Made by DATEXIS (Data Science and Text-based Information Systems) at Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin
Deep Learning Technology: Sebastian Arnold, Betty van Aken, Paul Grundmann, Felix A. Gers and Alexander Löser. Learning Contextualized Document Representations for Healthcare Answer Retrieval. The Web Conference 2020 (WWW'20)
Funded by The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy; Grant: 01MD19013D, Smart-MD Project, Digital Technologies
Symptoms of anal cancer can include pain or pressure in the anus or rectum, a change in bowel habits, a lump near the anus, rectal bleeding, itching or discharge. Bleeding may be severe.
Most anal cancers are squamous cell carcinomas (epidermoid carcinomas), that arises near the squamocolumnar junction. It may be keratinizing (basaloid) or non-keratinizing (cloacogenic).
Other types of anal cancer are adenocarcinoma, lymphoma, sarcoma or melanoma.
Bladder cancer characteristically causes blood (redness) in the urine. This blood in the urine may be visible to the naked eye (gross/macroscopic hematuria) or detectable only by microscope (microscopic hematuria). Hematuria is the most common symptom in bladder cancer. It occurs in approximately 80–90% of the patients.
Other possible symptoms include pain during urination, frequent urination, or feeling the need to urinate without being able to do so. These signs and symptoms are not specific to bladder cancer, and are also caused by non-cancerous conditions, including prostate infections, over-active bladder and cystitis. There are many other causes of hematuria, such as bladder or ureteric stones, infection, kidney disease, kidney cancers and vascular malformations.
Patients with advanced disease refer pelvic or bony pain, lower-extremity edema, or flank pain.
Rarely a palpable mass can be detected on physical examination.
Digestive system neoplasms are tumors which affect the digestive system. Types include:
- esophageal cancer
- gastric cancer
- small intestinal cancer
- colorectal cancer
- anal cancer
Pancreatic cancer is the fifth-most-common cause of cancer deaths in the United States, and the seventh most common in Europe. In 2008, globally there were 280,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer reported and 265,000 deaths. These cancers are classified as endocrine or nonendocrine tumors. The most common is ductal adenocarcinoma. The most significant risk factors for pancreatic cancer are advanced age (over 60) and smoking. Chronic pancreatitis, diabetes or other conditions may also be involved in their development. Early pancreatic cancer does not tend to result in any symptom, but when a tumor is advanced, a patient may experience severe pain in the upper abdomen, possibly radiating to the back. Another symptom might be jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and eyes.
Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis, with a five-year survival rate of less than 5%. By the time the cancer is diagnosed, it is usually at an advanced, inoperable stage. Only one in about fifteen to twenty patients is curative surgery attempted. Pancreatic cancer tends to be aggressive, and it resists radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Bladder cancer is any of several types of cancer arising from the tissues of the urinary bladder. It is a disease in which cells grow abnormally and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms include blood in the urine, pain with urination, and low back pain.
Risk factors for bladder cancer include smoking, family history, prior radiation therapy, frequent bladder infections, and exposure to certain chemicals. The most common type is transitional cell carcinoma. Other types include squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Diagnosis is typically by cystoscopy with tissue biopsies. Staging of the cancer is typically determined by medical imaging such as CT scan and bone scan.
Treatment depends on the stage of the cancer. It may include some combination of surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy. Surgical options may include transurethral resection, partial or complete removal of the bladder, or urinary diversion. Typical five-year survival rates in the United States are 77%.
Bladder cancer, as of 2015, affects about 3.4 million people with 430,000 new cases a year. Age of onset is most often between 65 and 85 years of age. Males are more often affected than females. In 2015 it resulted in 188,000 deaths.
People get liver cancer (also called "hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC" or "hepatoma)" typically from a prolonged Hepatitis B or C infection or as a result of cirrhosis from chronic alcoholism. Liver cancer may bring about yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), itching (pruritus), or cause a buildup of fluid in the abdomen (ascites). A person may feel an enlarging mass, or the cancer might be revealed by abnormal liver function tests.
An attending practitioner might order a biopsy, an MRI or a CT scan, and a patient might be monitored through blood tests (including alpha-fetoprotein, liver-function tests or ultrasound. These cancers are typically treated according to their TNM stage and whether or not cirrhosis is present. Options include surgical resection, embolisation, ablation or a liver transplant.
Lymphoma is the most common form of cancer in cats, which is often associated with feline leukemia virus, and accounts for 25 percent of all cases. Feline lymphoma usually strikes the digestive system, causing excessive vomiting and diarrhea. Other common symptoms of lymphoma in cats include swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite, weight loss, and difficulty breathing.
While each type of cancer has its own distinctive symptoms, most of them can indicate their presence by the occurrence and the prolonged presence of any common symptom. Some of the general symptoms of cancer in cats are:
- Any lump that changes shape or size
- Any sore that does not heal
- Change in bowel or bladder habits
- Difficulty eating or swallowing
- Difficulty urinating or defecating
- Unexplained bleeding or discharge from body
- Loss of appetite
- Chronic weight loss
- Coughing or difficulty breathing
- Stiffness
- Oral odor
Note that ravenous hunger, while a sign of other diseases like hyperthyroid, can also be a sign of cancer.
