Amid the global pandemic, COVID-19, there is another deadly disease that leads to major damage and even death of a person – Cancer. If you’re into healthcare fields, in-depth knowledge of diseases, causes, prevention, and cure is a must. To talk about cancer in particular, many types of cancers can cause much damage to the body and lead to fatal consequences. In this blog, we try to outline the main factors that lead to cancer growth, the various risk factors, and ways of treatment. To start with, what does the term cancer mean in medical terms.
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What is Cancer?
According to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, “Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body.” Due to the abnormal cell growth, the normal body mechanism stops working and alters the mode of development. In due course, the old cells in the body start growing faster and form new and abnormal cells, called tumors. The other term to refer to cancer is malignancy.
Types of Cancer With the Main Symptoms
The growth and development of cancer cells can take place in any part of the body. However, the most common type of cancer is the female body is breast cancer and that in a male body is prostrate cancer. Before naming cancer, one must know that the name of cancer projects from the name of part of the origin, not by the targeted organs. The main clinical terms used for different types of cancer include:-
- Carcinoma: This type of cancer starts in the skin or tissues, lining the other organs
- Sarcoma: The cancer of connective tissues such as bones, muscles, and blood vessels
- Leukemia: This type of cancer is prevalent in the bone marrow, which is the spot for the formation of RBCs
- Lymphoma and myeloma: This cancer types cause cancer in the immune system
How Does Cancer Grow?
The different types of cancer cells have one thing in common; their growth, development, and spread pattern. To determine the lifecycle of cancerous cells, look at how new cells and old cells outgrow, and form a tumor. The main factor responsible for this process is the changes or mutation in the DNA. DNA refers to deoxyribonucleic acid present in the cells’ genes that instruct the cells to grow and divide. During mutation, cell malfunction, in turn, loses its control and group together to form cancerous tumors.
Due to mutation, the different types of cells in the body change their nature. That is, old cells stop wearing out, and the growth of new cells outgrows and form tumors. But, as a fact, not all tumors are cancerous. Based on the spread of cancer, there are two types, that is, Benign and Malignant. Non-cancerous cells are benign tumors that do not spread in the nearby tissues. The second type is a malignant tumor that is cancerous and can spread to other body parts. In the spread of these cancerous cells, there is a significant process known as metastasis. In this process, the cancerous cells migrate through the bloodstream or lymphatic systems to the distant body parts. Metastatic cancers tend to be more fatal and hard to get treated.
Risk Factors and Prevention of Cancer
The fatality of cancer is subject to various risk factors that cause genetic mutation and other physical and mental risks. While some types of cancers in the body can be inherited, others may occur due to different environmental forces such as:-
- exposure to carcinogens, also known as the cancer-causing chemicals
- direct-exposure to the sun’s radiation and other forms of radiations
- due to contact with certain viruses such as human papillomavirus (HPV)
- activities like excessive smoking and drinking
Considering the fatality of cancer, it tends to increase with age. More so, cancer can be the result of other inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis. Although the cure for many types of cancers is incurable to much extend, some can be prevented by a slight change in lifestyle. As per the expert guidance, there are five ways to prevent the harmful effects of cancer.
5 Preventive Steps to Fight Cancer
- Stop both active and passive smoking
- Eat a healthy and balanced diet
- Keep a moderate body weight and do 30 minutes of physical exercising every day
- Get vaccinated against viral infections that lead to cancer, hepatitis, and HPV
- Practice protective sexual activities and take regulatory measures to prevent cancerous diseases
Types of Treatment for Cancer
The objectives of treating a fatal disease like cancer, include:-
- Finding a cure for possible cancerous situations
- Getting the primary move of killing the cancer cells in the body
- Providing adjuvant treatment like killing cancer cells that remain after the primary move
- Lastly, the palliative treatment provides relief in health symptoms associated with cancer such as breathlessness and pain
Now, the mode of fulfilling the treatment of cancer and cure it include:-
- Surgery:- removal of cancer from the body
- Chemotherapy:- Using toxic medication to kill rapidly dividing cancer cells
- Radiation therapy:- Use of external beam or internal beam of radiation to kill cancer cells
- Immunotherapy:- Use of antibodies to help body immune against the cancer cells
- Alternative medications such as acupuncture, hypnosis, massage, yoga, meditation, and other relaxation techniques
I hope this information has given you a good start to learn about the types of cancer and their main causes, prevention, and cure. If you need further help in researching the various fatal diseases and writing a thesis or diagnosis, you can chat with our experts. We provide 24*7 help with nursing and other healthcare-related assignments. Our online assignment help service is there to get your work done before the deadline. Hire professional experts now.
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