Kaposi sarcoma, sometimes called KS, is a type of cancer. It causes lesions (abnormal tissue) to grow in different parts of the body, including:

• The skin
• Lymph nodes
• Mucous membranes (the lining of the mouth, nose, and throat)
• Other organs

These lesions are usually red or purple. They are made of cancer cells, new blood vessels, and blood cells. The lesions may begin in more than one place in the body at the same time. This makes Kaposi sarcoma different from other cancers.

Kaposi sarcoma is caused by infection with human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8). This virus is also called Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). Most people infected with this virus don't get Kaposi sarcoma. But certain people who get this virus are more likely to develop one of the types of Kaposi sarcoma:

• People with weakened immune systems due to HIV can develop epidemic (HIV-associated) Kaposi sarcoma.
• People with weakened immune systems due to medicines they need to take after an organ transplant can develop iatrogenic (transplant-related) Kaposi sarcoma.
• Older men of Mediterranean or Eastern European Jewish heritage can develop classic Kaposi sarcoma.
• Young men in Africa can develop endemic (African) Kaposi sarcoma.

Kaposi sarcoma usually starts out as one or more red, purple, or brown skin lesions on the legs and feet. They are most often on the ankles or soles of the feet. Over time, lesions may form in other parts of the body. The lesions may not cause symptoms. But sometimes the lesions can cause problems, especially as you get more of them and they grow bigger. For example:

• Pressure from the lesions may block the flow of lymph and blood in the legs and cause painful swelling
• If lesions grow in your stomach or intestines, they can bleed and may cause abdominal (belly) pain and diarrhea
• Lesions in the lungs can also bleed and may cause shortness of breath

To find out whether you have Kaposi sarcoma, your health care provider:

• Will ask about your medical and family history
• Will do a physical exam
• May order a chest x-ray to look for Kaposi sarcoma in the lungs
• May do a biopsy to check for Kaposi sarcoma lesions in the skin
• May do an endoscopy to check for Kaposi sarcoma in the stomach and intestines
• May do a bronchoscopy to check for Kaposi sarcoma in the lungs

If you do have Kaposi sarcoma, you will likely need blood and imaging tests to find out if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Which treatment(s) you get will depend on

• The type of Kaposi sarcoma you have
• How many lesions you have and where in the body they are
• What kinds of problems the lesions are causing
• Your overall health

For people who have epidemic (HIV-associated) Kaposi sarcoma, taking HIV medicines may be enough to treat the Kaposi sarcoma. For people who have iatrogenic (transplant-related) Kaposi sarcoma, changing the dose of the medicines or switching medicines may be helpful. But some people with these types of Kaposi sarcoma will need additional treatment.

The treatment options for Kaposi sarcoma may include:

• Radiation therapy
• Surgery
• Cryosurgery, a treatment that uses an instrument to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue
• Chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Leukemia is a term for cancers of the blood cells. Leukemia starts in blood-forming tissues such as the bone marrow. Your bone marrow makes the cells which will develop into white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Each type of cell has a different job:

• White blood cells help your body fight infection
• Red blood cells deliver oxygen from your lungs to your tissues and organs
• Platelets help form clots to stop bleeding

When you have leukemia, your bone marrow makes large numbers of abnormal cells. This problem most often happens with white blood cells. These abnormal cells build up in your bone marrow and blood. They crowd out the healthy blood cells and make it hard for your cells and blood to do their work.

There are different types of leukemia. Which type of leukemia you have depends on the type of blood cell that becomes cancer and whether it grows quickly or slowly.

The type of blood cell could be:

• Lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell
• Myeloid cells, immature cells that become white blood cells, red blood cells, or platelets

The different types can grow quickly or slowly:

• Acute leukemia is fast growing. It usually gets worse quickly if it's not treated.
• Chronic leukemia is slow growing. It usually gets worse over a longer period of time.

The main types of leukemia are:

• Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), which is the most common type of cancer in children. It can also affect adults.
• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which is more common in older adults but can also affect children
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), which is one of the most common types of leukemia in adults. It often occurs during or after middle age.
• Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), which usually occurs in adults during or after middle age

Leukemia happens when there are changes in the genetic material (DNA) in bone marrow cells. The cause of these genetic changes is unknown.

For the specific types, there are different factors which can raise your risk of getting that type. Overall, your risk of leukemia goes up as you age. It is most common over age 60.

Some of the symptoms of leukemia may include:

• Feeling tired
• Fever or night sweats
• Easy bruising or bleeding
• Weight loss or loss of appetite
• Petechiae, which are tiny red dots under the skin. They are caused by bleeding.

Other leukemia symptoms can be different from type to type. Chromic leukemia may not cause symptoms at first.

