Cancer Awareness: May

Another month, already, and a new set of cancer awareness ribbons to promote. This month’s cancers are brain cancer, and melanoma and skin cancer.

Brain Cancer is a type of cancer that occurs in the brain, or in the central spinal canal. This type of cancer is represented by the grey ribbon. Any brain tumor is serious and life threatening simply because of it growing in such a confined area. Symptoms always depend on size and location, but can cause intracranial pressure (which can cause headaches, vomiting, comas, dilated pupils, etc).Other symptoms include behavioral impairment, personality changes, visual impairment, impaired sense of smell, impaired hearing, facial paralysis, dizziness, and much more. Environmental causes of brain cancer are vinyl chloride and ionizing radiation. Hereditary diseases such as Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, multiple endocrine neoplasia, and neurofibromatosis type 2 are known to put someone at a higher risk for brain cancer.

Melanoma and other skin cancers are represented by the black ribbon. Melanoma is the most common type of skin cancer, and most lethal if untreated, and originates in the pigment producing cells. Other cancers originate in the lowest level of the epidermis (basal cell cancer – the least dangerous) or middle layer (squamous cell cancer). Things that play a role in these types of cancers include smoking tobacco, HPV infections, some genetic syndromes, chronic non-healing wounds, ionizing radiation, environmental carcinogens, artificial UV radiation (tanning beds), aging, and skin color.

As always, be aware of your body!