Cancer a disease with an uncontrollable attitude
Cancer is a class of disease that features uncontrolled cell growth. There are over 100 different types of cancer and every type of cancer is classified by the type of cell that is affected initially. Cancer diseases causes harm to the body when damaged cells divide themselves in an uncontrolled way to form lumps of extra tissues that are known as tumors. Tumors can interfere with the nervous, digestive and circulatory system and they can release hormones that alter the body functions. Cancer tumors that stay in one spot and show restricted growth are generally considered to be non malignant cancer tumors. On the other hand cancer tumors that spread to surrounding tissues and organs of the body are considered to be malignant tumors.
Symptoms of cancer
The symptoms of cancer are quite varied. They depend on where the cancer is located, where it has spread and how big the tumor is. Some cancers can be felt or seen through the skin. A slight lump on the breast or testicle can be an indicator of cancer in those locations. Skin cancer is often seen by a change in a mole or wart on the skin. Some oral cancers display white patches inside the mouth or white spots on the tongue. Other cancers have symptoms that are less apparent physically. Some brain tumors tend to present symptoms early in the disease as they affect some very essential cognitive functions. Pancreatic cancers are generally too small to cause symptoms until they cause pain by pushing against nearby nerves and create interference with the liver functions to cause yellowish patches on the skin and eyes which is known as jaundice. Symptoms can also be created as a tumor grows and pushes against the blood vessels and other organs of the body.
Forms of cancer treatment
Following are the forms of cancer treatment:
1) Surgery: This is the oldest form of cancer treatment. Surgery has a prominent role in diagnosing cancer and finding out how far it has spread its impact. Advances in surgical techniques have allowed surgeons to successfully operate on a growing number of patients. Today less invasive operations are also done for removal of tumors while saving as much normal tissues and functions. Surgery offers the greatest chance to cure many types of cancer especially those that have not spread to other parts of the body. Most people with cancer will have some kinds of surgery. Cancer surgery is done for many reasons. Some types of surgery are very minor and may be called procedures. While other kinds of surgeries are termed to be bigger operations.
2) Chemotherapy: In a normal way your body cells grow and die in a controlled way. However cancer cells keep forming without control. Chemotherapy is a drug therapy that stops these cells from multiplying. However sometimes chemotherapy can cause harm to healthy cells and create side effects. The kinds of side effects you suffer from depend on the type and dose of chemotherapy you get. The side effects may vary but common ones are vomiting, nausea, hair loss, pain and tiredness. Healthy cells usually recover after chemotherapy so most side effects gradually go away. Your course of chemotherapy is going to depend on the cancer type, the type of chemical drug used and the goal of treatment.
3) Radiation therapy: Radiation is a form of energy that is released in the form of waves or particles. When given in high doses radiation destroys unwanted cells and keeps them restricted from multiplying. Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment. Its primary goal is to kill cancer cells and eliminate cancer tumors. Unlike cancer cells most of the normal cells recover from radiation therapy. Surgeons do their best to protect normal cells by limiting the radiation dosage and spreading treatment over time. When surgeons use radiation machines then they shield as much as the body of the patient while targeting cancer cells. The radiation for cancer treatment is obtained externally from special machines or from radioactive substances that a doctor places in your body.
