Cancer and Why You Should Prevent It Today – Symptoms

What is Cancer?

Cancer, also known as malignancy or malignant tumor, is an abnormal growth of cells with the potential to spread to other parts of the body. The cells are the building blocks of your body. During growth, the body forms new cells as the old ones die off, but sometimes this process goes wrong, causing new cells to grow when the old ones are yet to die. The extra cells form a mass or lump called a tumor.

All tumor cells show the six hallmarks of cancer. These characteristics are required to produce a malignant tumor. They include:

• Cell growth and division absent the proper signals
• Continuous growth and division even given contrary signals
• Avoidance of programmed cell death
• Limitless number of cell divisions
• Promoting blood vessel construction
• Invasion of tissue and formation of metastases

Not all tumors are cancerous. Malignant tumor or cancerous cells, which are life-threatening, invade the nearby tissues as they divide and spread through other parts of the body, while benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body. Although most benign tumors are not life-threatening, some have the potential to become cancerous through a process known as tumor progression. For this reason and other possible negative health effects, some benign tumors are normally removed by surgery.

Cancer isn’t just one ill-health condition, but a collection of related diseases which can start in any part of the body. While there are more than 100 types of cancer that affect humans, most are named according to where they started. For example; breast cancer starts from the breast, skin cancer from the skin. There are prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, lymphoma and much more. The spread of cancer disease from one part of the body to another is called metastasis.

Cancer is a killer disease.

Symptoms of cancer

The symptoms of cancer are the changes in the body due to the presence of a malignant tumor. However, these symptoms vary depending on the type of cancer. According to research, typical signs and symptoms of cancer include:

• The presence of an unusual lump in the body
• Changes in a mole on the skin, such as size, color or shape thickness
• A persistent cough or hoarseness
• A change in bowel habits, such as unusual diarrhea or constipation
• Difficulty in swallowing or continuing indigestion
• Any abnormal bleeding, including bleeding from the vagina, or blood in urine or feces
• A persistent sore or ulcer
• Difficulty passing urine
• Unexplained weight loss
• Unexplained pain
• Unexplained tiredness or fatigue
• Skin changes such as an unexplained rash or unusual texture
• Unexplained night sweats
• Abdominal pain

  Treatment and Prevention

Cancer treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery. Others may involve hormone therapy, biologic therapy, or stem cell transplantation.

***

Please check back for more information on Cancer, Signs and symptoms, Causes, Prevention and Cure.

Photo: Wikipedia