People who have been treated with radiotherapy for pelvic and other abdominal cancers frequently develop gastrointestinal symptoms. These include:
- rectal bleeding
- diarrhea and steatorrhea
- other defecation disorders including fecal urgency and incontinence.
- nutritional deficiencies and weight loss
- abdominal pain and bloating
- nausea, vomiting and fatigue
Gastrointestinal symptoms are often found together with those in other systems including genitourinary disorders and sexual dysfunction. The burden of symptoms substantially impairs the patients' quality of life.
Nausea, vomiting, fatigue and diarrhea may happen early during the course of radiotherapy. Radiation enteropathy represents the longer-term, chronic effects which may be found after a latent period most commonly of 6 months to 3 years after the end of treatment. In some cases, it does not become a problem for 20-30 years after successful curative therapy.
A large number of people receive abdominal and or pelvic radiotherapy as part of their cancer treatment with 60–80% experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms. This is used in standard therapeutic regimens for cervical cancer, prostate cancer, rectal cancer, anal cancer, lymphoma and other abdominal malignancies. Symptoms can be made worse by the effects of surgery, chemotherapy or other drugs given to treat the cancer. Improved methods of radiotherapy have reduced the exposure of non-involved tissues to radiation, concentrating the effects on the cancer. However, as the parts of the intestine such as the ileum and the rectum are immediately adjacent to the cancers, it is impossible to avoid some radiation effects. Previous intestinal surgery, obesity, diabetes, tobacco smoking and vascular disorders increase the chances of developing enteropathy.
Apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinomas first appear as small lumps associated with one of the anal sacs (rarely bilateral), but they can grow to a large size. Smaller tumors are undetectable without a rectal examination, while larger tumors can cause pain and straining to defecate. Between 25 and 40 percent of dogs with these tumors will also develop hypercalcaemia through secretion of parathyroid hormone-related protein by the tumor. Symptoms of hypercalcaemia include increased drinking and urination, vomiting, loss of appetite, weight loss, and bradycardia (slow heart rate). Apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinomas also have a tendency to metastasize to the regional lymph nodes, spleen, and eventually lungs and, less commonly, bones. The sublumbar (iliac) lymph nodes are the most common site of metastasis and can become larger than the original tumor.
Depending on several factors and the location of the infection, CIN can start in any of the three stage, and can either progress, or regress. The grade of squamous intraepithelial lesion can vary.
CIN is classified in grades:
Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), also known as cervical dysplasia, is the potentially premalignant transformation and abnormal growth (dysplasia) of squamous cells on the surface of the cervix. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia most commonly occurs on the cervix at the squamo-columnar junction, but can also occur in vaginal walls and vulvar epthelium. The New Bethesda System reports all gynecologic abnormalities termed "SIL" squamous intraepithelial lesions, arising from all areas of female genital tract, and anal canal of both men and women. Like other intraepithelial neoplasias, CIN or [SIL] is not cancer, and it is usually curable. Most cases of CIN remain stable, or are eliminated by the host's immune system without intervention. However a small percentage of cases progress to become cervical cancer, usually cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), if left untreated. The major cause of CIN is chronic infection of the cervix with the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV), especially the high-risk HPV types 16 or 18. Over 100 types of HPV have been identified. About a dozen of these types appear to cause cervical dysplasia and may lead to the development of cervical cancer. Other types cause warts.
The earliest microscopic change corresponding to CIN is dysplasia of the epithelial or surface lining of the cervix, which is essentially undetectable by the woman. Cellular changes associated with HPV infection, such as koilocytes, are also commonly seen in CIN. CIN is usually discovered by a screening test, the Papanicolau or "Pap" smear. The purpose of this test is to detect potentially precancerous changes. Pap smear results may be reported using the Bethesda System. An abnormal Pap smear result may lead to a recommendation for colposcopy of the cervix, during which the cervix is examined under magnification. A biopsy is taken of any abnormal appearing areas. Cervical dysplasia can be diagnosed by biopsy. A test for Human Papilloma Virus called the Digene HPV test is highly accurate and serves as both a direct diagnosis and adjuvant to the all important pap test which is a screening device and not the final answer in detecting all types of female genital cancers. Endocervical brush sampling at time of pap smear to detect adenocarcinoma and its precursors is necessary along with doctor/patient vigilance on abdominal symptoms associated with uterine and ovarian carcinoma.
Anal dysplasia is a pre-cancerous condition which occurs when the lining of the anal canal undergoes abnormal changes. It can be classified as low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL).
Most cases are not associated with symptoms, but people may notice lumps in and around the anus.
