Tanya Cagnetti:
CANCER
With the advancements in modernisation, many diseases have crept in into the human population. A good number of them are due to factors like sedentary lifestyle habits, improper dietary habits and a fast paced life. The hectic life nowadays leaves no time for the people to focus on their health. This leads to the development of numerous health issues which make the people suffer gravely in the long run. Some of these diseases may even prove to be fatal. One such disease is Cancer. It is a disease that can affect almost any part of the body and may prove to be extremely dangerous in certain cases.
(Cancerresearchuk.org, 2016)
The basic pathology of cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells. It occurs when there is failure of multiple control systems within a single cellular unit. Normally, a cell divides depending on the requirements of the body. it receives a signal for such a division. This cellular growth is needed for normal growth, protection and repairing. From the very beginning of life an adult human requires cellular proliferation for growth. Huge numbers of proliferations take place from the time an ovum is fertilized and converted into an egg. The cell proliferation needs to be controlled in order to ensure that the amount of proliferation is accurate as per the needs of the body it is occurring at the right place and at the right time. Most of the time our control mechanism work as per the requirements of the body, however, there may be some derangements in any growth promoting system of cell and they may start malfunctioning. In this situation the cell will begin proliferating at a considerable higher rate and in an inappropriate manner when such a thing happens, it is termed as cancer (Sompayrac, 2008).
It is a known fact that the malignancy in the phenotype is determined at the genetic level and there is a substantial role of the interaction between genetic makeup and environmental factors of cells which influences the course of a specific type of tumor. In some cases, mutational changes in particular genes increase the risk of predispositions to cancerous growth (Cowell, 2001).
(Cancer.ca, 2016)
An old adage says, not every tumor is a cancer, but every cancer is a tumor. Tumors are of two types benign and malignant. Benign tumors are not harmful by nature, they can be simply removed and in most of the cases they do not carry much life threatening implications. The cellular structure of a benign tumor confines itself to the area of its initiation and does not spread to other parts of the body. Whereas, malignant tumor can be called as cancerous, it is made up of cells which grow out of control. The cells of a malignant tumor are very likely to spread to the nearby areas and to the distant parts of the body also. Malignant cells may move from the original site and lodge themselves into a distant organ or bones where they grow and develop a new tumor in the latter area (Pancreatic Cancer Action, 2016).
Each cell carries some basic coded information about the functioning and the activities that it performs. Different types of genes are found to be actively performing in different cells. That is why a brain cell is able to carry out different activities from a muscular cell. Genes are also responsible for carrying the coded information for the functioning of the cell such as its growth, repair and normal functioning. Usually the growth of the normal cells is controlled by the activity of different genes. However, when there is a fault in these genes or when the controlling mechanism is damaged it can lead to abnormal growth and division of cells. This ultimately results in cancerous growth. Genes are not directly responsible for causing cancer, but when they function abnormally, they can lead to cancerous development.
Cancer itself is not an inheritable disease, however, some people carry a higher risk of developing cancer as a result of inheritance. The reason for such inheritance is that that they have inherited somewhat damaged form of a gene which had an involvement in controlling the cellular division. A single damaged gene is not sufficient enough to transform cells into cancerous ones. In normal situations, more than two different types of genes which have undergone sufficient damage are required for making a cell cancerous.
A tumor generally starts with single cancerous cell which begins to grow and divide. The resultant cancerous mass develops into a new structural organisation requiring a new blood supply for the fulfilment of its Oxygen and nutritional requirements and for removing the waste products. In the absence of a blood supply the cells in the centre of the tumor dies off due to the lack of nutrition and oxygen. Most of the tumors without a blood supply are not able to grow more than a millimetre in size. When they start growing, tumors tend to release some hormonal molecules which attract the nearby blood vessels to start growing towards the growth until and unless they are actually able to obtain a new blood vessel for themselves (Worldwidecancerresearch.org, 2016).
Different systems of Staging are used for classification of cancer. The TNM system of Staging does the assessment of cancer in 3 different ways, they are, the size of the tumor with its extension denoted by letter P, the involvement of the regional lymph nodes denoted by letter N and the presence of metastasis to distant parts denoted by letter M. Upon classifying the tumor on the basis of TNM system, a stage ranging from 0 to IV is assigned to the particular tumor. The TNM system of Staging is more commonly used in clinical practices. Another less complex system of Staging, known as the summary stage was used in the past by central cancer registry. Cancers are also classified as in situ cancer, local cancer, regional cancer, and distant cancer depending on the extent or spread of the cancer (Siegel et al., 2012).
According to the census 2012, in the very year 14.1 million new cases of cancer were recorded and 8.2 million cancer deaths were registered. The most commonly diagnosed type of cancer were lung cancer (affecting 1.82 million people), followed by breast cancer (affecting 1.67 million people), colorectal cancer (affecting 1.36 million people). The commonest causes of death by cancer were lung cancer (taking 1.6 million live), liver cancer (taking 745,000 lives) and stomach cancer (taking 723,000 lives) (Ferlay et al., 2014).
