Cancer - Learn more about Cancer and its Treatments

04/06/2023

 

What is Cancer?

Cancer consists of a large number of diseases, but one thing is common that it happens when normal cells become cancerous and multiply. These cells spread all over that particular organ and slowly to the whole body. In some cases of cancer, the cells grow rapidly; in others, the cells grow slower. The cancerous cells do not follow the rules of normal cells and multiply uncontrollably. Unlike normal cells, they do not stay in one organ; they are able to move around. Cancerous cells are able to grow faster than normal cells. All the cells are supposed to die, and even here, these cancerous cells do not follow the directions and ignore the rules of a normal cell.

Symptoms and Causes of Cancer

What are Cancer Symptoms?

It is one of the most complicated diseases. Sometimes you may have cancer for a more extended period without showing any symptoms, and other times, your symptoms might develop quickly and worsen your health condition instantly. Some common symptoms that develop early include chronic tiredness, sudden weight loss, fever at night or night sweats, unexplained bruising or bleeding, unexpected lumps or thickening under the skin, persistent pain, and skin changes like moles in different shapes and sizes.

What Causes Cancer?

The leading cause of cancer is DNA mutations within cells. A number of individual genes contain DNA and have instructions that tell them what they have to do and how to grow and divide. The errors in these instructions can cause abnormal functions, and therefore cancerous cells are developed. A gene mutation instructs a healthy/normal cell to grow rapidly. It cannot stop uncontrolled cell growth and make mistakes in repairing DNA errors. Gene mutations can be caused due to several factors. Either you are born with it, i.e., inherited from your parents, or they occur after your birth due to hormones, smoking, obesity, radiation, viruses and lack of physical activity, etc. Factors that are known to increase your risk of developing Cancer include your age, habits, family history, health conditions, and environment.

Cancer Diagnosis and Tests

How to Diagnose Cancer?

Doctors start with a full-body physical examination. They will ask you about your signs and symptoms and take your family history. They will also ask you to take the following tests:

• Blood Test – These tests include a complete blood count (CBC) test, blood protein tests, tumor markers, and circulating tumor cell tests. These will help your doctor to check for abnormalities caused by Cancer.
• Biopsies – A doctor will take a sample of your cells and test it in the laboratory for its abnormal size and shape. Several ways by which samples can be collected are skin biopsy, needle biopsy, bone marrow biopsy, perioperative biopsy, endoscopic or laparoscopic biopsy, and excisional or incisional biopsy.
• Imaging Tests – These tests help your doctor to evaluate your internal organs and bones in a non-invasive way. These tests include CT (Computed tomography) Scan, Ultrasound, MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging), PET (Positron emission test) Scan, X-rays, and MIGB (Iodine meta-iodobenzylguanidine) test.

​Genetic Testing

If you have inherited cancer from your parents, your doctor will definitely ask you to do genetic testing. This helps them examine and diagnose your cancer. On the basis of your results, they can assign a number/stage and know how much cancer has spread.

4 Stages of Cancer

Mostly Cancers have only 4 stages, and a particular stage can be found by a few factors, which include the tumor size and its location:

Stage 1 – In the 1st stage, the cancer is usually localized to a specific area that is small in size. Cancer hasn't spread to other tissues or lymph nodes at this stage.

Stage 2 – It is not small anymore and has grown more prominent but has not spread yet.

Stage 3 – In the 3rd stage, it has probably spread to other tissues and lymph nodes and grown significantly.

Stage 4 – In the 4th and probably the last stage, it has spread to other areas or organs of your body. 4th stage is also referred to as Advanced or Metastatic Cancer.

Although there are only 4 stages, there is one more stage, commonly known as Stage 0. In this, cancer has not yet spread yet and is considered pre-cancerous by doctors. It is said that in this stage, it is localized and is usually easily treatable.

Cancer Treatments

There are several treatment options available nowadays. The treatments are sometimes combined to treat a patient on the basis of their Cancer stage and situation. Doctors now have the proper tools and techniques to treat cancer patients. The most common and efficient Cancer treatments are as follows:

• Chemotherapy – It is one of the most powerful treatment options available to treat Cancer. It is used to destroy cancer cells using certain drugs. These drugs can be given to the patient in the form of pills or injections.
• Surgery – There are a few tumors that haven't spread yet and can be removed with the help of surgery.
• Radiation Therapy – This particular therapy kills cancerous cells using high dosages of radiation. It is also combined with chemotherapy sometimes.
• Targeted therapy for cancer – This method focuses on particular abnormalities in the cancerous cells, which are allowing them to survive.
• Immunotherapy for cancer – It is a type of cancer treatment where your immune system is instructed to fight the disease. It is also known as biological therapy.
• Bone marrow transplant – It is commonly known as a stem cell transplant. In this, the bone marrow in your body is used to make normal good cells. In this treatment option, doctors can use either the patient's or a donor's bone marrow.

​To Conclude -

Cancer causes cells to multiply and divide uncontrollably. It also stops them from dying at the biological point in their life cycle, known as Apoptosis. Factors like smoking, hormones, obesity, and no physical activity can contribute to developing this dangerous disease. Many aspects affect how DNA communicates with the cells and directs them to death. After nonmelanoma, a very common skin cancer, breast cancer is considered the most common cancer globally. However, lung cancer beats all to be the leading cause of death due to Cancer. Treatments are continuously enhancing these days, and a few methods like chemotherapy, surgeries, medications, and radiation therapy are helping patients to fight this disease. Some benefit from more recent options, such as precision medicine and stem cell transplantation. Our online pharmacy offers a wide variety of drugs from where you can buy anti cancer Drugs Online from Canada with amazing deals and discounts. The diagnosis and death rates of Cancer are dropping significantly year by year. There is a famous quote that every cancer patient should know, i.e., "Cancer is a part of our life, but it's not our whole life." So fight your fear of Cancer and live your life beautifully.