Peripheral Vascular Cancer

Peripheral vascular disease refers to a disease that affects the circulatory system outside of the brain and heart. This is the most common disease of the arteries. Vascular disease is caused when fatty material is built up within the arteries. It mixes with other material and then hardens. This blocks the artery and weakens its walls. The result is that blood flow will be restricted or sometimes totally blocked. Peripheral vascular disease can also be caused by blood clots, diabetes, infections or structural defects. Like other cancers, smoking is a risk factor that can increase the chance of developing this cancer.

Symptoms of peripheral vascular disease:

include pain in the, calves, thighs or hips. This pain usually occurs while walking or climbing stairs, and the pain can be intermittent. Other symptoms could be numbness in the legs, burning or aching pain in the feet while immobile, a feeling of coldness on the feet or legs and hair loss on the legs. If the pain is persistent while resting, this may be a sign of a serious disease.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it would be prudent to contact a doctor for consultation immediately. The doctor will need to perform certain tests in order to determine how far any cancerous cells have spread, if it is indeed a tumor or tumors that are blocking your arteries. A treatment plan will also depend on how far the cancer has spread and at what stage the vascular disease has reached.

Treatment Peripheral Vascular Disease:

One procedure to care for this disease is angioplasty. This enlarges the artery that has become restricted or blocked without the need for invasive surgery. Depending on the cause of the vascular disease, drug therapy may also be an option for treatment. Medications can be taken to prevent the further progress of the blockage. There are two medications that the FDA has approved to be use as a treatment of vascular disease. However, these medications are not an option if you do have cancer.

If the blockages of the arteries involve multiple vessels, surgery may be the best treatment. One of the most common procedures is known as bypass. This involves creating another route, or bypass, for the blood to be able to flow. Surgery is not used as much today since there are medications available to alleviate the blockages.

Diagnosed with vascular disease:

If you have been diagnosed with vascular disease, it is important to get a proper diagnosis by a doctor. If you are a smoker, you may also have newfound legal options, as courts have recently put forth rulings that make it easier to prove that smoking causes serious diseases. An experienced attorney will be able to help you through the legal process so that you can concentrate on your recovery. However, you only have a certain amount of time to pursue a claim, so get in touch with an attorney today.