Excess weight is a known risk factor for many chronic diseases, such as
diabetes and heart disease. Obesity has also been linked an increased risk for
developing some cancers. To clarify the effects of weight gain on cancer risk,
researchers in 2007 conducted an analysis of many studies reported in medical
journals that describe 282,137 cases of cancer. The researchers wanted to see if
weight gain had an effect on the risk for certain cancer types.
In particular, the researchers looked at the risk of cancer associated with a
weight gain corresponding to an increase of 5 kg/m2 in body mass index (BMI). In
terms of actual pounds gained, a man with a normal-range BMI of 23 would need to
gain 15 kg (33 lbs.) of weight, while a woman with a BMI of 23 would need to
gain 13 kg (28.6 lbs.) to correspond to an increase of 5 in the BMI.
The results, published in the Lancet in February 2008, revealed that weight
gain is positively associated with the risk of developing a variety of types of
cancer as described below.
For women, a weight gain corresponding to an increase of 5 in the BMI
resulted in a significant increase in risk for developing four cancer types:
Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer. Cancer is a group of many related diseases. Myeloma is a cancer that starts in plasma cells, a type of white blood cell. It's the most common type of plasma cell cancer.
Normal blood cells
Most blood cells develop from cells in the
bone marrow called stem cells. Bone marrow is the soft material in the
center of most bones.
Stem cells mature into different types of blood cells. Each type has a
special job:
White blood cells help fight infection. There are several types of white
blood cells.
Red blood cells carry
oxygen to tissues throughout the body.
Platelets help form blood clots that control bleeding.
Plasma cells are white blood cells that make antibodies. Antibodies are part
of the immune system. They
work with other parts of the immune system to help protect the body from germs
and other harmful substances. Each type of
plasma cell makes a different
antibody.
Myeloma cells
Myeloma, like other cancers, begins in cells. In cancer, new cells form when
the body doesn't need them, and old or damaged cells don't die when they should.
These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor.
Myeloma begins when a plasma cell becomes abnormal. The abnormal cell divides
to make copies of itself. The new cells divide again and again, making more and
more abnormal cells. These abnormal plasma cells are called myeloma cells.
In time, myeloma cells collect in the bone marrow. They may damage the solid
part of the bone. When myeloma cells collect in several of your bones, the
disease is called "multiple myeloma." This disease may also harm other tissues
and organs, such as the kidneys.
Myeloma cells make antibodies called M proteins and other proteins. These
proteins can collect in the blood, urine, and organs.
Normal plasma cells help protect the body from germs and other harmful substances.
Myeloma cell (abnormal plasma cell) making M proteins.
Anemia is the condition of having less than the normal number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. The oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood is, therefore, decreased.
Constipation is defined medically as fewer than three stools per week and severe constipation as less than one stool per week. Constipation usually is caused by the slow movement of stool through the colon. There are many causes of constipation including medications, poor bowel habits, low fiber diets, abuse of laxatives, hormonal disorders, and diseases primarily of other parts of the body that also affect the colon.
In the U.S., more than 2,000 people are diagnosed with bone cancer every year. There are many types of bone cancer. The most common forms of bone cancer are osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, fibrosarcoma, and chordoma. Pain is the most common symptom. Treatment usually involves surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition in which irritation of the wrist's median nerve causes tingling and numbness of the thumb, index, and the middle fingers. This condition is known as tarsal tunnel syndrome in the ankles and feet. Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome depends on the severity of the symptoms and the nature of any disease that might be causing the symptoms.
Nausea is an uneasiness of the stomach that often precedes vomiting. Nausea and vomiting are not diseases, but they are symptoms of many conditions. The causes of vomiting differ according to age, and treatment depends upon the cause of nausea and vomiting.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
Fractures occur when bone cannot withstand the outside forces applied to the bone. Fractures can be open or closed. Types of fractures include: greenstick, spiral, comminuted, transverse, compound, or vertebral compression. Common fractures include: stress fracture, compression fracture, rib fracture, and skull fracture. Treatment depends upon the type of fracture.
Amyloidosis is a group of diseases resulting from abnormal deposition of certain proteins (amyloids) in various bodily areas. The amyloid proteins may either be deposited in one particular area of the body (localized amyloidosis) or they may be deposited throughout the body (systemic amyloidosis). There are three types of systemic amyloidosis: primary (AL), secondary (AA), and familial (ATTR). Primary amyloidosis is not associated with any other diseases and is considered a disease entity of its own. Secondary amyloidosis occurs as a result of another illness. Familial Mediterranean Fever is a form of familial (inherited) amyloidosis. Amyloidosis treatment involves treating the underlying illness and correcting organ failure.
Though it's difficult to say why some people develop cancer while others don't, research shows that certain risk factors increase a person's odds of developing cancer. These risk factors include growing older, family history of cancer, diet, alcohol and tobacco use, and exposure to sunlight, ionizing radiation, certain chemicals, and some viruses and bacteria.
Apheresis is a medical procedure that involves removing whole blood from a donor or patient and separating the blood into individual components so that one particular component can be removed. The remaining blood components then are re-introduced back into the bloodstream of the patient or donor.
Apheresis is used for the collection of donor blood components (such a platelets or plasma) as well as for the treatment for certain medical conditions in which a part of the blood that contains disease-provoking elements is removed.
Apheresis is also called pheresis or hemapheresis. The terminology used may also reflect the component of blood that is being removed, such as: