Cancer symptoms
First symptoms of carcinoma, initial and advanced tumour, signs of terminal metastasis and neoplasms, polyps and cysts in adults and children.
When cancer begins, there are no signs or symptoms, but they appear only when the cell mass continues to grow or ulcerates.
Few symptoms are specific, and many are common in people with other illnesses.
Depending on the location of cancer and type, the signs and symptoms of cancer may differ.
Local symptoms
When the tumour mass grows or Ulceration occurs, local cancer symptoms may begin to be noticed. For example, in lung cancer, the tumour mass can obstruct the bronchi, resulting in cough or pneumonia; oesophagal cancer can cause narrowing of the oesophagus, making swallowing difficult or painful; and colorectal cancer can lead to a narrowing or blockage in the intestine leading to changes in bowel habits. Tumour masses in the breast or testicles can be easily palpated.
Cancer symptoms Ulceration can cause bleeding, which, if it occurs in the lung, will lead to coughing up blood. If a tumour occurs in the digestive tract, it will cause anaemia or rectal bleeding, if it is in the bladder, there will be blood in the urine, and if it is in the uterus, there may be vaginal bleeding.
Although localised pain can occur in advanced cancer, the initial swelling is usually painless.
Some types of cancer can cause fluid buildup in the chest or abdomen.
systemic symptoms
General cancer symptoms occur due to distant effects of cancer that are not related to direct or metastatic spread. These may include unintentional weight loss, fever, overly tiredness, and skin changes.
Hodgkin’s disease, leukaemias, and liver or kidney cancers can cause a persistent fever of unknown origin.
In some types of cancer, a specific set of systemic symptoms, called paraneoplastic phenomena, can occur. For example, myasthenia gravis can also be present with a thymoma. And when there is lung cancer, you can get clubbing.
Symptoms of metastases
The symptoms of metastasis are due to the spread of cancer to other places in the body. These may include enlarged lymph nodes (which can be felt or sometimes seen under the skin and are usually hard), hepatomegaly (enlarged liver), or splenomegaly (enlarged spleen) that can be felt in the abdomen, pain or fracture of the affected bones, and neurological symptoms.
The lymph nodes are the first to be affected. Lungs, liver, brain, and bone are the most common sites of solid tumour metastases. In the lymph nodes, a common symptom is lymphadenopathy.
Some symptoms of metastasis, depending on the type of cancer, are:
– Lung cancer: cough, hemoptysis (coughing up blood) and dyspnea (shortness of breath).
– Liver: hepatomegaly (enlargement of the liver), nausea and jaundice.
– Bones: bone pain, fracture of the affected bones.
– Brain: neurological symptoms such as headaches, seizures, and vertigo.
What is a tumour?
A tumour is a mass of tissue made up of a collection of abnormal cells. Under normal conditions, cells in the body age, die and are replaced by new cells. With cancer and other tumours, something interrupts that cycle. Tumour cells grow even though the body does not need them, and, unlike normal old cells, they do not die. As this process continues, the tumour grows as more cells are added to that mass called a tumour.
The area surrounding the body’s different organs contains small, bean-shaped glands (called lymph nodes ) that are part of the lymphatic system .and that help control infection by filtering lymphatic fluid. They filter out everything foreign to the body, including bacteria and viruses. Lymph nodes are the first place cancer cells go when they break from a tumour. Hence, surgeons often remove them during cancer surgery and send them to the lab, where a specialist called a pathologist examines them closely to see if there are any—cancer cells.
Removing and checking lymph nodes is part of cancer staging. The stages of cancer are vital as it helps doctors decide on the most appropriate treatment.
Cancer treatment
Cancer treatment options may include chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. The treatment recommended for each case depends on various factors, such as the stage and grade of cancer and your general health. In addition, a specialist can give you the pros and cons, the likely success rate, the possible side effects of cancer treatment, and other details about the various possible treatment options for your type and stage of cancer.
You should also discuss the goals of treatment with your specialist. In some cases, treatment aims to cure cancer. Doctors use the word “remission” instead of “cure.” which means there are no signs of cancer after treatment. If you are “in remission”, you can be cured. However, in some cases, cancer returns months or years later. That is why doctors are sometimes reluctant to use the word “cured”.
In some cases, treatment is aimed at controlling cancer. If a cure is unrealistic, therapy can often limit the growth or spread of cancer so that it progresses less rapidly. This can make the symptoms subside for some time.
For example, if cancer progresses, you may require treatments such as pain relievers or other medications to help relieve pain or other symptoms. In addition, some treatments can be used to shrink cancer and reduce symptoms such as pain.
Chemotherapy
it is a treatment that uses drugs that kill cancer cells or stop them from dividing. Chemotherapy may be given after the operation. The aim is to kill any cancer cells that remain after surgery.
Chemotherapy is sometimes given to shrink cancer before the surgery. This can make the surgery more accessible and more likely to be successful.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is a treatment that uses high-energy rays on cancerous tissue. Radiation kills cancer cells or stops cancer cells from multiplying. Radiation therapy is sometimes used for smaller cancers in people who don’t need an operation, although this is less common.
Cancer treatments are a developing area of medicine. New treatments continue to be developed, and the information about the outlook given above is very general. The specialist who knows his case can provide more precise information about his particular point of view, how he will respond to treatment, and the cancer stage.
