Dorothy FarrarKrebs
Cancer is any cell proliferation and tissue growth that has the potential to damage the body and form metastases. It is therefore a matter of malignant cell degeneration and new tissue formation. Cancer can occur almost anywhere in the body and cause a wide variety of conditions.
What cancer?
Cancer refers to malignant new tissue formations and tumors . So it’s different than benign accumulations of cells that aren’t growing properly. Birthmarks and lipomas are therefore not considered cancer, but carry a small risk of degeneration. They can also become malignant and form precursors to cancer.
Even when components of the blood degenerate, it is referred to as cancer – such as in the case of leukemia. The decisive factor for the classification as cancer is that the degenerated tissue is space-occupying and tissue-destroying. Any masses that have formed that do not show any further growth and do not indicate any tendency to form metastases are accordingly harmless.
Since cancer can attack almost any part of the body and metastases promote the spread of the degenerated cells in the body, the treatment must be tailored to the patient. Each case of cancer is unique and requires certain measures. Some forms of cancer are classified as more harmless than others. For example, testicular cancer is associated with good treatability, while gastric cancer has a high mortality rate after five years.
The specialty dedicated to these diseases is called oncology. Palliative medicine and preventive medicine also come into play here.
There are numerous statistics and knowledge about the disease, since cancer is not uncommon. In Germany, about every second death can be attributed to this, with the main focus being on recurring cancer. As a result, average survival chances within a certain period of time are also preferred in oncology. This is usually determined based on the accuracy of a prognosis and the other life expectancy of the patient.
Causes: What can promote the development of cancer?
Not all causes of cancer are known. However, it can be said that tissue proliferation is always due to uncontrolled cell growth. This disturbs the rhythm between natural cell maintenance and new formation and cell death. Usually a single cell degenerates, which is no longer subject to the program of natural cell death. If it divides successfully, two “immortal daughter cells” emerge from it. So this effect is exponential.
At the same time, these cells are no longer properly genetically controlled. Further degeneration occurs, growth changes and the cells no longer perform their original functions. In addition, changes in the genetic code, which are becoming more common in cancer cells, can lead to new properties in the tissue. For example, they can survive without oxygen or begin to form their own capillary vessels to supply blood.
The development of cancer is as complex as it is multifaceted. Various genetic causes (certain types of cancer appear more frequently in families) and environmental influences are suspected. Both can destroy the structure of the DNA and therefore cause degeneration of the genome, which in turn leads to misread and misregulated genes. While this happens in every body every day, most of the time the body can recognize these errors on its own and repair the corresponding genes. Cancer cells develop when the body’s own repair mechanism is not sufficient.
The focus is on so-called guardian genes: These control the reading and copying of DNA and have an influence on cell death and cell regeneration. If these factors do not function properly, the balanced mechanisms of tissue formation are undermined.
Furthermore, oncoviruses can also be considered, which can stimulate cancer formation through their own RNA activities. HIV and hepatitis B should be mentioned here, among others. A connection between body size (the taller the person, the higher the risk of cancer) and obesity and cancer has also been proven.
In about 90 to 95 percent of cases, external triggers for the disease are assumed. Radiation damage, mutagenic chemicals and acquired (due to illness or medication) immune deficiencies are quite important in this context.
How is cancer detected?
The symptoms that occur with cancer range from asymptomatic to severe pain, include vomiting blood or even an onset of coma. Accordingly, typical symptoms can be worked out for certain types of cancer, but this should be mentioned in connection with the respective cancer diseases.
However, there are few clear symptoms that could be used for early detection of cancer. These include lumps in the breast (breast cancer), swelling and hardening in the testicles (testicular cancer) or new and mostly dark spots on the skin (skin cancer).
What forms and types of cancer are there?
Cancer is particularly varied and, accordingly, a good overview of the different types is required when treating cancer. Here is a (partial) list of common types of cancer:
- kidney cancer
Other cancers include: throat cancer; esophageal cancer uterine cancer; Oral and Throat Cancer; ovarian cancer; Cervical cancer; bone cancer; brain tumors; bladder cancer; thyroid cancer; non-Hodgkin lymphomas; nerve cell tumors; Brenner tumors; breast cancer.
In addition, the various forms of metastasis formation can also be taken into account. Certain types of cancer spread metastases preferentially to certain organs and parts of the body. This knowledge is being developed further and, among other things, leads to faster recognition of metastases that have already spread.
In addition, certain types of cancer are very treatable, while others metastasize quickly and are associated with a high mortality rate. In many cases, the cancer can recur after treatment due to metastases and remaining fragments of a tumor. Accordingly, its dangerousness and its potential for further degeneration must be further determined by histological examinations.
Treatment and therapy
The treatment of cancer is based on the premise of stopping the growth of the tumor and, at best, destroying it. If it is large enough to be surgically removed, this is usually done. In addition, surrounding lymph nodes are removed, as these are particularly susceptible to spreading metastases that have entered them from the tumor.
In addition, there are guidelines for most cancers that give a rough overview of the proven treatment methods. However, there are no guidelines for particularly rare tumors and it is also the case that tumors can differ significantly from one another despite having the same location. Accordingly, a precise analysis of the cancer tissue is useful for discussing the further procedure.As the disease progresses, radiation therapy (destruction of the tumor tissue by means of radiation or radioactive substances), chemotherapy (which is primarily intended to curb the growth of further cancer cells) and more targeted therapies are available. Among the more targeted methods are, for example, those that fight certain properties of the tumor – and can disrupt it hormonally, for example, or impair its nutrient supply.
If the options for treatment have been exhausted, the only option left for those suffering from cancer is palliative medicine, which above all promotes the maintenance of quality of life for the rest of their lives. The focus here is on pain therapy and the preservation of existing functions. The fact that many cancers have a poor prognosis to begin with makes the alternative treatment market interesting for some people. However, there is not yet a single method whose effectiveness in cancer has been confirmed.
Prevention
Based on the assumption that almost all cancer cases are caused by the environment, many measures can be taken to prevent cancer. For example, it is important to avoid carcinogens (cigarettes, alcohol, ultraviolet radiation, particulate matter, poisons, radioactive radiation, etc.).
In addition, diet is becoming the focus of cancer prevention. Various animal experiments have shown that certain foods have a protective effect against cancer. These include broccoli, garlic, shrimp and many more. Animal fat, on the other hand, seems to have a negative effect.
However, an important part of cancer prevention is screening . For example, there are breast and colon cancer screening tests. Testicular cancer can also be detected by humans themselves. Extended prevention consists of removing tissue that tends to be dangerous, such as intestinal polyps or variable birthmarks.
Overall, in the case of cancer, it is estimated that about half of all diseases are directly related to a person’s lifestyle. Thus, a healthy lifestyle that prevents obesity and a poor diet can also be seen as a measure to prevent cancer.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.