In medical understanding, cancer is a malignant tumor that develops from epithelial cells, i.e. cells that cover almost all of human organs and tissues. The name of the disease is associated with the image of a crab or cancer, since tumor often produces arms in the surrounding tissue looking like the limbs of cancer. Cancer is the most frequent cause of death in economically developed countries. Approximately 12.7 million diagnoses of various cancer types are set every year, and over a half (7.6 million – 64 %) of oncology patients die.
Diagnosis and Staging
Cancer may be of any disease group being characterized with uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells that may have spread throughout the body write people in their lifespan development essay. It is believed that cancer develops from a single cell or a small group of cells after the changes that have occurred in their DNA - the genetic material that instructs cell behavior. Some cancers occur due to genetic abnormalities, and others are due to the action of carcinogens, environmental agents that can cause genetic mutations. Sometimes viruses interact with the cells genes and increase their chances of becoming malignant. Cells become cancerous when they are not able to perform their usual functions and interact with other cells, particularly respond to their signals. Cancer cells start to divide much quicker than common cells, forming cells masses – tumors. Malignant (cancerous) tumors are unable to respond to cells signals and due to that, they invade healthy tissue damaging it and stealing its nutrition. Tumor cells can also be separated from the tumor mass and travel the human body invading other tissues and organs, these cells are called metastasis. Even after the surgery, when main tumor has been removed, there is a probability that cancerous cells stayed somewhere in the organism and may produce another tumor or cancer type.
Cancer is not a single disease, but a set of diseases. The type of cancer depends on the tissue cells invade. There are more that hundred types of cancer. The name of oncology type is usually given after the body part cancer cells attack. The most frequent type of cancer is carcinoma – the skin cancer. Carcinoma comprises 90% of all cancers as the skin is the biggest human organ. Among other frequent cancers sarcoma (cancer of connecting tissues), leukemia and lymphoma (cancer of blood and blood-forming tissues, such as lymph nodes, spleen and bone marrow) can be distinguished.
Cancer always goes through certain stages of development, accompanied by a number of characteristics and clinical symptoms. Due to that, the International TNM classification of tumors was developed, in order to simplify, classify and distinguish cancer types. Three main characteristics of this classification is T – local tumor growth, N – spread to local lymph nodes, and M – metastasis. Together, T, N and M factors show how dangerous is a separate cancer type for a particular person with cancer disease.
This set of characteristics is used to determine the overall stage of cancer disease, which is designated as stage I, II, III or IV. The first category in this system «T» determines the size of the tumor and its spread to adjacent tissue. Primary tumor in the clinical classification is characterized by the symbols TX, T0, Tis, T1, T2, TK, T4. TX is used when the size and local spread of the tumor is impossible to determine. Sign T0 is used when the primary tumor is not determined. Tis is used with pre-invasive carcinoma (malignant tumors is held without signs of infestation). T1, T2, TK, T4 signs are used as the characteristics of the primary tumor, the designation of its size, the nature of growth and the relationship with neighboring tissues and/or organs.
The next category of «N» is related to involvement in the process of lymph nodes. It shows whether the tumor has spread to surrounding lymph nodes, and also indicates the number and size of the affected nodes. This is indicated by a number from 0 to 2. Status of regional lymph nodes (N) denote the categories of NX, N0, N1, N2
Category «M» indicates the presence or absence of distant metastases, i.e. metastatic growth at locations away from the original tumor. MX sign is used when the existence of distant metastasis cannot be confirmed. M0 sign is for the absence of distant metastasis and M1 indicates their presence. The approximate group of cancer by stages is next: 0 stage - Tis N0 M0; I stage (a-type) - T1 N0 M0; I stage (b-type) - T1 N1 M0 or T2a/b N0 M0; II stage - T1 N2 M0 or T2 a/b N1 M0 or T3 N0 M0; III stage (a-type) - T2 a/b N2 M0 or T3 N1 M0 or T4 N0 M0; III stage (b-type)- T3 N2 M0; IV stage - T4 N1-3 M0 or T1-3 N3 M0, or Any T and N when M1 (Greene et al., 2002).
