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What is eye cancer?

When the cells in the eyes starts growing uncontrollably and becomes a mass, then there increases the chance of eye cancer. Eye cancer are of mainly two types; primary eye cancer and metastic eye cancer. Primary eye cancer starts within the eye. Metastic eye cancer spreads to eye from another organ. Breast cancer and lung cancer are the two cancers that can spread to the eyes, causing the risk of eye cancer.

Signs and symptoms
Until the ophthalmologist or optometrist does not check in the eye, the person may be unknown about the tumor, as early signs are not much seen. But as the stage increases tumor grows and symptoms may pop up like;

Blurred visions
Decreased vision
Double vision
Partially vision loss.

But if still tumor spreads it can destroy and break past the retina. The other symptoms are;

Rarely the tumor is seen through pupil
There can be dark spot on the iris which continuous to grow.
A whitish or yellowish glow through the pupil decreasing or loss of vision.
Bulging of one eye
Pain in or around the eye
Change in the appearance of the eye.

Causes of eye cancer

Sunlight: too much exposure to sunlight and no protection given to eyes when outside in sun, can increase the chances of eye cancer.
Professions: people who work much radiations or lights such as welders, labourers etc are much prone to this disease.
Age: people above 50 or 70 age have high risk of this cancer.
Colors of eyes: those with light colored eyes have a high risk of tumor.

Treatment

Radiotherapy: it is based on size and location of the tumor. Modern radiation treatments are done for helping to spare healthy tissues.
Enucleation of the eye: in this treatment, eye is removed out and muscles and eyelids are left intact. The prosthesis is made by someone called an ocularist and is make to look like real eye.
Iridetomy: removal of the affected piece of the iris.
Exenteration: removal of the eye which can involve the eyelid.

Does caffeine fight cancer?

Epidemiological studies have shown that caffeinated drinks may help prevent skin cancer by inhibiting a DNA repair pathway, thus killing potentially precancerous cells. In English, it means that drinking drinks containing caffeine will reduce one’s chances of developing some types of cancer, including UV-associated skin cancer. That just proves that caffeine fight cancer. The results, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, lend support to the idea that caffeine could be added to sunblock to increase its protective effects. At the cellular level, they’re showing that caffeine is working in this way of inducing an apoptotic mechanism. This statement was then made by cancer epidemiologist Joanne Kotsopoulos of the University of Toronto.

In the 2007, a study stated that woman who drank caffeinated coffee on a daily basis had a 10 percent lower risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer. Six or more cups of coffee a day translated to a 30 percent reduction in risk. Mouse studies have also confirmed the link, with both ingested and topically-applied caffeine lowering skin cancer rates in the animals. But exactly how the stimulant protected against cancer remained mysterious. One possibility is the drug’s inhibition of ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR), a large protein kinase that senses incomplete DNA replication often a result of DNA damage and signals the cell to not divide. By inhibiting ATR activity, caffeine could make cells more likely to die in response to UV damage, preventing damaged cells from ever becoming cancerous.

Studies have shown that the caffeine molecule acts as a sunscreen. It therefore blocks the penetration of UV rays. And that is why today we see many sunblocks with a good amount of caffeine in them.

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Can sugar consumption cause breast cancer?

A recent study stated that drinking three sugar sweetened drinks a week would increase the risk of having breast cancer. The study had 776 pre-menopausal women and 779 post-menopausal women. Each women’s breast density was assessed by examining their mammograms. The women were told to make a note of sweet they consumed such as chocolates, cakes, ice cream or any sweet drinks. Also they were asked to make a note of how much of spoonful of sugar they add to the drinks.

It was then found out that post-menopausal women who consumed more of sugar, an increase in the density of breast. While the pre-menopausal women observed an increase in breast density when they consumed sugar food. These women, in a week were just consuming three sugar sweetened drinks. The study then further stated that sugar tends to increase the migration of breast cells together. This explains the fact that the premenopausal women who consumed sugar-sweetened drinks were 3 percent more likely to have dense breasts than those who didn’t consume the drinks. And having dense breasts increases your risk of breast cancer by making it difficult to see tumors on mammograms.

However, there is more to be studied on this matter. But until then there is still a link between the sugar consumption and breast density. About 40% of women in the US have dense breast and they are totally unaware of it. Doctors say that women with a dense breast are five time more likely to have a breast cancer and 10 times more likely to miss the tumor in the mammogram test.

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