Cancer

Being overweight increases a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer, according to a new comprehensive report. The finding offers a way to reduce the risk.

Recent studies have linked obesity with a number of clinical concerns, ranging from kidney disease to pancreatic cancer to hearing loss in women.

For 2 weeks, a 43-year-old white female had worsening nausea and multiple episodes of vomiting. Her symptoms began with increased malaise and decreased appetite. The emesis was unrelated to meals and was sometimes accompanied by mild abdominal distention. She had occasional fevers but denied any recent contact with ill persons. She also reported a 12-lb weight loss, decreased energy level, and an increased tan complexion over the past several months.

A 66-year-old woman was hospitalized because of severe anemia secondary to myelodysplastic syndrome. She had had associated fatigue and throbbing pain in both legs for several days.

Worsening painful ulcers on both legs prompted a 62-year-old woman to seek medical attention. She had a history of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), demonstrated by the markedly deformed interphalangeal joints in her thumbs (A), and scleroderma-polymyositis overlap syndrome.

A 74-year-old woman presented with a refractory pruritic eruption. Four months earlier, she had sought evaluation of a thickened, slightly crusted 6 3 8-cm patch on her right ankle of 2 months' duration. Contact dermatitis with secondary impetigo from scratching was suspected, and a topical corticosteroid and an oral antibiotic were prescribed.

HOUSTON -- Cromolyn, an old-line asthma and allergy drug, has shown a marked effect on the progress of pancreatic cancer - at least in mice.

During a routine checkup, a middle-aged woman asks you whether she should stop wearing moisturizers and makeup that contain sunscreen. She has read that increased sunlight exposure enhances vitamin D production, which may prevent certain types of cancer. What would you tell her?

Is prophylactic oophorectomy recommended for healthy postmenopausal women with a strong family history of cancer?

For the past 6 weeks, a 72-year-old woman with a history of ovarian cancer had had intensifying dyspnea. Initially, she thought her breathing problem was caused by progressive congestive heart failure.

A 74-year-old man had vague abdominal pain, jaundice, pruritus, gray stools, and dark urine. A painless, palpable mass in his right upper quadrant was found at examination.

An 85-year-old man presented with intermittent abdominal pain of several years’ duration. Two years earlier, he underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy that was converted to an open procedure.

For 2 years, a 55-year-old woman’s abdomen gradually enlarged; the pace of this growth had accelerated during the last 6 months. The patient, who had not seen a physician in 10 years, denied abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, or any change in bowel habits. She had no shortness of breath or weakness. The patient reported no significant medical history, had no allergies, and took no medications.