latter stage, chemotherapy is usually the preferred treatment. However, the NSCLC is the most widely used staging scheme. It is divided into four stages, with stage 1 being the mildest form, and stage 4 being the most severe form. NSCLCs can also be categorized into 3 subgroups, namely adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. Adenocarcinoma is the most common type, accounting for 40% of all NSCLC cases. It is also the most common type of lung cancer found in non-smokers ("never-smokers").

Whether the lung cancer affects other body parts or not would depend on the cancer cell metastasis. To determine whether it has metastatized or not, doctors would use diagnostic techniques such as conventional chest radiography, computerized tomography (CT) scanning, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET) scanning. Based on the test results, your doctor can determine the best treatment for you. Treatment options include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted drug therapy. However, metastatic lung cancer is very difficult to treat, because the cells have spread into various parts of the body. To treat this disease, each and every cell needs to be removed, and this is not an easy thing to do.

Tags : Metastatic Lung Cancer Affects Other Body Parts, Lung Cancer, Cancer

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