Allergies [31] Allergy is a disorder of the immune system often also referred to as atopy.
Antidepressants [51] An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia.
Arthritis [4] Arthritis is a group of conditions involving damage to the joints of the body.
Cancer [34] Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth
Cardio & Blood [1] Risk factors for heart disease: infections
Cholesterol [2] A fat-like substance called a lipid. It is used to build cell membranes, hormones and bile acids
Diabetes [25] The inability of the body to produce, or the inability to metabolize, the human hormone insulin; Diabetes insipidus, usually a disorder of the ...
Epilepsy [3] Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures
Gastrointestinal [1] The digestive tract is the system of organs within multicellular animals that takes in food...
General Health [108] The infant, child or young person?s current health condition
Herbal [36] Herbal tea, herbal medicine
Hormonal [16] Hormones - Proteins produced by organs of the body that trigger activity in other locations.
Men's Health [1] For men on fitness, health, sex, caree
Pain relief [9] Pain management is the medical discipline concerned with the relief of pain.
Skin care [19] The skin is the outer covering of the body
Weight Loss [33] Loss of body weight by dieting or due to various easting disorders or medical conditions.
Women's Health [36] Find information on women's health issues, and lifestyle at the Women's Health
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Assessment of spread through bloodstream – blood test ASSESSMENT OF SPREAD THROUGH BLOODSTREAM – BLOOD TEST
It would be wonderful is we could tell by a simple blood test whether or not cancer cells have got into the bloodstream. You will remember from Chapter 2 that it is very rare to actually see cancer cells in a blood sample. There are never many of them in the blood at any one time except in leukaemia and some cases of lymphoma and myeloma. The chances of seeing cancer cells in the tiny drop of blood that is looked at under the microscope is minute. Because it is so hard to 'catch them in the act', the usual way of finding out that cancer cells have been in the blood is by finding the resulting secondary deposits.
Most of the tests that we use are only capable of picking up cancer deposits that are more than about 1cm across. You might remember from Chapter 2 that cancer cells can go through the blood, lodge somewhere in the body and lie dormant there for a long time. These tiny dormant seedlings are made up of only a few cells and cannot be detected by currently available tests. We only find out later that these cells have been there—when they activate and grow into a deposit that can be detected. If your doctor tells you that your tests are clear and no secondary growths have been found, this is certainly good news. However, it is not a cast-iron guarantee that there will be no trouble in the future. The danger period during which dormant seedlings can activate is different for different types of cancer, ranging from as little as twelve months to as much as twenty or more years. Ask your doctor how long it is for your particular type of cancer.
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Cancer
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