What is Cancer?

What is cancer ?
So the big question is: What is Cancer? Well, let me try to explain it.. but keep in mind this is a long article. So be ready!Cancer is most deadly and most of the times incurable disease in the world today. Although science has progressed to a great extent, but still medical science research has not succeeded in finding a permanent cure of cancer. All of us are now familiar with the term cancer and have a vague idea about it. As the patients of cancer are increasing world wide, the concern is increasing for knowing that what cancer is? To understand cancer in detail, one has to first of all consider its definition according to medical dictionaries.
If cancer is defined in one brief statement, it is said to be a disease caused by the development of malignancies, anti bodies and tumors in any organ of human body and has the capacity to spread to other body parts. In cancer, the cell division and growth in body turns out to be abnormal and makes the very body organ dysfunctional. It is a disease which has numerous types which are defined according to the location of body being infected by abnormal cell growth. For example, if the liver has been infected by the malignancy, than the cancer will be called as liver cancer. Moreover, if the cancer has begun from liver and has spread to other parts of body it is said to the liver cancer metastasis to the body organ being infected later on. To define and give name to the cancer, it has always been important that doctors identify the exact source in the body from where cancer has reached to other parts. On the basis of this identification, the treatment is also selected.
Cancer is basically a family of hundreds of diseases which are called its sub types. The only thing common in them is the formation of abnormal cells in body that leads to malignancies. The body consists of various kinds of cells. Cell itself is a small unit that makes up the whole body of organism when combines with other cells. The whole human boy is made of cells, tissues and bones. The cells are produced in a specific and required number in the body. Any deficiency in their relative production leads of disorders that may cause cancerous tumors later on. Hence the normality of cells is highly important for the smooth functioning of organs inside the body. These cells act as a shield against outside germs and bacteria in time of their mutual contact.
Development of cancer occurs when the cells grow in abnormal manner or in an excessive or decreased quantity. Sometimes, the dying of cells also becomes a reason for cancer. Sometimes the cancer cells grow more speedily then the normal body cells and take the nutrients from the proteins organism takes in. Mostly the tumor is formed due to the grouping of cancer cells. It also forms as a result of inflammation process of cells killing abnormal cells. The grouping tumor cells destroy the body cells and tissues around them. Such development of tumor may reach other locations of body as well. The process of cancer spread to other body parts is known as the course of metastasis. During metastasis, the tumor may change its types and continue to develop as a threat to the verve of patient.
The word cancer appears to everyone as something life threatening and truly fearsome. When it is asked: what is cancer?, the common people may not be able to answer the question due to lack of awareness. This lack of awareness about the disease, does not allow people to take steps by which they can save themselves from cancer.
Although doctors do not know the causes of cancer but it is strongly believed that cancer is not a contagious disease. Its bacteria do not transfer into the other people due to mere touching or staying with the patient. If one thinks to have developed cancer, a check up by a doctor may eliminate this suspect. The symptoms which have been mostly observed in the cancer patients include fever, recurring infections, vomit, weakness, sleepiness and significant and rapid weight loss.
Typically the tests of x ray and blood are enough for diagnosing cancer. The oncologists decide on the basis of test reports that what type of cancer a person has developed. The stage, location and physical condition of patient are focused in recommending a treatment for the cancer patient. Different cancer types have different symptoms and treatments. The doctors may prescribe a bioscopy to the cancer patient if he has metastasis cancer of any kind.
The cure of cancer depends upon the stage of tumors and condition of patient being treated. The early stage cancers and benign cancers usually get cured, where as the serious and metastasis cases have less chances of permanent cure, if the physical capability of cancer patient is unreliable.
In addition, cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radio therapy have side effects for the patients but there is no alternate option available for the treatment. Nearly all of the cancer treatments are done by the use of chemo as it is considered as a reliable way in which the cells are restored to health. The cases in which, the tumor is located in a less sensitive and operable location, surgery is used as a treatment by the oncologists to remove it. It is the aim of surgery that the doctor removes maximum of the cancer cells from the body. But the cancer is due to some inherent problem in the development of cells in the body, so the cancer cells continue to develop in the body. It is believed that if all the cancer cells are removed from the body, cancer will cure but this not so simple. The treatment and cure of cancer is very complicated.
The chemotherapy has its own implications. In this therapy, the medicines taking anti cancer drugs are given to the patient in the form of pills. It is also injected in the patients’ skin through the plastic catheter. The catheter carries the anti cancer medicine into the body via arm veins. The medicine enters the blood stream of the body and attacks the cancer cells. Chemotherapy may take days or even months, depending upon the complexity of issue.
