Introduction
Cancer is an uncontrolled growth or spread of abnormal cells in a human body; it is not a single disease, and it has a group of 200 different diseases . It means that cancers are similar in some ways; however, every type of cancer differs in the way of its growth or how it multiplies. Since cancer is not a single disease, it consists of many different types of cancer that could start in different parts of the body. Cancers differ in types that share one characteristic that is, unchecked growth and progress to a limitless expansion or increase. For example, it could start in the colon, breast, blood, or lungs . It is a fact that, cells are the basic units of life and it has certain function to perform, wherein every organism composes of one or more cells and normal cells divide to produce other cells necessary for the body. There is also an instance that cells divide and produce more cells even though it is not necessary or grow out of control. When the cells divide and produce other cells unnecessarily or out of control, it causes some problems in the body where the cancer originates, then mass of tissues forms or an extra tissue called tumor. In all kinds of tissue, tumor is possible to occur in the human body or in the biosystem of a patient as a renegade system of growth; however, it could be benign of malignant.
In 2004, one of the leading causes of death all over the world is cancer, accounted for about 7.4 millions that is 13 percent of all deaths, 21, 000 cancer deaths per day . This data is very alarming to every person to not to take cancer for granted, and should look for prevention and cure. In addition, as estimated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer or IARC, about 12.7 million new cancer cases occurred in 2008 all over the world. In these new cancer cases, occurred about 5.6 million in the developed countries and 7.1 million in developing countries, economically. By 2030, it is expected that the disease grows to 21.4 million new cancer cases, 13.2 million cancer deaths because of the aging growth population, reductions in childhood mortality, and death, as a global burden.
Some people are not well-informed or heard about the disease, and to those who are aware about it, affected either they experienced personally, or one or more of the members of the family were cancer survivors. Its prevalence is critical that most people would seriously ask about the growth, biology, detection, diagnosis, causes, and the best ways for its prevention, treatment, and cure. Most people with the help of the doctors and specialists about the approaches to care the disease or cancer. Many cancers are curable; others can be controlled with proper treatment. There is no single or reliable treatment used for all types of cancers. Currently, the main methods of treating cancers are surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy, respectively . These methods are used alone or in combination. Cancer is an alarming disease that causes multiple deaths all over the world; every human being affected by the disease has the sense of awareness and consciousness to look for prevention and treatment, to survive and live a healthy life.
Diagnosis and Staging of Cancer
Tumors are classified as either benign or malignant depending on whether it spreads by metastasis and invasion. The benign tumors cannot spread by metastasis or invasion, and it grows locally, while the malignant tumors are capable of spreading by metastasis and invasion. It implies that malignant tumor or known as cancer is more serious health than a benign tumor. The stage of cancer is used to assist plan treatment and to predict the chance of recovery of a patient. It is determined by three significant factors such as the size of the tumor, whether the disease or cancer spread to the lymph nodes, and spread to the other parts of the biosystem of the patient. In addition, factors include grade, tumor markers, and genes that are used to assist in describing the cancer in detailed. Staging is the best way of describing the location of the cancer, where it spread, and what part of the organ in the human body malfunctioned. Diagnostic tests are necessary to determine the stages of cancer, and the staging is not complete until the tests are through.
The early detection affects the results of the disease for some cancers. If the doctor found out that the patient has a cancer, it could determine what type of cancer the patient has and how fast it grows in the biosystem. The doctor also determines whether the cancer cells invaded in some healthy tissues or metastasized or spread to other significant part of the body. The early detection decreases the risk of death due to cancer, cancer mortality is reduced if the case is detected and treated early; the detection is the high priority of the doctors and researchers. The components of early detection efforts are the early diagnosis and screening. Early diagnosis is the awareness of early signs and symptoms to facilitate diagnosis and treatment beforehand, and prevent the disease to advance its stage. The screening method for some cancers is significant; it is designed to check for cancer in people without symptoms. It is a systematic application of screening tests, and it aims to identify the person with abnormality, and refer for more diagnosis and treatment promptly.
The doctors determine the stages of cancer by the combination of T (size or extent of the primary tumor), N (the amount of spread to nearby lymph nodes), and M (the presence of metastasis or secondary tumors) classifications. Cancers consist of different stages; stage 0 (zero), and stages I (one) to IV (four), respectively. Stage 0 means in place, still located where it started, and no invasion to nearby tissues. Stage 0 is very curable, and tumor is removed through surgery. Stage I is a small tumor that grown in the nearby tissues deeply, however, is not spread to the lymph nodes or parts of the body. Stag-stage I is known as the early-stage cancer. Stages II and III are tumors with large sizes, grown in the nearby tissues, spread to the lymph nodes, and not to the other part of the body. Last, stage IV, the tumor spread to the other organs of the body, and it is an advanced cancer.
Complications of Cancer
There are many complications of cancers and its treatment such as pain, fatigue, breathing difficulty, nausea, diarrhea or constipation, weight loss, chemical changes in the body, brain and nervous system problems, unusual immune system reactions, cancer that spreads, and cancer that returns. Pain is caused by cancer treatment, and the medications or approaches can cause cancer-related pain. Fatigue has many causes, associated with radiation therapy or chemotherapy treatments, however, it is temporary. Cancer treatment makes the patient fell a short breath, and the treatment can bring relief itself. Doctors can predict if the patient would experience nausea, and the medications can help cope with or prevent nausea. The bowel movement of the patient is affected due to cancer and the treatment. Commonly, patients with cancer experienced weight loss, and its chemical changes in the body can upset the normal balance and increase the risks of serious complication. The cancer complicates the nerves and cause pain and loss of function; the cancer that involves the brain can cause stroke, weakness in one side of the body. Some of the immune system of a patient reacts to the presence of a cancer, and attacks the immune system of the body known as the paranoeplastic syndrome; a rare reaction that can lead to difficult walking and seizures. The advanced cancer or the cancer metastasized to the biosystem, wherein the cancer affected other organs. Even the cancer survivors have chances that the cancer would occur at any time. A follow up care plan is advice by the doctor for further treatment such as periodic tests in months or years.
Side effects of Treatment
The chemotherapy drugs are powerful medications that can cause side effects physically, and the radiation therapy can damage the healthy or normal cells near the tumor. A lower than normal number of red blood cells lead to anemia, physically due to anemia the patient can feel nausea, vomiting, tired, or short breath. There is a build-up of lymph fluid called lymphedema, a swelling often occurs in arms and legs of the patient. Infections is also common to people with cancer or tumor, and harder to treat or cure. Another physical side effect is the fertility or sexual side effects to both women and men with cancer.
There are types of feelings or emotional or psychological side effects experienced by people with cancer that is, during and after the treatment. If the patient is fighting against cancer, is common to feel different emotions and most are difficult to handle or cope with the feelings. The ranges of emotions covers widely, however, not limited to shock or disbelief, fear or uncertainty, guilt, grief or sadness, anxiety, depression, anger or frustration, feeling of isolation, and vulnerability or helplessness. The psychological care is normal and very necessary to the patient and the family. It is very significant to address the emotional well-being of the patient to help relax and control the emotional status, and cope better during the treatment, overcome depression or anxiety in particular, and be able to be happy and enjoy life at its best.
Methods to lessen the Physical and Psychological Effects
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