Cancer
Cancer is a Greek word derived from Karkinos means crab or cancer. Cancer really means neoplasm, growth of new cells. Cancer is said to be most dangerous disease after the AlDS which threatens human life. From the time of Hippocrates till now playing a
vital role in human life.
Hippocrates coined the word karkinos from which term carsinomas came into light-It is said that in just 2 years, Cancer kills more Americans than the total killed in 4 different wars such as World War I, II, Vietnam War and Korean War. It kills 8 times more Americans each year than automobile accidents.
What is Cancer?
Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of body cells usually multiplies by mitosis cell division which competes for nutrients with normal body cells. It is not a contagious disease nor is it an inherited cell within a limited area multiplies in such a way that damage normal body accessories cells convert into mass of tissue serve no useful purpose and not a part of body normal design called tumour.
A tumour is defined as mass of cells which multiplies irrespectively of the body's normal checks and balances. Tumour cells are out of control.
Types of Tumour
Based upon the nature of the tumour, categories into two types such as benign tumour and Malignant tumour whose characters are as follows:
(Metastasis: Spread of cancer cells from the origin to far distance in the body) On the basis of location malignant cancer classifies into 4 types
1. Carcinomas:
Consist largest group of cancer originate from the epithetical tissue of the visceral organs or from ectodermic cells of skin e.g. lung cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer, stomach cancer etc.
2. Sarcomas:
Originate from the muscular and connective tissues e.g. muscular tumour, bone tumour, etc.
3. Leukemias:
Commonly called as blood cancer
4. Lymphomas:
Commonly cailed lymph cancer develops in lymphoid tissue.
Common Location of Cancer in Human Body
Very commonly occurs in breast, cervix, uterus, ovary, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, lips, liver, gall bladder, bile duct, lung, blood, lymph nodes, bone, pancreas, prostate, thyroid, mouth, tongue, etc
Symptoms
The primary stage of the cancer is hardly mark by the patient. If the person is in regular body check up with detail studies can only detect earlier stage otherwise entering only in the late or secondary stage can find out the cancer in the body which becomes too late. Once patient diagnosed as malignant cancer then start countdown of the life.
Symptoms shown in the patient during various cancer
a. Blood cancer:
drastically loss of RBCs, production of RBCs almost checked in Red bone marrows, fever irregular, body swelling, pale coloured, etc.
b. Breast cancer:
development of lump or hardness in the breast, milk secretion very low, etc.
c. Digestivetract cancer:
Change in digestive power, may have diarrhoea or dysentery, loss of appetite gastro-intestinal problems, change in bowel habits, etc.
d. Skin cancer:
Change in body. coloration, skin wrinkling, hard, numbness, change in wart or mole, etc.
e. Lung cancer:
Lead persistent cough, change of voice normal to hoarseness voice, deposition of fluid in the lung's alveoli, swelling or sore throat, etc.
f. Uterus cancer:
Unusual bleeding from the uterus wall, change in menstruation cycle period, appearance of lumps or tumour in the uterus wall, ete.
g. Brain tumour or cancer:
Loss of memory, mental clouding, may loss any senses, partial facial, paralysis or whole body paralysis, etc.
Beside these general symptom seen in the patient follows loss of body weight, loss of appetite, body weak, release of blood from any body openings, fever, nausea, etc.
Etiology or Factors Causing Cancer (Causative Agents)
There are various agents or factors that cause cancer are called carcinogens. Due to these certain cancer producing oncogenes later genes are factors cells carry triggered to multiply rapidly producing malignant neoplasm.
Factors are as follows:
1. Physical agent:
Excessive expose to sun light may have solar keratosa or skin cancer. Chronic physical abrasions also produce skin cancer. Similarly expose to ionizing radiation like X-rays, ultraviolet rays, gamma rays, etc. also produces cancer in various organs
Smoking particularly pipe smoking may produce cancer of lips, tongue and lining of mouth
2. Chemical agent:
Most of the carcinogens are chemical agents which causes environment pollution impact directly or indirectly upon human health lead cancer.
Chemical like nicotine, caffeine, steroids and arsenic air pollutants causes cancer of lungs breast, blood or brain.
Many industrial chemical predispose to cancer such as coal tar, cadmium oxide, Nickel, Asbestos chromium compounds, Vinyl chloride, etc.
Chemical Diethylstilbestrol (DES) in woman patient increases the likelihood of cancer in the vagina or cervix.
Heavy smoking or intake of large dose of nicotine produces cancer in mouth, larynx, trachea and lung Similarly use of ethyl alcohol in large dose causes liver cirrhosis or liver cancer.
People working in chemical dyes such as in carpet factory also reported cancer in various organs
Use of immino suppressive drugs regularly is also appearing to increase cancer incidence.
3. Biological agents:
At present nobody have reported that animal or plant causes cancer. It is believed that some viruses cause usual kinds of human cancer although no human viruses have so far been isolated.
Dr. John Cairns of Mill Hill Laboratories of the Imperal cancer research fund in Londor stated in 1975 AD "As yet there is no ambiguous evidence that any class of human cancer is regularly caused by a virus." The virus which may cause cancer called oncogenic virus or oncovirus.
4. Circumstances of life and health:
Age, sex and marital status can also be the factor to cause cancer Cancer of the breast is more common among unmarried woman than married. A mother women if not done regularly breast feeding may have chances of breast cancer.
The woman who has her first child before the age of 25 years has less risk of breast cancer than the woman who has child after the age of 35 years.
Woman married after 40 years may have cancer in the breast, vagina, cervix, uterus, etc Persons live in most hygienic way with balanced diet has less risk of cancer. Maintenance of good health also keeps less risk of cancer.
Preventive Measures (Prophylaxis)
At present there is no real cure for the cancer. There are partially successful treatment and methods of arresting some cancers but not cures. All means of controlling a cancer and thus prolonging the victim's life are much more effective.
Once the cancer spreads throughout the body, the battle is virtually lost Thus periodic examinations by the physicians or doctors are necessary. The American cancer society provides the following list of warnings signals:
i. Change in bowel and bladder habits.
ii. A sore that does not heal
iii. Unusual bleeding or discharge.
iv. Thickening or lump in breast or elsewhere.
v. Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing.
vi. Obvious change in wart or mole
vii. Nagging cough or hoarseness voice
Treatment
Cancer is not a single disease, also causes wide spread effects so numbers of therapies are used simulteneously.
Treatment for the patient is provided only to prolong the lifespan or to check growth of carcinogen cells.
Methods of treatment
1. Chemotherapy:
Variety of anti-cancer drugs are given to patient to reduce cancer cells which may affect normal body cells also. This therapy may lead loss of hairs, anaemia, etc. Allopathic medicines available in the market:
For Breast cancer
Gynozol of 100 and 50, oncotam 20 For Chest cancer
Etosid cap, Etosid 10Orng, cytocristin Img, cytoplatin 50.
For Kidney cancer Cytomid 50
For Stomach cancer
Fluracial, Fivoflu 20.
For Breast and lung cancer
Oncotin injection, etc.
2. Radiotherapy:
Treatment by giving certain rays like a, ß, y or radioactive rays, laser rays to effective regions.
3. Surgery:
Remove cancer cells by surgically as in breast and uterine cancer.
4. Supportive or Immunotherapy
Several antibiotics are used to prevent infection or transfusions are given to check anaemia.
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