Table of Contents
What is Cancer?
Cancer is a disease in which certain cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body. It can develop anywhere in the body. And also starts when cells grow uncontrollably and outnumber normal cells, making it difficult for the body to function as it should.
It has some similarities. There are many types of cancer: lung, breast, colon, or even blood. However, they are different in the way they develop and spread.
Causes of Cancer
Refers to a composite group of diseases; it can be caused by many possible causes, such as lifestyle habits, genetic factors, carcinogens, and environmental factors. At times, there is no apparent cause for it.
What is a tumor?
- However, not all masses (tumors) are cancerous. Most tumors form a lump called a tumor or growth. Doctors remove part of the lump and examine it to see if it is a tumor (a biopsy).
- Masses that do not contain cells are called benign tumors.
- Masses that contain cells are called a malignant tumor
- Some cancers, such as leukemia (blood), do not form tumors. These types of cancer develop in blood cells (blood cells) or other cells of the body
Symptoms of Cancer
- Fatigue
- A lump under the skin
- Weight changes, such as unintentional weight gain or loss.
- Additionally, we can see changes in the skin, such as yellow pigmentation, darkening or redness of the skin, sores that do not heal, or changes in existing moles.
- You experience a persistent cough or shortness of breath.
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hoarseness
- The sensation of indigestion or persistent discomfort after ingestion.
- Persistent muscle or joint pain with no evident cause
- Persistent fever or night sweats for no apparent reason.
- Bleeding or bruising with no apparent cause
Stages of cancer
If cancer has spread and how far it started, this is known as staging (or staging). After detection of the stage of cancer, it helps your doctor decide which type of treatment is best for you.
- Stage 1 – has not spread; it is in the initial stage
- Stage 2 – has not spread as much
- [Stage 3]– It has spread to a greater extent
- Stage 4 – It is the most significant stage where it spreads to the maximum extent
Most Common Types of Cancer
Breast cancer: can occur in women and rarely in men. Symptoms include a lump in the breast, bloody discharge from the nipple, and changes in the shape or texture of the nipple or breast.
Prostate cancer occurs in the male prostate, a small gland the size of a walnut that produces seminal fluid.
Skin cancer: Melanoma occurs when the pigment-producing cells that give the skin its color turn cancerous.
Lung cancer: This begins in the lungs and occurs most often in people who smoke.
Leukemia: In the hematopoietic tissue that interferes with the body’s ability to fight infection.
Cancer Treatment
Common treatments include surgery, medications, and radiation. Sometimes more than one type of treatment is used depending on the type and stage of cancer.
Besides, Doctors prescribe drugs to fight cancer cells or slow their growth by preventing them from reproducing. Some are given intravenously (by injection into a vein), while others consist of pills taken by mouth. Each drug works differently, and sometimes one or more drugs are used together for treatment.
- Chemotherapy (chemo)
- Targeted therapy
- Immunotherapy
- Hormone therapy
- Radiation therapy is similar to radiography. Radiation therapy helps kill or slow the growth of cells, used alone or in conjunction with surgery or chemotherapy. And also, it can be administered by implanting a “seed” in the affected area that will release radiation.