This article is a brief description of cancer as a disease and its symptoms as recognized by the American Cancer Society. Cancer, in all it’s stages, has a huge impact on a person’s life and on people related to him. It is recurring in nature. To know everything about it, scroll below.
Cancer can happen to a person who thrives on junk food as well as to a health freak! Cancer is unpredictable in nature. It is essential for us to understand that what exactly is cancer and what can possibly cause it.
“It is sometimes too difficult to put it into words.”
Introduction:
Cancer is a disease caused due to uncontrolled division of body cells. Such affected cells are called Malignant or Tumour Cells. These cells have the potential of converting the normal body cells into malignant or tumour or cancer cells, as they are commonly known. The cancer is then wholly termed according to the tissue the cells originate from. For example, malignant cells in the thyroid gland is called thyroid cancer.
Cancer is not just confined to humans. It affects animals and other living organisms too. The path of cancer is again, an uncontrollable one. Once a cell becomes malignant in nature, it starts affecting the normal cells that surround it. Thus, a mass of malignant cells is formed. Some affected cells stray from this mass and travel into the blood and lymph. This way, they travel through the entire body and to various organs. Eventually, they settle in one organ and the uncontrollable division follows then.
The following types of cancers are usually observed:
- Men: Men are observed to most commonly suffer from lung, colorectal and prostate cancer.
- Women: Women are often diagnosed with lung, colorectal and breast cancer.
- Children: Children are observed to have leukemia, that is, blood cancer, brain tumours and lymphoma.
Symptoms of Cancer:
“Depression is not a side effect of cancer, it is a side effect of dying” – John Green, The Fault In Our Stars. Who could have defined the lives of cancer patients and persons related to them so well!
Symptoms of cancer are dependent on the location of the cancer affected cells. Different types of cancer have different signs and symptoms. Like, breast cancer is indicated by an unusual lump in the breast. Some women also experience some discharge from their nipples. Metastatic breast cancers are slightly different. They show signs like extreme pain in the bones, fatigue and seizures. However, although signs and symptoms vary, there are some signs that indicate your need to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The signs and symptoms given below are approved and described by the American Cancer Society as warnings and that you should seek immediate medical attention. They are as follows:
- A sore throat that fails to heal despite the necessary precaution and medication.
- Change in bladder and bowel habits.
- Formation of an unusual lump in the breasts or testicles.
- Unusual discharge or oozing out of material that refuses to cease.
- Difficulty in swallowing food followed by chronic indigestion.
- A noticeable change in the shape, colour and size of the lump.
- Cough that causes an irritating sensation in the throat and increased hoarseness.
