Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer that affects both men and women in the United States. Although treatable, the prognosis is often poor by the time it is detected since the cancer is at advanced stages. However, greater awareness about lung cancer has prompted many people to go for regular screening in order to detect it in the early stages. In addition, awareness campaigns have also highlighted the risk of developing lung cancer with certain lifestyle habits. Lung cancer, like any cancer, may not be completely preventable in every person. But there are certain ways that you can drastically reduce your chances of developing this type of cancer.

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Somatostatinoma Definition

Somatostatinomas are rare tumors of the pancreatic cells that secrete the hormone somatostatin. The pancreas is not the only location where somatostatin is produced but larger somatostatinomas are most likely to occur in the pancreas. Since this hormone has a suppressive action on most other hormones, a somatostatinoma tends to present with symptoms associated with the inhibition of these hormones. Somatostatinomas are malignant meaning that it is cancerous but is curable if the tumor can be surgically removed before the cancer has spread to other organs.

Somatostatinoma Incidence

Overall somatostatinomas are very rare. It occurs in only about 1 in 40 million people in the United States. The prevalence is equal in both men and women. Somatostatinomas are more frequently detected in the 40 to 60 year age group although some of the conditions it is associated with, like multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and neurofibromatosis, often start earlier in life. Since somatostatinomas are slow growing tumors, this may account for its diagnosis later in life.

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Definition

A glucagonoma is a tumor that secretes glucagon, a hormone normally produced in the pancreas and responsible for raising blood sugar (glucose) levels. Glucagonomas are almost entirely found in the pancreas, arising from the alpha-2 cells of the gland, and about 80% of these tumors are malignant (cancerous). The tumor can cause elevated blood glucose levels known as glucagonoma syndrome but this is not present in every case.

The elevated blood glucagon level (hyperglucagonemia) along with raised blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) lead to a host of complications, marked by the 4Ds – diabetes mellitus, dermatitis (skin rash), deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and depression. The prognosis for glucagonomas are poor, especially once the cancerous cells spread to adjacent organs.

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What is parathyroid cancer?

Parathyroid cancer (carcinoma) is a malignant tumor of the parathyroid gland. It is a rare type of cancer that originates from the uncontrolled growth of the cells of the parathyroid gland. Since the cancer starts in the parathyroid cells itself, it is also known as a primary cancer. If cancer that starts elsewhere in the body and spreads to the parathyroid gland, then it is known as a secondary cancer or metastatic cancer. Parathyroid carcinoma is one of the rare cancers. It affects about 1 in 7.5million people and affects both males and females equally. Most cases of parathyroid cancer are seen in people over the age of 30 years.

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What is a mediastinal lymphoma?

Mediastinal lymphoma is a rare type of cancer. More popularly known as primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (or PMBL), it arises in a specialized organ of the immune system called the thymus. Mediastinal lymphoma or PMBL mostly affects young adults. It is a sub-type of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBC), which are the most common and aggressive types of all the lymphomas.

Lymphomas are the cancers of the lymphocytes, which are a type of immune cells. Both diffuse large B-cell lymphomas and primary mediastinal B-cell lymphomas affect B-lymphocytes of the immune system; however, the thymic mediastinal lymphoma has a better prognosis. Primary mediastinal B-cell lymphomas may also resemble another type of lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, in their characteristics.

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