Where the name of cesarean section is coming from?

The early history of cesarean section remains shrouded in myth and is of dubious accuracy. Even the origin of "cesarean" has apparently been distorted over time. It is commonly believed to be derived from the surgical birth of Julius Caesar, however this seems unlikely since his mother Aurelia is reputed to have lived to hear of her son's invasion of Britain. At that time the procedure was performed only when the mother was dead or dying, as an attempt to save the child for a state wishing to increase its population. Roman law under Caesar decreed that all women who were so fated by childbirth must be cut open; hence, cesarean. Other possible Latin origins include the verb "caedare," meaning to cut, and the term "caesones" that was applied to infants born by postmortem operations. Ultimately, though, we cannot be sure of where or when the term cesarean was derived. Until the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the procedure was known as cesarean operation. This began to change following the publication in 1598 of Jacques Guillimeau's book on midwifery in which he introduced the term "section." Increasingly thereafter "section" replaced "operation."

One of the earliest printed illustrations of Cesarean section. Purportedly the birth of Julius Caesar. A live infant being surgically removed from a dead woman. From Suetonius' Lives of the Twelve Caesars, 1506 woodcut.

ALM

Acral Lentiginous Melanoma (ALM) is one of the few skincancers not attributed to sun exposure. It most often appears on the soles of the feet, the palms of the hand, or under fingernails. While it is one of the least common of the major skin cancers, the survival rate is lower. ALM occurs much more often on the foot than on the hand. According to one study, 78 percent of ALMs were found on the lower limb with only 22 percent on the upper limb. Two to three percent of all melanomas are acral lentiginous melanoma. Because of the low rate of ALM, there is not as much research on this type of cancer, however, a little more than one-third of all skin cancers diagnosed in people of color are ALM. ALM lesions can remain in situ, or remaining in the epidermis, for years before crossing into the dermis and spreading to other parts of the body. However, survival rates are closely related to the thickness of the tumor when diagnosed. Any new lesions or those that change in size or shape should be seen by a dermatologist. Acral lentiginous melanoma was not documented as a distinct melanoma until 1986, five years after Bob Marley died from ALM.

CANCER HELP ONLINE:

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CANCER HELP ONLINE: Cancer treatment side effect: ChemobrainIn the l...

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Cancer treatment side effect: Chemobrain
In the l...: Cancer treatment side effect: Chemobrain In the late 1990s, doctors began to pay attention to chemobrain, a term used by an increasin...

Link between viral infeccion and cancer: Prevention of cancer with anti-viral vaccines. 

When you hear “virus,” you may think of minor, temporary illnesses, like the cold or 24-hour flu. But some viruses are also linked to certain kinds of cancer. As the medical community has learned more about these links, it has developed vaccines that, by protecting against certain viral infections, help prevent cancer. One of the most prominent examples is the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which was first developed a little more than a decade ago.


When viruses cause an infection, they spread their DNA, affecting healthy cells’ genetic makeup and potentially causing them to turn into cancer.  HPV infections, for instance, cause the virus’ DNA to combine with the host’s DNA, disrupting the normal function of cells. Other viruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), may increase a person’s risk of developing cancer by affecting the body’s immune system. In most cases, specific viruses only affect specific cells in the body, such as common cold viruses that impact the lining of the nose and throat. That’s why certain viruses are only linked with certain kinds of cancer.


Although most people infected with HPV don’t develop cancer, a few potent strains of the virus cause the vast majority of cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in women worldwide. HPV causes about 98 percent of cervical cancer cases, so it is of high concern. HPV vaccines are highly effective in preventing infection with the types of HPV they target when given before initial exposure to the virus—which means before individuals begin to engage in sexual activity. Phase III clinical trials in young women found that HPV vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, can prevent infection with HPV types targeted by the vaccine and prevent the development of precancerous lesions The initial Gardasil study was so successful it was stopped early so that participants in the placebo group could also be offered the vaccine.


Other common types of viruses linked to cancer include:

• The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which is a type of herpes virus most commonly associated with causing infectious mononucleosis, or “mono.” EBV infections increase the risk of nasopharingeal cancer, some types of fast-growing lymphomas and some stomach cancer. Like HPV, EBV infections are common, but EBV-related cancer is not.
• Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HCV, which cause viral hepatitis, a kind of liver infection. HBV- and HCV-induced chronic liver infections are rare, but when they occur, they raise the risk of liver cancer. Less than half of liver cancers in the United States are linked to HBV or HCV infection.
• HIV, which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV increases the risk for several types of cancer, including Kaposi sarcoma, cervical cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, anal cancer and lung cancer.

Awareness of viruses and their potential connections to cancer has definitely increased over the past decade but many viruses linked to cancer don’t yet have vaccines designed to prevent them. We’ve definitely seen benefits from HPV vaccines and it would be great to see vaccines developed for other viruses in the future.