Your health care provider may use many tools to diagnose leukemia:

• A physical exam
• A medical history
• Blood tests, such as a complete blood count (CBC)
• Bone marrow tests. There are two main types - bone marrow aspiration and bone marrow biopsy. Both tests involve removing a sample of bone marrow and bone. The samples are sent to a lab for testing.
• Genetic tests to look for gene and chromosome changes

Once the provider makes a diagnosis, there may be additional tests to see whether the cancer has spread. These include imaging tests and a lumbar puncture, which is a procedure to collect and test cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

The treatments for leukemia depend on which type you have, how severe the leukemia is, your age, your overall health, and other factors. Some possible treatments might include:

• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy with stem cell transplant
• Targeted therapy, which uses drugs or other substances that attack specific cancer cells with less harm to normal cells

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Lymphoma is a cancer of a part of the immune system called the lymph system. There are many types of lymphoma. One type is Hodgkin disease. The rest are called non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas begin when a type of white blood cell, called a T cell or B cell, becomes abnormal. The cell divides again and again, making more and more abnormal cells. These abnormal cells can spread to almost any other part of the body. Most of the time, doctors don't know why a person gets non-Hodgkin lymphoma. You are at increased risk if you have a weakened immune system or have certain types of infections.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can cause many symptoms, such as :

• Swollen, painless lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fever
• Soaking night sweats
• Coughing, trouble breathing or chest pain
• Weakness and tiredness that don't go away
• Pain, swelling or a feeling of fullness in the abdomen

Your doctor will diagnose lymphoma with a physical exam, blood tests, a chest x-ray, and a biopsy. Treatments include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, biological therapy, or therapy to remove proteins from the blood. Targeted therapy uses drugs or other substances that attack specific cancer cells with less harm to normal cells. Biologic therapy boosts your body's own ability to fight cancer. If you don't have symptoms, you may not need treatment right away. This is called watchful waiting.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast. Health care providers use mammograms to look for early signs of breast cancer that can't be felt during a breast exam. There are two types of mammograms: screening mammograms and diagnostic mammograms.

A screening mammogram is a mammogram usually done for women who have no signs or symptoms of breast cancer. Regular screening mammograms can help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer among women ages 40 to 74. This is because they can find breast cancer early and treatment can start earlier, maybe before it has spread.

But screening mammograms can also have risks. They can sometimes find something that looks abnormal but isn't cancer. This leads to further testing and can cause you anxiety. Sometimes mammograms can miss cancer when it is there. It also exposes you to radiation. You should talk to your provider about the benefits and drawbacks of mammograms. Together, you can decide when to start and how often to have a mammogram.

A diagnostic mammogram takes a little longer to do than a screening mammogram. It's done for people who have a lump or other signs or symptoms of breast cancer. The signs can include breast pain, thickening of the skin of the breast, nipple discharge, or a change in breast size or shape. But these signs can also be caused by a breast condition that is benign (not cancer). A diagnostic mammogram may also be used if you have breast implants or if there are other reasons it's difficult to view your breast tissue.

When you have a mammogram, you stand in front of an x-ray machine. The person who takes the x-rays places your breast between two plastic plates. The plates press your breast and make it flat. This may be uncomfortable, but it helps get a clear picture.

You will get both breasts x-rayed from the front and from the side. Afterwards, a radiologist (a doctor with special training) will read the mammogram. The doctor will look at the x-ray for early signs of breast cancer or other problems. You will usually get the results within a few weeks, although it depends on the clinic or medical office that you went to. If your results are not normal, you should hear back earlier. Ask your provider when and how you will receive your results.

An abnormal (not normal) mammogram does not always mean that there is cancer. You will need to have additional mammograms, tests, or exams before your provider can tell for sure. You may also be referred to a breast specialist or a surgeon. But it does not necessarily mean you have cancer or need surgery. You would see one of these doctors because they are experts in diagnosing breast problems.

A mastectomy is surgery to remove part or all of the breast. It's usually done to treat breast cancer by removing the cancer. A mastectomy may be the first treatment option for some types of breast cancer or done after chemotherapy for other types. If you are at a very high risk for breast cancer, sometimes a mastectomy may be done to reduce your risk.

There are different types of mastectomies. Each differs in the amount of breast tissue and lymph nodes that are removed. Some types of breast surgery remove the breast skin and the nipple. Others may also remove nearby lymph nodes, which are part of your immune system and help protect your body from infection and disease.

Which surgery you have depends on the stage of cancer, the size of the tumor, the size of the breast, and whether the lymph nodes are involved.

Types of breast surgery include:

• Total (simple) mastectomy is the removal of all the breast tissue and nipple of the breast that has cancer. Some lymph nodes under your arm may be removed and checked for cancer.
• Modified radical mastectomy is the removal of the breast that has cancer, including the nipple, areola (dark-colored skin around the nipple), skin over the breast, most of the lymph nodes under the arm, and often the lining over the chest muscles.
• Lumpectomy is breast-sparing surgery. The tumor and some normal breast tissue around it are removed, but not the breast itself. Some lymph nodes under your arm may be removed and checked for cancer. Part of the chest wall lining may also be removed if cancer is near it.

No matter which breast surgery you choose, you may also need other treatments. These could include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or targeted therapy.

You may choose to have breast reconstruction to rebuild your breast at the same time as the mastectomy, or it may be done later. Your health care provider may suggest waiting if radiation therapy is part of your treatment plan.

NIH: National Cancer Institute