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(Miamiherald.com,2016)
Some of the common forms of treatment for cancer include surgical removal, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, stem cell transplant and precision medicine. Some of the patients may require only one form of treatment. However, most of the cancer patients need a combination of treatments like surgery along with chemotherapy of Radiation therapy (National Cancer Institute, 2016).
The treatment of cancer comes along with various Side Effects. The patients who have undergone treatment of cancer develop a risk of having long term cancer treatment side effects. There can be various types of side effects as a result of cancer treatment depending on the type of treatment chosen. Survivors of bone cancer and other soft tissue cancers often experience emotional and physical effects as a result of losing a part of or an entire limb. Patients who have undergone removal of lymph nodes or radiation therapy to the lymph nodes are liable to develop lymphedema. Females who have undergone surgeries of the pelvis or abdominal region as a part of surgical treatment of cancer may develop infertility. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy of the chest region can lead to heart diseases. Hypertension is other major risk factor which may develop as a result of cancer treatment. Certain lung diseases may also crop up as a result of chemotherapy and radiotherapy of the chest (Cancer.met, 2016). Some amount of emotional distress is normal in a patient suffering from cancer. However, some patients may be more affected than others. Most of the people suffering from cancer develop a certain degree of depression, anxiety and fear. The feeling of isolation, vulnerability, sadness, guilt and disbelief makes the life of a cancer patient miserable. It is important to provide psychological counselling for such patients to remain strong in the face of the inevitable distress. The patient should be encouraged to involve themselves in activities that make them feel happy. The patients should be encouraged to talk about their feelings and make healthy lifestyle choices. They should also try different relaxation therapies, stress management interventions, laughter therapy and energy therapy (Cancercenter.com, 2016). Different organisations have taken up the initiative of providing support to the cancer patients on an emotional level. The organisation enrols cancer patients and their caregivers. The union of different cancer patients going through the similar phases of life comes as a psychological relief for the patients of cancer in the need of emotional support. The patients get to meet different cancer survivors and feel encouraged. There are online sites which do the similar function. They connect different patients from various parts of the world who remain connected to each other through the internet. The sites take up different projects for the well being of the patients. Certain anthologies are built up by such sites, organisations and people (Crehan, 2016). They inspire the people to connect with people around the world and share their feelings, pains, sorrows, joys, fears and moments of loneliness. These sites also collect funds which are then used for the treatment of cancer patients in need. Some may simply aim at providing emotional support or some may even take a step ahead and provide financial aid to the patients in need.
The disease named as cancer, is indeed a disease of great concern. Improvements in our knowledge and understanding of science have helped in developing treatment for this life threatening condition. The treatment of this deadly disease is another distress that the patient undergoes through. The cancer patients need immense support and love from their near ones to cope up with the situations they are subjected to.
References
Basic Information About Cancer | Worldwide Cancer Research. (2016). Worldwidecancerresearch.org. Retrieved 19 June 2016, from http://www.worldwidecancerresearch.org/research/cancer-basics
Cancer.ca. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.cancer.ca/~/media/CCE/5850/ecc7d1d27275a4b9cb29cf31ea08780d.png
Cancerresearchuk.org. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/cancer-cells-growing.jpg
Cowell, J. (2001). Molecular genetics of cancer. Oxford: Bios.
Crehan, M. (2016). Celebration of Life: A cancer Anthology. Kickstarter. Retrieved 19 June 2016, from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1020805753/celebration-of-life-a-cancer-anthology
Emotional / psychological: Managing Cancer Treatment Side Effects | CTCA. (2016).Cancercenter.com. Retrieved 19 June 2016, from http://www.cancercenter.com/community/managing-side-effects/emotional-psychological/
Ferlay, J., Soerjomataram, I., Dikshit, R., Eser, S., Mathers, C., & Rebelo, M. et al. (2014). Cancer incidence and mortality worldwide: Sources, methods and major patterns in GLOBOCAN 2012.International Journal Of Cancer, 136(5), E359-E386. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ijc.29210
Long-Term Side Effects of Cancer Treatment. (2016). Cancer.Net. Retrieved 19 June 2016, from http://www.cancer.net/survivorship/long-term-side-effects-cancer-treatment
Miamiherald.com. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.miamiherald.com/living/health-fitness/oopste/picture78887262/ALTERNATES/FREE_640/05-20-CancerMelanoma
Siegel, R., DeSantis, C., Virgo, K., Stein, K., Mariotto, A., & Smith, T. et al. (2012). Cancer treatment and survivorship statistics, 2012. CA: A Cancer Journal For Clinicians, 62(4), 220-241. http://dx.doi.org/10.3322/caac.21149
Sompayrac, L. (2008). How the immune system works. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Pub.
Types of Treatment. (2016). National Cancer Institute. Retrieved 19 June 2016, from http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types
What is the difference between a benign and malignant tumour? · Pancreatic Cancer Action. (2016).Pancreatic Cancer Action. Retrieved 19 June 2016, from https://pancreaticcanceraction.org/about-pancreatic-cancer/diagnosis/faq/difference-benign-malignant-tumour/