Complications and Their Treatment
Despite the variety of cancer types, complications are often typical and similar. Sometimes, a complication is the first clinical implication of cancer. Hemorrhage is the first and rather widespread symptom. Kidney and urinary bladder malignant tumors can be defined by the appearance of blood in the urine. A gastrointestinal cancer can be found by the blood in the stool, and it can be both fresh and digested. These symptoms are associated with small exsanguination of tumors, but sometimes strong bleeding occurs due to erosion of the major blood vessels by cancer or, treatment of cancer without surgery.
Burst is the most significant complication in oncology of the digestive system, as it is accompanied by suppuration in the abdominal cavity, which in medicine is called peritonitis.
Cachexia is the abnormal weight loss. It is the most typical complication for cancer disease. Tumor contamination appears when tumor tissue and the tumor itself become infected by various types of bacteria. Macrovessels compartment syndrome can appear on the large vessels located near the tumor. This occurs due to the fact that large arteries and aorta are difficult to squeeze, but have weaker vein walls and are compressed.
Every type of complication needs to be treated, since every irregularity in patient’s state can complicate the cancer care. Various infections, sepsis and suppurations during cancer are treated as usual ones, i.e. with antibiotics. Sometimes the infection appearance in the organism leads to high blood pressure and low oxygen level. In this case, patient is treated with corresponding medications, and to keep a proper oxygen level, a patient uses an oxygen mask. Various types of the vascular system diseases, i.e. thromboembolic complications are treated by anticoagulants. Cachexia has non-medical treatments. It is usually related to the appetite loss, thus it is recommended to give patient food in very small portions and more times per day.
Physiological and Psychological Side Effects
Cancer has a tremendous traumatic impact on anyone and affects all aspects of human life. Cancer diagnosis today is thought to be a death-warrant. Changes occur both in physical and emotional state of the patient.
The most common treatment for cancer, along with surgery, is radiation oncology and chemotherapy. These methods are rather effective, since the dimensions of tumors and existence of cancer cells in organism decreases, but such treatment has unpleasant consequences. Patients have a weakness, nausea, psilosis (hair loss), and a general decrease in the body’s ability to resist infections. Such therapy affects not only the cancer itself, but also surrounding tissues.
The most significant side effect has surgery, since it requires direct invasion into organism. The consequences of surgical treatment can be various, starting from sepsis and to inability of the body to withstand general anesthesia and death. It is often necessary to remove not only the tumor itself, but the target affected organ in order to prevent cancer cells to spread all over the body. Other consequences may be hemorrhage, thrombosis (venous congestion) and thromboembolism (arterial congestion).
Among psychological side effects, anxiety, fear, low mood, asthenia, hypochondria, and apathy can be distinguished. These appear due to sharp and dramatic changes in life and the impossibility to make prognoses on their future life, since it is always hard to predict how cancer affects the human organism and what steps are necessary to take in order to stay alive. Patients feel lack of confidence in their future. They are worried about the ability to resume work, how their near and dear will take them home etc. The most troublesome are thoughts about incomplete recovery, the absence of radical cure method or absence of treatment at all.
Patients change their attitude to favorite entertainments and activities, lose interest in domesticities. Patients constantly experience disability, loss of female attractiveness, and impotence in men, and it is not only related to the presence of cancer, but its consequences. The difficulties in the realm of private life are especially painful.
To conclude, cancer is the widespread and frightening diagnosis. Since the majority of cancer patients die and there is no 100 per cent successful cancer treatment, the cancer diagnosis is not a death-warrant. Globalization and the development of information technologies allow patients and people to know more about the disease and how to prevent it. These factors also increase the experience exchange rates between medical specialists of different countries all over the world in order to help every patient to cure cancer and live long and happy life.