An anal sac adenocarcinoma is an uncommon and aggressive malignant tumor found in dogs that arises from the apocrine glandular tissue of anal sac. The disease exists in cats as well, but is much less common in that species. They are the second most common cancerous cause of hypercalcaemia (high serum calcium) in dogs, following T-cell lymphoma.
Involvement can be common in those with transplant-related or AIDS-related KS, and it may occur in the absence of skin involvement. The gastrointestinal lesions may be silent or cause weight loss, pain, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding (either vomiting blood or passing it with bowel motions), malabsorption, or intestinal obstruction.
Commonly affected areas include the lower limbs, back, face, mouth, and genitalia. The lesions are usually as described above, but may occasionally be plaque-like (often on the soles of the feet) or even involved in skin breakdown with resulting fungating lesions.
Associated swelling may be from either local inflammation or lymphoedema (obstruction of local lymphatic vessels by the lesion). Skin lesions may be quite disfiguring for the sufferer, and a cause of much psychosocial pathology.
Anal dysplasia is most commonly linked to human papillomavirus (HPV), a usually sexually-transmitted infection. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States while genital herpes (HSV) was the most common sexually transmitted infection globally.
These tumors are usually benign, but can become malignant over time. They vary in size, and can be found as singles or multiples. They are most commonly found in mature grey horses (less than 15 years old) and are typically found under the tail, around the anus, and on the external genitalia.
These tumors are frequently malignant and have a high tendency to spread to other organs. They are most commonly found in grey horses who are over the age of 15 and are found as a large coalescing mass under the tail, around the anus, on the external genitalia, or the parotid salivary gland.
Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a B-cell lymphoma, presenting with a malignant effusion without a tumor mass.
In their early stages, soft-tissue sarcomas usually do not cause symptoms. Because soft tissue is relatively elastic, tumors can grow rather large, pushing aside normal tissue, before they are felt or cause any problems. The first noticeable symptom is usually a painless lump or swelling. As the tumor grows, it may cause other symptoms, such as pain or soreness, as it presses against nearby nerves and muscles. If in the abdomen it can cause abdominal pains commonly mistaken for menstrual cramps, indigestion, or cause constipation.
The only reliable way to determine whether a soft-tissue tumour is benign or malignant is through a biopsy. There are two methods for acquisition of tumour tissue for cytopathological analysis;
- Needle Aspiration, via biopsy needle
- surgically, via an incision made into the tumour.
A pathologist examines the tissue under a microscope. If cancer is present, the pathologist can usually determine the type of cancer and its grade. Here, 'grade' refers to a scale used to represent concisely the predicted growth rate of the tumour and its tendency to spread, and this is determined by the degree to which the cancer cells appear abnormal when examined under a microscope. Low-grade sarcomas, although cancerous, are defined as those that are less likely to metastasise. High-grade sarcomas are defined as those more likely to spread to other parts of the body.
For soft-tissue sarcoma there are two histological grading systems : the National Cancer Institute (NCI) system and the French Federation of Cancer Centers Sarcoma Group (FNCLCC) system.
Soft tissue sarcomas commonly originate in the upper body, in the shoulder or upper chest. Some symptoms are uneven posture, pain in the trapezius muscle and cervical inflexibility [difficulty in turning the head].
The most common site to which soft tissue sarcoma spreads is the lungs.
Skin infection ("cutaneous" infection) with HPV is very widespread.
Skin infections with HPV can cause noncancerous skin growths called warts (verrucae). Warts are caused by a rapid growth of cells on the outer layer of the skin.
While cases of warts have been described since the time of ancient Greece, their viral cause was not known until 1907.
Skin warts are most common in childhood and typically appear and regress spontaneously over the course of weeks to months. About 10% of adults also suffer from recurring skin warts. All HPVs are believed to be capable of establishing long-term "latent" infections in small numbers of stem cells present in the skin. Although these latent infections may never be fully eradicated, immunological control is thought to block the appearance of symptoms such as warts. Immunological control is HPV type-specific, meaning an individual may become resistant to one HPV type while remaining susceptible to other types. In one study, infection by HPV types 2, 27, and 57 was found in people with warts, while infection by HPV types 1, 2, 63, and 27 was found in people with clinically normal skin.
Types of warts include:
- Common warts are usually found on the hands and feet, but can also occur in other areas, such as the elbows or knees. Common warts have a characteristic cauliflower-like surface and are typically slightly raised above the surrounding skin. Cutaneous HPV types can cause genital warts but are not associated with the development of cancer.
- Plantar warts are found on the soles of the feet; they grow inward, generally causing pain when walking.
- Subungual or periungual warts form under the fingernail (subungual), around the fingernail, or on the cuticle (periungual). They are more difficult to treat than warts in other locations.
- Flat warts are most commonly found on the arms, face, or forehead. Like common warts, flat warts occur most frequently in children and teens. In people with normal immune function, flat warts are not associated with the development of cancer.
Genital warts are quite contagious, while common, flat, and plantar warts are much less likely to spread from person to person.