On the other hand, in radio therapy, the waves are used instead of medicine to damage the cancer cells in the body. The energy waves like x rays destroy the cancer cells and may cause them to go forever due to termination of the source from where they develop. Many times, radio therapy has been an effective means of curing cancer permanently but it has several side effects like other cancer treatments. The patients receiving radio therapy may get destruction of useful cells along with the cancer cells. The break up of functional cells may cause tiredness, sleepiness and weakness in the patient. The radio waves may make the patient pale and dull. Vomiting and loss of appetite is observed in all kinds of cancer treatments. Where as the patients of chemotherapy suffer hair loss as its major side effect.
The side effects vanish as the treatment is over and a person recovers. Besides this, the cancer patients become more exposed to infections due to the loss of defensive power of immune system.
Medical and health science research argues that mostly, cancer is developed in human body due to defective functioning of natural immune system. The immune system can not function properly if it is weak and deficient due to lack of appropriate diet and several other factors. It has been the focus of medical doctors that the immune system of a patient must be made efficient as it is the defensive ability of body which fights against the illness. The early and quick recover of disease and infections is dependent upon the strength of immune system.
As the preventive measure of cancer, doctors recommend such practices which are liable to give strength and nourishment to the immune system. Normally, it has been believed that the psychological problems like stress and anxiety, which are caused by the social situations prevailing in almost every society now days, are a major source of weakening the functioning of immune system. In this regard, experts prescribe stress avoiding situations to the people.
Similarly stress, depression and other mental disorders give birth to diabetic disorder in human body which is also a source for weakening immune system. Research has proved that the intake of sugar after a tension generating situation increases the blood sugar level in the diabetes patients. Both, the intake of sugar in high quantity by normal people as well as the diabetics increase the risks for damaging the immune system. Hence, a limited amount of sugar must be made part of routine diet to avoid cancer infections which result due to the weakness and problem in the functionality of immune system.
Other measures that are responsible for strengthening the immune system of body include: proper diet and sleep, regular exercise, intake of green tea, and timely medical check ups.
Most of the times, the heavy smokers and the alcohol addicts develop cancer malignancies in their mouth, lungs, liver and in other related body organs. To avoid the threats of cancer one must quit such habits for ever. The smokers suffer from multiple cancer types as the cancer malignancies have the tendency to occupy the other body organs. Smoking begins to damage the oral throat, stomach and then may end damaging the bladder. The cancer cells grouping together may break up from the mass and move to the other locations in the body. Such cells make tumors in the new location as well making the situation more critical.
Not all the cancers spread to the other body parts. The leukemia is the type of cancer which does not move to the body organs. In blood cancer (leukemia) the cancer cells continue to move in the blood and bone marrow but do not invade the major body organs.
Besides avoiding smoking and alcohol, one must take energy drinks and food that reduces deficiencies in the body which may lead to cancer. Moreover it should be kept in mind that excessive sugar use may also damage the immune system so a moderate amount of energy drink must be taken. The cancer disease vulnerability also varies on the basis sex, age and psycho- physical conditions of individuals. The cancers which are related to the women physical structure do not have any risk factors for men. The cancers like bladder cancer, oral cancer and brain tumors have high risk chances for men. The uterus cancers on the other hand infect women not men. So the precautionary measures are different for both men and women.
Similarly the obese and thin structured people have different vulnerabilities for cancer types. Age factor also matters in determining the type of cancer one has. Previous medical history of having infections in various locations of body, like due to intake of alcohol or tobacco lungs get damaged or the liver gets infection due to hepatitis etc, also determines the type of cancer which is probable of infecting someone.
The types of cancers which affect old aged people like brain cancer rarely occur in the children. Where as, bone cancer may be found in both, children and aged as the children have growing bones and the aged people face deterioration in their bones due to the element of ageing. Here along with prevention measures, the diagnosis of cancer at a proper time is also very important for saving the valuable life of patient.
When a person finds him suffer from skin infections that never cure or feels swelling in the arm pit or breast, he must immediately see an oncologist. A changed eating and bladder habits is also a sign of cancer. Bleeding through nose and continuous exhaustion is also an indicator of cancer cells’ presence in the body. Besides these general indicators every cancer type has its own symptoms. These symptoms may appear rapidly or may not appear at all in some cases.
In bladder cancer, which one of the most significant type of cancer which is found in men, especially the ones who have habits of smoking and take in alcohol, often get bladder cancers. The symptoms of bladder cancer include: pain in abdomen, blood via urine, pain while urination, abnormal color of urine and recurrent urination.
