When it comes to cancer, many people are terrified. When it comes to tumors, many people are also afraid. There are still many people who put cancer and tumor on the same sign. In fact, cancer and tumor are still different. "Tumor" is a group of cells with uncontrolled growth. They can be divided into "benign tumors" and "malignant tumors" according to their characteristics, whether they are invasive, growth rate, cell morphology, and whether they will metastasize. "Malignant tumors" are what we call "cancers". Abnormal cells continue to proliferate and eventually occupy the living space of normal cells. They may also invade adjacent parts or even transfer to other organs. Not all cancers have tumors, for example, blood cancers do not form tumors. Some cancer cells will spread to other organs through the blood or lymph, and continue to proliferate and invade other organs.

People with a high incidence of cancer

 

For ordinary people, there are some people who are at high risk of cancer, so we need to pay special attention. One is inheritance: there are cancer patients among family members. The second is age: the incidence of cancer increases significantly with age. It reaches its peak at the age of 80! The third is environmental factors: those who are frequently exposed to high pollution sources (organic solvents, radiation, heavy metals or other industrial wastes such as dioxin, etc.), air pollution, etc. The fourth is an unhealthy diet: inadequate intake of vegetables and fruits, often eat pickled, smoked, grilled food. Fifth is bad living habits: like eating betel nuts, smoking, drinking, and lack of physical activity. Sixth, weight: excessive calorie intake can lead to obesity and increase the risk of cancer. Seventh is other: stress, excessive sun exposure, certain infections (such as hepatitis, human papilloma virus...).

Be alert for abnormalities

 

So for cancer, we have to do early detection and early treatment, how to detect early? If the body has the following abnormal conditions, then you must be vigilant! (1) Unexplained weight loss. (2) Unexplained fever. (3) Full body burnout and no improvement after rest. (4) Pain in specific parts of the body. (5) Skin changes, such as abnormal spots or color changes. (6) Wounds and ulcers will not heal for a long time. (7) Changes in bowel or urination habits, diarrhea and constipation alternate for a long time. (8) Swelling, thickening or lumps of tissues and organs for unknown reasons. (9) Abnormal bleeding or secretions. (10) Difficulty swallowing or indigestion of the gastrointestinal tract. (11) Long cough or hoarse voice. These are some common symptoms, but not all cancers will have the above symptoms, nor are they necessarily cancers. It is recommended that if your body is abnormal or uncomfortable, especially if it has lasted for a while, you should find a doctor to examine it to discuss possible problems and causes.

How is cancer diagnosed?

 

So how do you usually diagnose cancer? If the above symptoms appear and the doctor suspects that he may have cancer, he must make further confirmation, or further determine the type and severity of cancer, etc. The doctor may perform the following tests:

(1) Blood, urine and body fluid tests: such as some tumor markers, but this value is not suitable for diagnosing cancer alone.

(2) Imaging examination: such as ultrasound, X-ray examination, computed tomography (CT), nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission computed tomography (PET) and other high-tech imaging examinations, using different principles and features to find Help the doctor to infer the location and severity of the lesion by going out of the normal place in the body. Each of these examination methods has advantages and disadvantages, and there are some differences in the types of cancer applicable.

(3) Pathological examination: biopsy is performed through surgery or sampling with tissue aspiration needles, and then examined and interpreted by the pathology department to understand the characteristics of the tumor.

 

With the above inspection methods, let the medical team understand the type, differentiation, malignancy, size, scope of invasion, whether there is lymphatic metastasis or distant organ metastasis, and then plan the subsequent treatment based on these data.

Cancer treatment

 

If you are diagnosed with cancer, it is very important to choose the treatment that suits you! The most common treatment methods are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Others include local radiofrequency cauterization, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, stem cell transplantation, etc. Here are a few brief introductions:

(1) Surgery: The surgeon removes the tumor from the growth area or surrounding area. According to its size, degree of invasion and adjacent organs, it is decided whether it can be completely removed, or only partial removal can reduce the size of the tumor.

(2) Chemotherapy: using drugs to enter the body through intravenous injection or oral drugs

The body, killing cancer cells or slowing down their growth rate, is a systemic treatment.

(3) Radiation therapy: It is a kind of local therapy. The main principle is to use high-calorie radiation to damage the cells, causing abnormal function of the cells to induce death, and to prevent the growth and proliferation of cancer cells.

(4) Immunotherapy: fight against cancer by enhancing the function of immune cells in patients

a way.

(5) Targeted therapy: As the name implies, it specifically targets the tumor growth-related targeting (can

It is an enzyme or protein) to suppress tumors. Compared to chemotherapy, it does less damage to normal cells.

(6) Hormone therapy: for some cancers related to hormones (such as breast cancer and prostate cancer), by regulating the production of hormones in the body, to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

(7) Stem cell transplantation: patients must receive high-dose chemotherapy or systemic radiation therapy before transplantation to reduce the number of cancer cells or suppress their immune system

Implantation of imported stem cells facilitates reconstruction of the patient's hematopoietic system and immune system.

 

With the advancement of medical treatment, there are more and more treatment methods. Physicians will consider various factors such as the severity of disease, age, nutritional status, and complications of patients to help patients formulate suitable individualized treatment methods, which may be a single It may also be combined with several other ways to treat. Patients and their families should discuss with the doctor to understand the disease status, treatment options, and possible adverse reactions. I believe that professional and early treatment will not delay the condition.