Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s Disease, sometimes called regional enteritis, a chronic inflammation of the intestines resulting from an extreme reaction of the immune system. The cause is unknown, although there is a genetic tendency to develop this disease and environmental factors are also thought to play a part. It may occur at any age but is most common in young adults, with most people first affected during their teens or twenties.

The symptoms of Crohn's disease include diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and fever. Anemia is also common due to bleeding from the intestine but such hemorrhaging is rare. The lining of the intestine becomes inflamed and ulcers form. Parts of the lining also become swollen, forming a characteristic “cobble-stoned” appearance. The muscle wall of the intestine becomes toughened and fibrous and some areas may become obstructed. Abnormal passages, called fistulae, may form when the inflammation spreads from the intestine through its wall and makes a hole, allowing partly digested or fecal material to pass from the inside of the intestine to another part of the body.

Treatment typically consists of controlling any dietary deficiencies caused by the disease and administering anti-inflammatory drugs called corticosteroids. Drugs to suppress the immune system may also be used to counteract abnormal allergic reactions or exaggerated response to an infectious agent.

Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal Cancer, malignancy of the large intestine, the lower portion of the intestinal tract, which consists of the colon and rectum. Although colon cancer can occur in any segment of the colon, it is most common in the sigmoid colon, the section closest to the rectum.

Two simple tests can detect most colorectal tumors while they are still in an early, easy-to-treat stage. The first test is the digital rectal examination, during which the physician uses a gloved finger to gently check the smoothness of the rectal lining. The second test is the fecal occult blood test, in which a small sample of the patient’s feces is smeared on a card coated with a chemical called guaiac, which reacts with blood. The card is analyzed in a laboratory for occult (hidden) blood. A positive result does not necessarily indicate the presence of cancer. Although most colorectal cancers bleed, so do benign conditions such as hemorrhoids.

Another test is fiberoptic sigmoidoscopy, in which a flexible instrument is inserted into the lower intestinal tract through the anus. This instrument has light-conducting fibers that enable a physician to visually examine the interior of the colon and rectum. A biopsy can be performed simultaneously with a special biopsy tool attached to the end of the sigmoidoscope. The tissue is then examined under a microscope for signs of cancerous cells.

Early diagnosis is a major factor in surviving colorectal cancer. It is recommended that people aged 50 years and older have a fecal occult blood test and a sigmoidoscopy. If the tests do not show cancer, a fecal occult blood test should be performed annually and one of the following screening options should be followed: a sigmoidoscopy every five years, a colonoscopy every ten years, or a double contrast barium enema every five to ten years. A digital rectal examination should also be performed at the time of each screening sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or barium enema examination.

The primary treatment for colorectal cancer is surgery to remove the tumor. The surgery may be combined with radiation, chemotherapy, or both. Using a combination of high-dose radiation and chemotherapy prior to surgery makes it possible to avoid permanent colostomies in many patients who previously would have needed this procedure. A colostomy is a surgical procedure to create an artificial opening through the abdominal wall to the exterior of the body for elimination of wastes into a plastic bag.

If cancer has spread from the colorectal area to the lymph nodes or liver, surgery or chemotherapy used in combination with three drugs—fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan—prolongs the lives of some patients.

Bulimia

Bulimia, an eating disorder in which persistent overconcern with body weight and shape leads to repeated episodes of binging (consuming large amounts of food in a short time) associated with induced vomiting, use of laxatives, fasting, and/or excessive exercise to control weight.

Sometimes bulimic behavior is observed in cases of anorexia nervosa, or abnormal dieting, but bulimia in itself does not result in severe weight loss. It can, however, cause gastrointestinal problems and serious potassium depletion, and teeth may be damaged due to the acid nature of the regurgitated food. Bulimia usually develops during adolescence (most commonly among females) as a result of various psychological pressures, the most obvious one being the social emphasis on the desirability of slimness. Various modes of group and behavioral therapy are used in treating the disorder. Because patients with bulimia often suffer from depression as well, antidepressant drugs may be effective

Carcinoma

Carcinoma, cancer that develops in the inner and outer surfaces of the body, such as the skin, the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, the inside of blood vessels, and the lungs. Like all cancers, carcinomas are malignant tumors in which cells grow uncontrollably, eventually crowding out normal cells. Also, like other cancers, carcinomas often spread to other areas of the body or metastasize via the blood or lymphatic system. Different kinds of carcinomas include breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, and skin cancer.

Carcinoma is one of four types of cancer. The other types are cancer in muscle, connective, or bone tissue (sarcoma), cancer in blood forming, or vascular, tissues (lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma), and cancer in nerve tissues (neuroma, glioma, and neuroblastoma).

Diagnostic techniques include endoscopy, pap test, blood tests, biopsy, and imaging techniques such as X rays, CT scans (X rays that give a three-dimensional image), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound imaging.

The most common cancer treatments are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Since chemotherapy kills some normal cells at the same time that it kills cancerous ones, it can cause many side effects, including hair loss, mouth sores, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. People undergoing chemotherapy are especially susceptible to infection because the drugs severely limit the effectiveness of the immune system. Side effects of radiation may include hair loss, nausea, loss of appetite, and moderate to extreme fatigue.

Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer, malignant tumor in the glandular tissues of the breast. Such tumors, also called carcinomas, form when the processes that control normal cell growth break down, enabling a single abnormal cell to multiply at a rapid rate. Carcinomas, which tend to destroy an increasing proportion of normal breast tissue over time, may spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body.

Scientists do not understand exactly what causes breast cancer. Studies suggest that several categories of women are at increased risk for the disease: those with a long menstrual history (menstrual periods that started before age 12 and ended after age 50); those who never gave birth or who waited until after age 30 to have children; and those who have used birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy. Such risk factors, all of which relate to hormone-based life events, suggest that breast cancer is somehow affected by prolonged exposure to female sex hormones, such as estrogen.

X-ray examination of the breasts, a technique called mammography, can increase the odds for successful treatment by detecting tumors in an early stage, before they are large enough to be felt. Although studies provide conflicting results about the effectiveness of mammography in reducing breast cancer deaths, it is recommended that women over age 40 should have a mammogram every year. A mammogram cannot distinguish a benign tumor from a malignant tumor. The only way to make a positive diagnosis on a suspect lump in the breast is by having a biopsy, a minor surgical procedure in which the lump or part of the lump is removed and examined under a microscope for cancer cells.

Treatment of breast cancer depends on a woman’s age and health as well as the type, extent, and location of the tumor, and if the cancer has remained in the breast or has spread to other parts of the body. Treatment may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or a combination of treatments.