Category — types of cancer

There are a few different types of testicular cancer; the most common types are teratomas and seminomas.

Teenagers tend to suffer from a type of testicular cancer known as teratomas. A teratoma grows from a type of cell called a germ cell which are part of the reproductive system. Teratomas can form in the male teen’s testicles and, in rarer cases, the ova’s of female teens.

The other form of testicular cancer, Seminomas, tend to affect older men.

Soft tissue sarcomas can develop in any of the body’s soft tissue such as muscle, fat tissue and blood vessels.

There are many different types of soft tissue sarcomas, but the ones that tend to affect teenagers are rhabdomyosarcomas, synovial sarcomas and fibrosarcomas.

Rhabdomyosarcomas

The most common of the soft tissue sarcomas develops in muscles and their surrounding tissues. Rhabdomyosarcomas are most likely to occur in the head and neck, bladder or testes, but can sometimes develop in limb muscles.

Teenagers love to look good and with the modern pre-occupation with bronzed skin many teens hit the sun beds, exposing themselves to dangerous levels of ultra violet light which can lead to melanomas or skin cancers.

Melanomas usually start as a strange looking mole. It can be difficult to tell if a new mole is abnormal if it it is simple a new mole. Look for the following to determine whether a new mole is abnormal (if in any doubt, consult your doctor)

Asymmetry – Ordinary moles are usually even in shape all the way round. Melanomas are likely to have an irregular or asymmetrical shape.

Border – Moles usually have a smooth-looking edge. Melanomas are more likely to have jagged edges.

Colour – Moles are normally one colour (brown or black). But melanomas can have different shades of brown mixed with black, red, pink, white or even a blue.

Diameter – Moles are normally no bigger than 6mm across. Melanomas tend to grow bigger than this.

There are many different types of bone tumour, but the two most common kinds which affect teenagers are osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma. Sarcoma is the term used to describe a tumour which starts in connective tissue.

Osteosarcoma, sometimes called osteogenic sarcoma, tends to affect the legs of teenagers, especially around the knee joint, but can affect any bone.

Ewing’s sarcoma can also affect any bone but is most commonly found around the pelvis.

Many of the symptoms of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia are related to the way leukaemia affects the production of healthy blood cells in the body.

Teens suffering from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia will feel tired and lethargic due to the lack of red blood cells.

Teens with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia will bruise easily due to fewer platelets in the blood.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia sufferers will be prone to infection due to low numbers of functioning white blood cells.

Other symptoms include swollen glands and lymph nodes.

Lymphoma is a cancer in teens that attacks the lymphatic system including the lymph nodes, thymus, spleen, adenoids and bone marrow. The lymph system helps the body fight infection by channeling cells and fluids around the body. Most teens with lymphoma have either Hodgkin’s disease (cancer of the lymph tissue) or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cancer of the cells of the immune system).

Hodgkin’s disease usually occurs in teenagers and young adults. Hodgkin’s disease can show up in lymph nodes within the neck, chest and armpits. Hodgkin’s disease is identified by large, unusual cells called Reed-Sternberg cells. Chemotherapy and often radiation therapy are used to treat Hodgkin’s disease.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is similar to leukemia and can be treated with chemotherapy.

Most teens with Hodgkin’s disease or Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma who have completed their treatment achieve a complete remission with no signs of the disease.

Brain tumors are not common in teenagers. There are two types of brain tumor, primary brain tumors start from cells in the brain whilst secondary brain tumors come from a cancer that started in another part of the body and spread to the brain. Teens suffer mostly from primary brain tumors.

The most common forms are teen brain tumor are astrocytomas and ependymomas. Astrocytomas are tumors of the brain that originate from cells in the brain called astrocytes. This type of tumor doesn’t usually spread outside the brain and spinal cord and doesn’t usually affect other organs. Ependymomas are tumors that usually begin in the lining of brain ventricles.

Treatments vary depending upon the type and location of the tumor. If it is possible to remove a tumor, surgery is performed followed by radiation therapy.

Ewing’s sarcoma is a type of teen cancer which affects the bones. It is similar to osteosarcoma in that it affects the pelvic and leg areas of teenagers.

Most teens with Ewing’s sarcoma beneift from chemotherapy as well as surgery.

Osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma share common risk factors and side effects from treatment. Both types of bone cancer respond well to treatment and are curable in many cases.

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone cancer in teens. Osteosarcoma usually appears in male teens during their growth spurts in early puberty. Osteosarcoma affects twice as many male teenagers as female teens and tends to present itself in taller than average teenagers.

The most common symptoms of osteosarcoma are pain and swelling in an arm or leg that is sometimes accompanied by a lump. Some teens experience this pain during the night or when they exercise. Osteosarcoma is most often found in the bones around the knee but can occur in other bones as well such as elbox and shoulder joints. In rare cases, a tumor can spread beyond the bone and begin to affect local blood vessels and nerve endings.

Treatment for osteosarcoma usually involves chemotherapy as well as surgery to remove the tumor or lump. In rare cases where chemotherapy treatment is unable to fight the cancer the limb affected my need to be amputated to prevent the spread of the cancer to other areas of the body. In slightly less extreme cases, or as an intermediate measure, doctors may remove just the portion of bone being affected and fill the gap with a meta pin or rod.

Losing a limb can be devastating for a teenager and so counseling and physical therapy is offered post-surgery. Teens who have amputations are usually fitted with a prosthesis which can help them adapt.

Teens suffering from osteosarcoma can develop side effects such as hair loss, skin infections and heart problems.

Leukaemia is a form of cancer that attacks white blood cells.

Normally white blood cells fight infection in the body, protecting is from germs, cold virus and even things like wood splinters under the skin! White Blood Cells are generated by the body in the bone marrow. When leukaemia attacks the teen, the bone marrow continues to produce white blood cells but it produces them at a much early stage meaning that they are no longer able to do their job (of protecting the body from infection) properly. The number of immature cells produced continues until the bone marrow is completely swamped by them, they then begin to interfere with the bone marrows production of other cells such as red blood cells and platelets.

There are a few different types of leukaemia but acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and myeloid leukaemia are the two which affect teenagers the most.