Malignant tumor

Introduction to malignant tumors Cancer is also called a malignant tumor, and it is a benign tumor. Cancer is a disease caused by the loss of normal regulation and excessive proliferation of cells in the body. Hyperproliferative cells are called cancer cells. Cancer cells can often invade surrounding tissues (invasion) and can even be transferred to other parts of the body (cancer metastasis) via the circulatory system and/or lymphatic system in the body. There are many types of cancer, and the severity of the condition depends on where the cancer is located, how malignant it is, and whether it has metastasized. Once diagnosed, it is often treated in combination with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. If the cancer is left untreated, usually the end result will result in death. People of all ages are at risk of developing cancer, and as DNA damage increases with age, the chances of getting cancer increase as we get older. Cancer has become one of the leading causes of death in developed countries. One in four people who died each year in the United States died of cancer, a figure that is one hundred and one hundred and fifty thousand in the world. basic knowledge The proportion of illness: 20% Susceptible people: no special people Mode of infection: non-infectious Complications: spinal cord compression

Cause of malignant tumor

Carcinogenic factor (20%):

1, physical treatment factors, such as X-ray, ionizing radiation.

2, chemical carcinogens, such as nitrite (usually found in pickled vegetables or overnight dishes), aflatoxin.

3. Viral carcinogenic factors such as hepatitis B virus and herpes virus.

Lifestyle impact (20%):

Lifestyle has an impact on cancer, such as cigarettes, diet, exercise, alcohol, sun exposure, and sexually transmitted diseases. Cancer development is also related to the amount of melatonin in the body. When it takes a long time to stay in a bright environment, such as workers in the evening shift, the melatonin performance will be low, and the incidence of cancer is higher.

Inheritance of cancer (15%):

Most cancers are "spontaneous", but some cancers are still genetically related and often have significant effects and symptoms when they are inherited into defective tumor suppressor genes.

Biological reasons (15%):

Cancer is caused by a series of genetic mutations. Each mutation may have an effect on the subsequent functioning of the cell.

Cancer production means a series of processes that are damaged by deoxyribonucleic acid and cause the rate of cell division to be out of control, leading to cancer. Cancer is a disease caused by genes. When a gene that regulates cell growth is mutated or damaged, the cells are out of control, and they continue to grow and divide to produce tumors.

Cancer cells continue to grow without being regulated by external messages. It may be that the originally inactivated protooncogene is activated to introduce cells into a cancerous state, but mainly because of abnormalities in proteins involved in controlling cell division. This situation may be caused by the damage of the DNA encoded by the protein due to the mutation, and the resulting protein is also wrong. Converting a normal cell into a malignant cell requires many mutations to occur, or the process by which the gene is translated into a protein is disrupted.

Diffusion (15%):

In the process of tumor growth, although it can temporarily solve the problem of self-feeding by building blood vessels, rapid growth will push it to the edge of resource and space scarcity. The tumor will then spread. The process of increasing the aggressiveness of this tumor during growth is called evolution. The specific behavior is accelerated growth and begins to invade the surrounding normal tissues (cancer infiltration) and through the blood vessels to the distal end (cancer metastasis).

Cancer infection (15%):

Some patients receive organ transplants, and as a result of the tumor in the transplanted organ, the result is cancer.

Malignant tumor prevention

Do not urinate

The study found that the occurrence of bladder cancer is related to a person's drinking and urination habits. According to the data, the tumor cells showed that people who urinated 5 times a day were more likely to develop bladder cancer than those who urinated more than 6 times. This is mainly because drinking less water, urinating for a long time, easy to concentrate urine, urine stays in the bladder for a long time, urinary chemicals stimulate mucosal epithelial cells, leading to cancer. Drinking more water, urinating can play a role in "flushing" the bladder and removing harmful chemicals.

Quit smoking

Smoking has become a worldwide public nuisance, seriously threatening human health. There are comprehensive research reports on the incidence of cancer among smokers in the United States, Britain and Canada: smokers died 10.8 times more than non-smokers and 5.4 times died of laryngeal cancer. According to a report by the American Cancer Authoritative Research Institute, bad living habits account for 35% of cancer-causing factors and smoking accounts for 30%, which together account for 65%. Smoke is very harmful to the fetus, pregnant women smoke, children will be more than 50% more likely to develop cancer. In view of this, paying attention to the prevention of the above links can make most people stay away from cancer, and it is very important for everyone to start from themselves. Smoking is extremely dangerous and causes cancer regardless of the age group.

Drink more vegetable juice

Often drink beet juice (made from the roots and top), carrot juice (including B-carotene), asparagus juice. Fresh cabbage and carrots are used as a mixed vegetable juice with excellent results. Grape juice, cherry juice and all dark juices, including black vinegar and millet juice, are very good nutritious juices, and fresh apple juice is also beneficial. Juice is best served in the morning, while vegetable juice is best served in the afternoon. Drink only mineral water or distilled water.

