Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

Will my scar be red and swollen? Probably you will see a slight redness and swelling along the incision or find a small amount of pink draining from the scar area. These symptoms are normal. If there is a lot of redness and swelling or pus around the area or if you have heavy bleeding, call the doctor right away. Your scar will be red for a while but will soon fade in color. What if when I ask for a separate procedure for the biopsy, the doctor says that I will be doubling my risk of undergoing general anesthesia twice?  Your doctor, if he uses this argument, has overlooked the fact that a general anesthetic is not usually needed for a biopsy. In most cases, a biopsy can be performed under local anesthesia, with the patient fully conscious or, if she prefers, semiconscious. Most biopsies are now performed on an outpatient basis. What happens next if the pathological report shows that the tumor is cancerous?  Eight out of ten times, the lump will prove to be benign, b...

What is dysplasia? Dysplasia refers to abnormal tissue development. It means that the cells or tissue are abnormal in their growth and organization for the location in which they are found. It does not mean necessarily that they are abnormal to the extent of being malignant, nor does it mean they have formed a tumor. Dysplasia occurs more often in tissues that "turn over" (or reproduce) frequently. Dysplasia may precede the development of some cancers by years or months. Not all dysplasia develops into cancer. How many cells are in a cancerous tumor?  The number varies by the size of the tumor and the type of cell. First of all, you should understand that there is considerable variation in the size of cells making up the human body. The most numerous of the body cells are so small that it would take between 700 and 800 cells to cover the head of a pin. A 1-centimeter lump in the breast, which is a little larger than the size of a pea and is about the smallest lump wh...