What is Multiple Myeloma? The myeloma is a disorder in which plasma cells (developed from B-Cells, which secretes antibodies or immunoglobulins in response to a specific antigen) become abnormal (cancerous) and start dividing without control. The abnormal plasma cells get crowded in the red bone marrow causing a reduction in the number of RBCs and […]
What is Uterus? Uterus (womb) is a hollow, inverted pear-shaped organ that accommodates the growing fetus during pregnancy. It is situated between the urinary bladder and rectum in the pelvic cavity and it is held in position by several uterine ligaments. It is made-up of mainly 3 tissue layers: the outermost, perimetrium (an extension of […]
What are testes and what is their Anatomy? Testes (singular: testis or testicle) are paired, oval-shaped, male-reproductive glands, which sit in the scrotum (supporting structure for the testes which hangs beneath the base of the penis) and measure about 5 cm in length and 2.5 cm in diameter. They normally develop in […]
Stomach Cancer Risk factors Helicobacter pylori infection Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) is a bacterium that generally infects the stomach and the duodenum and causes inflammation in these organs. An increased incidence of stomach cancers has been observed in individuals with the H pylori. Induces phenotypic changes-mucosal atrophy, intestinal metaplasia & dyplasia. Gastritis /atrophy→ ↓acid production → bacterial […]
Prostate is an accessory gland of male reproductive system situated in the pelvis beneath the urinary bladder and anterior to the rectum. It is about the size of a walnut in young males. Its size increases with age, with most rapid increase occurring after puberty (under the influence of androgenic hormones, especially testosterone) until the […]
What types of targeted therapies are available today? A classic example of a targeted anticancer drug is imatinib, a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that has revolutionized the treatment strategy for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Since then many targeted drugs have been developed and come into practice. The following table list various types of targeted […]
How Hormones Promote Cancer? Let’s take an example of prostate cancer. The figure below shows the hypothalamus pituitary axis for normal secretion of sexual hormones. Pituitary secretes LH/FSH and ACTH when it gets stimulated by hypothalamus by GnRH. LH/FSH act on the testis to release testosterone and ACTH acts on adrenal gland to release DHEA, […]
What are the Types of Chemotherapy? Primary/ curative Adjuvant Neo-adjuvant Concurrent Palliative What is the role of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy? It is given before the definitive treatment to shrink the tumor and make it amenable for definitive therapy. The advantages may be one or more of the following- Makes an inoperable tumor operable. Organ preservation in […]
How does Immunotherapy work? Normally, the immune cells in our body (Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes) keep the cancer cells under check and prevent their growth and proliferation. But sometimes, cancer cells can develop some mechanisms to escape form these immune cells from attacking them. Immunotherapy works by preventing the cancer cells to escape from our immune […]
Pancreas is made up of mainly 2 types of cells – the exocrine cells (99%) and the endocrine cells (1%). The main functions of the pancreas include secretion of digestive juice and several hormones (glucagon, insulin, somatostatin, and pancreatic polypeptide). Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (affecting exocrine cells) is the most common (95% of the cases) type of […]