Eat more raw radishes

Many people know that a drug called interferon is often used in hospitals. It is a glycoprotein produced by the human body's own white blood cells, which has the effect of inhibiting the rapid division of cancer cells in the body. However, there are very few interferons produced in the human body, so scientists have developed a class of drugs called interferon inducers that stimulate and induce the body to produce more interferon itself. In the daily diet, there are also some foods that can induce interferon, and the best effect is white radish. Studies have shown that the active ingredient of interferon-inducing agent, double-stranded ribonucleic acid, can be isolated from radish and has obvious inhibitory effects on cancer cells of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and cervical cancer. However, since the active ingredient is not heat-resistant, if it is cooked, it will be destroyed during the heating process, so raw radish is beneficial for preventing cancer.

Limit high fat diet

Studies have shown that fat-rich diets significantly increase the incidence of colon and breast cancer compared to low-fat diets. A high-fat diet is a booster for cancer cells.

Malignant tumor complications Complications spinal cord compression

In cancer patients, spinal cord compression can be as high as 20% due to cancer. The most common cause of spinal cord compression is bronchial lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, metastasis of adenocarcinoma and lymphoma of unknown origin. The mechanism of compression is that the cancer spreads to the vertebral body through the posterior vertebral vein or blood flow, causing epidural compression; the cancer can also be directly infiltrated through the intervertebral foramen from the chest and abdomen.

Symptoms of malignant tumors Common symptoms Loss of appetite, indigestion, difficulty in swallowing, progressive isting, mitosis, enlargement, abdominal depression, boat

Early manifestations of cancer: Regular physical examinations, not waiting for problems to occur is a good way to detect tumors early. But you should also be aware of some cancer-related symptoms: changes in bowel habits, long-term non-healing of the wound, painless, hard masses in the breast or other parts of the body, indigestion or difficulty swallowing, significant changes in sputum or sputum , or irritating cough or hoarseness. These symptoms are not necessarily signs of cancer, they may also be caused by other common diseases. But what's important is that if you have any of these symptoms, don't wait until you feel pain and see a doctor. Early cancer is usually painless.

In general, the symptoms of cancer can be divided into three categories:

Local symptoms:

Abnormal mass or swelling (tumor), and can cause obstruction or compression symptoms; bleeding, pain and ulcers. Because the tumor compresses the symptoms caused by the surrounding tissues, such as jaundice.

Symptoms of malignant metastasis:

Lymph node enlargement, cough, hemoptysis, hepatomegaly, bone pain, bone fracture due to tumor metastasis, and symptoms of the nervous system. Although pain can occur at the end of the cancer, pain is often not a symptom of malignant metastasis.

Systemic symptoms:

Fever, weight loss, loss of appetite, weakness, excessive sweating (night sweats), anemia, etc.

Accompanying syndrome

In addition, there are symptoms called tumor associated syndrome, which refers to the clinical symptoms of disorders in the hormone, nervous system, blood, biochemical processes, etc. due to new malignant tumors, but it is not directly related to tumor metastasis or invasion, such as thrombosis. Or a change in hormones.

All of the above symptoms may be caused by other diseases. Cancer is not necessarily the main cause of these symptoms. The exact cause still requires differential diagnosis.

Related symptoms

1. Weight loss for no reason

Nowadays people like to lose weight, but if there is no diet and no exercise, the weight is reduced by 10 pounds in one month. This should be noted, please check with your doctor. Of course, it may also be hyperthyroidism. The doctor will check the thyroid function first.

2, breast changes

Most women will check their breasts themselves. If there is a lump, of course, see a doctor. But other symptoms such as redness of the breast and thickening of the skin may also be a rare form of inflammatory breast cancer. If the local rash lasts for a few weeks or if the nipple has secretions (non-lactation) or the nipple contracts inward, these are not good signs and should be checked by a doctor.

3. Bleeding or other abnormal bleeding during menstruation

Premenopausal women tend to ignore some irregular bleeding. If the menstruation has been regular, suddenly there is bleeding during the period, you should pay attention. Also pay attention to bleeding after menopause, to exclude endometrial cancer.

4, skin changes

Most people know that when they become bigger, they may become cancerous. In addition, attention should be paid to abnormal skin pigmentation, or sudden bleeding or excessive scales. It is not necessarily how long these changes have occurred, but it is generally considered to be more than a few weeks.

5, difficulty swallowing

Only drink liquid or semi-liquid food, it is necessary to pay attention to digestive tract cancer, such as esophageal cancer, should be checked by a physician.

6, where bleeding should not be bleeding

There is blood in the stool, not necessarily hemorrhoids, but also exclude colon cancer. Can be used for colonoscopy. When you urinate, you can see blood in the toilet. In addition to menstruation, you should also exclude bladder cancer and kidney cancer. If you have hemoptysis, you should check it, especially if you cough up blood more than once.

7, abdominal cramps and depression

If both of them exist at the same time, you should ask your doctor to check it. Because some experts have found that depression is related to pancreatic cancer, the cause is unknown.