Unlike the bladder cancer, the important indicators of bone cancer are: bone fractures, pain in bones, swelling that appears as a mass on the bones and can be seen as a heap inside the skin. A patient of bone cancer may feel frequent urination problem like bladder cancer patients. Due to the similar symptoms of many cancers, doctors try to investigate all the problems and abnormalities a person is having, before diagnosing a cancer.
In brain cancer, a person frequently faces psychological attacks due to increasing size of tumor in the brain. Headache is an important symptom along with weight loss and vomiting. A brain cancer patient may also find it difficult to move his body and keep eyes moving. The speech activity also gets up set due to this type of cancer.
The symptoms of blood cancer includes the frequent infections, fever, flu, pain in joints and bones, tiredness, weakness and sweating most of the times. All these or most of these symptoms appear at the same time in the patient. Like bladder cancer, blood in urine is also a symptom of kidney cancer. It is also possible that blood in urine indicates both the cancers.
Women mostly suffer from ovarian cancers. In this type of cancer, the women have a medical condition, in which they face abnormal menses bleeding, swelling in abdomen and digestive difficulties. Endometrial cancer patients have almost similar kinds of symptoms. All the cancer sub types have further types of cancers. The most common general types of cancer found in the world today are: oral cancers, ovarian cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, bone cancer, blood cancer, brain cancer, stomach cancer and prostate cancer.
The patients of prostate cancer also suffer from urination trouble. While in stomach cancer the distinguishing symptom is the vomiting of blood. Skin cancer and mouth cancer may be caused by sun burns; both of these may reveal the signs of burns on the skin. The difference lies in the locations of burns. In case of mouth cancer, the sunburns are found near lips and in skin cancer, the any part the whole skin can get infected.
The children are more vulnerable to cancers like blood cancer caused by anemia, neuroblastoma, lymphoma and bone cancers. The teenage cancers include: osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, blood cancer, lymphomea, brain tumors and some skin cancers. However, the liver cancer, few types of blood cancer and lungs cancer are considered as the most deadly cancer types in the world. The adult cancers are skin cancer, lungs cancer, and breast cancer. The adult women suffer prostate where as the men have been found vulnerable of suffering an ovarian cancer.
People world wide since ever, across the times, prefer alternating treatments of medical sciences. Natural herbs are still used in part of world as a cure to many diseases. Medical sciences state that cancer has no alternate treatment. It is true to maximum extent. But still research is needed to explore natural and well as scientific innovations that can be used as a treatment of cancer. Latest research has shown that sea food can be helpful in reducing cancer cells in body. Many incurable diseases can cure with the intake of sea food. Cancer of blood called leukemia as well as breast cancer. Other than cancer, neurologic disorders can also be cured with the use of sea animals in diet. As the fats and proteins in fish meat is a source of developing and strengthening the cell formation in the body.
In addition, it also helps repairing and healing the infections in the body. It develops healthy cells in the body which comes to blow the cancer cells. But the people with high blood pressure who are also having cancers should not take in excessive quantity of sea foodstuff as it can be dangerous for their life. Hence, the fish meat is highly important for various types of cancers as it can help to cure it permanently. It can also be taken to prevent cancer.
In short, cancer is a life snatching disease, which is caused by the growth of abnormal cells in the body and for which medical sciences can not state the causes. In contrast to cancer the benign cancer is not deadly, is never caused by the raid of harmful cells from outside and do not spread to other body organs. Such benign tumors can be easily removed. If not removed, they do not have destructive effects for the human body. For this reason such dead tumors are not considered as cancer by the doctors.
The branch of medicine which is responsible for dealing with the cancer is called oncology. In case of any symptom of cancer, one should seek the advice of oncologist. The timely diagnosis and treatment may cure the cancer at its early stage otherwise it becomes a threat to the life of patient. Not only human beings but the plants and animals also get infected by the disease of cancer.
The possible causes for cancer on which medical experts agree are: smoking, exposure to radiation, use of alcohol and tobacco, unhealthy food, chemicals and invasion of infectious bugs into the body. Being an inheritor of cancer from parents is also an important source.
Vaccination in some cases can prevent the individuals from the cancer development but in other cases it is not used due to medical reasons. Due to the perception of cancer and the pains that are attached to it, the cancer patients usually loose hope. Many organizations are working for the treatment as well as counseling of cancer patients. Raising their spirits and awakening hope for life in them is the chief concern of social working agencies. The support of non governmental organizations, counselors or medical staff is not enough for the cancer patients. Rather the concern and care of family and peer group matters more in emotionally supporting them.