8, oral changes

Smokers should pay special attention to leukoplakia or white spots on the tongue. These may be precancerous manifestations and may develop into oral cancer.

9. Localized pain

Older people often suffer from pain here, and most of them are not because of cancer. However, if it is limited to a certain part of the pain, and can not explain the reason, you should ask the doctor to check.

10, lymph node changes

If the lymph nodes are swollen under the armpit or neck, or in other areas, please consult a physician. Especially if the lymph nodes continue to increase for more than one month, the inflammation or cancer should be excluded. If the cause cannot be found, a biopsy should be performed.

11, long-term fever

If it is not due to flu or other inflammation, consider cancer, sometimes even after the cancer has metastasized, but it may be early blood cancer, such as leukemia or lymphoma. It can also have jaundice or stool color changes.

12, continuous cough

Cough due to cold, cold or allergies can cause coughing. However, if you have a long-term cough for more than three weeks, you should carefully check for lung cancer.

Others such as bloating, fatigue, indigestion, etc. may also be cancerous, but the chances are less. The above symptoms are often ubiquitous, so do not form a cancer after seeing the above, believe in science, believe in regular hospitals. If you have ruled out cancer, you should be happy and happy to invest in a beautiful life and work!

Malignant tumor examination

If there are some symptoms related to cancer, the doctor will ask about the condition and do a medical examination for you. In addition, doctors usually do related tests and examinations, including imaging examinations of the body's condition; allowing doctors to directly observe endoscopy in certain organs; laboratory tests. In many cases, doctors need to cut the diseased tissue and examine the presence or absence of cancer cells under a microscope.

Biopsy

Patients may be suspected of having cancer through many symptoms or test results, but the most certain way to diagnose a malignant tumor is to confirm the presence of cancer cells by pathological examination of biopsies or surgically obtained tissues by pathologists.

Image inspection:

An image examination of a part of the body can help the doctor determine if a tumor is present. X-ray examination is the most common way for doctors, such as chest X-ray and X-ray examination of bones. There are also special X-ray examinations, such as CT scans: using a computer connected to an X-ray machine to produce a detailed image of the body.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (MRI):

Connecting a powerful electromagnet to a computer yields an image that is similar to a CT scan but has a different effect.

Radionuclide scanning:

The patient takes orally injects a substance that is slightly radioactive, and the radiation level of some organs is measured by a scanner, and then the doctor analyzes the abnormal area of the presence or absence of radiation concentration in an organ.

Ultrasound:

It is another way to check the internal structure of the body. This high-frequency sound wave, which cannot be heard, enters the body and bounces back, which forms an ultrasound image. These pictures can be displayed on a TV-like screen or printed on paper.

Endoscopic examination of common malignant tumor treatment: When performing endoscopy, the doctor can directly observe a very thin tube through the throat, trachea, esophagus, intestine, vagina or uterus, and collect abnormal tissues or cells. Pathological analysis.

Laboratory inspection:

Laboratory tests such as blood and urine tests can provide important information to doctors. If there is cancer in the body, the level of certain substances in the human body will become abnormal. The presence of certain tumors can be prompted by laboratory tests for blood, cerebrospinal fluid, bowel movements, and spasms.

Pathological biopsy:

Physical examinations, imaging examinations, endoscopy and laboratory tests can show abnormalities in the body, but only pathological biopsy can finally confirm whether it is cancer. In the biopsy, the doctor takes a small piece of tissue from the abnormal site or removes the entire tumor. The pathologist observes under the microscope. If it is determined that cancer is present, the pathologist can usually distinguish what kind of cancer is and can judge how fast the tumor cells grow.

Diagnosis and diagnosis of malignant tumors

The diagnosis of cancer depends mainly on the results of the examination, and it cannot be diagnosed by symptoms alone.

Biopsy

Patients may be suspected of having cancer through many symptoms or test results, but the most certain way to diagnose a malignant tumor is to confirm the presence of cancer cells by pathological examination of biopsies or surgically obtained tissues by pathologists.

Image inspection

An image examination of a part of the body can help the doctor determine if a tumor is present.

Sometimes cancer can be found before it causes symptoms. An examination of a person without any symptoms or at high risk is called a cancer screening. The cancer census includes physical examinations, laboratory tests, and direct or indirect visceral examinations. During the physical examination, doctors can find abnormal tumors; laboratory tests include blood and urine tests, cervical smears, and fecal occult blood tests; visceral examination can be directly examined by a doctor through a very thin tube such as a colonoscope And the inside of the colon, or indirectly through X-ray images (such as examination of intramammary tumors by molybdenum and palladium tablets). Doctors need to consider many factors before recommending an exam. For example, a person's age, medical history, general health, family history, and lifestyle habits. In addition, consider the accuracy and risk of inspection. If cancer is found, doctors need to consider the effectiveness and side effects of the treatment. Usually, early detection of the tumor, early treatment, the better the treatment.

The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments.