There is one thing that all cancers have in common: they start when healthy cells turn into dangerous cells that grow and spread. The genes in your body tell your cells things like when to grow and when to stop. Cancerous cells don’t care about these directions, but healthy cells do.
In the United States, cancer kills two out of every three people who die. There are still cancer deaths, but not as many as there were 20 years ago. Cancer is being cured and people with cancer are living longer thanks to early diagnosis and new treatments.
Types
Cancerous tumors comes in more than 100 different types. Doctors put them into groups based on where they start in your body and what kind of tissue they effect. Cancer can be broken down into three main groups:
This is the most common type of cancer, making up between 80% and 90% of all cases. Cancer of the skin, breast, stomach, and lungs is an example of epithelial tissue. Sarcoma is an example of bone and connective tissue.
• Blood cancers: These start in your blood cells or lymph vessel system. Leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma are some examples.
• Mixed: Cancers that fall into two groups or subtypes. Carcinosarcoma and adenosquamous cancer are two examples.
How many people get cancer?
Cancer is the second most common reason people die in the world. Researchers think that more than 2 million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer and more than 611,000 will die from it in 2024Cancer will happen to about 1 in 4 people at some point in their lives.
Most people in the U.S. get these types of cancer:
Cancer of the breast
Lung cancer
Head and neck disease
Cancer of the colon
Cancers of the blood
People of all races and genders can get cancer, but the rates vary. The 2022 Annual Report on Cancerous tumors says that the illness is:
• A little more people who were assigned male at birth (AMAB) are affected than people who were assigned female at birth (AFAB).
• It’s worse for people over 60 than for people of any other age.
• More Black guys (AMAB) are affected than folks of other races.
• It takes a toll on American Indian and Alaska Native women more than on women of other races.
Signs and Reasons
Different people with cancer have different signs. They depend on the type of cancer and how far along it is.
Some general signs of Cancerous tumors are:
Tiredness
a fever that seems to happen at night
Not wanting to eat.
Sweating at night
Pain that won’t go away
Changes in the skin, especially any spots that get bigger or change shape.
Loss of weight for no reason
In some cases, cancer may cause extra signs that are special to a certain organ. This could mean:
• Blood in your poop or pee.
• A mole on the skin that changes its size, color, or shape.
• Blood in the throat.
• New bumps or lumps.
This isn’t a complete list. And just because you have these signs doesn’t mean you have tumors.
Cancer is a hard disease to understand. There are different signs and symptoms for each type. Cancerous tumors can also be present for many years without being aware of it. Sometimes, it can show up as clear signs that get worse very quickly.
As a general rule, you should tell your doctor about any change in your body that lasts longer than two weeks.
What makes cancer happen?
Cancer is caused by faulty genes. But that doesn’t always mean it’s passed down. It takes place when genes that control how cells work change. They make cells that aren’t working normally, which divide and multiply and mess up the way your body works in the long run.
These cells form masses, which are groups of cancer cells. Cancerous cells can get out of lumps and move to other parts of your body through your bloodstream or lymphatic system. This is known as spread in the medical world.
Say you have a growth in your breast that grows to your lungs and makes it hard for you to breathe. Some types of blood cancer cause your bone marrow to make blood cells that aren’t working right and keep multiplying without stopping. In the end, the abnormal cells push out the normal ones.
Researchers say that between 5 and 10 percent of all cancers are caused by inherited genetic mutations, which are changes you can’t change. Most of the time, cancer is caused by a DNA abnormality that someone gets. It takes place over the course of your life. Researchers in medicine have found a number of things that can make you more likely to get cancer.
• Things that could go wrong
• Doctors have an idea of what might make you more likely to get cancer, but most Cancerous tumors happen to people who don’t have any known risk factors.
Some things that are known to make you more likely to get cancer are:
• How old you are
• It can take decades for cancer to start. This is why most people who get cancer are 65 or older. Even though it happens more often in older people, anyone of any age can be labeled with cancer.
The things you do
• Some choices you make in your daily life are known to make you more likely to get cancer. Cancer can be caused by smoking, drinking more than one drink a day (for women) or up to two drinks a day (for men), being overweight, being in the sun too much or getting burning sunburns often, and having sex that isn’t safe.
If you want to lower your risk of getting cancer, you can change these habits. Some habits are easier to break than others.
• The past of your family
• Only a small percentage of cancers are caused by a genetic trait. If someone in your family has cancer a lot, genes may be being passed down from parent to child. You may be able to get DNA tests to find out if you have any inherited mutations that could make you more likely to get some types of cancer. Remember that having a genetic variation that you got from your parents doesn’t always mean you’ll get cancer.
• Where you are physically
• Some long-term illnesses, like ulcerative colitis, can make you much more likely to get some types of cancer. Talk to your doctor about the chance of something bad happening.
• Where you live
• The toxins in your surroundings may be bad for you and raise your risk of getting cancer. If you live with someone who smokes or go places where people smoke, you might breathe in secondhand smoke even if you don’t smoke. Chemicals in your home or office, like asbestos and benzene, can also make you more likely to get cancer.
Having problems
Cancerous tumor and its care can lead to a number of problems, such as
• Hurt. Cancer and its treatment can both cause pain, but not all cancer is painful. Cancer-related pain can be effectively treated with medicine and other methods.
. Tiredness. There are many reasons why people with cancer feel tired, but it’s usually possible to deal with it. It’s normal to feel tired after chemotherapy or radiation therapy, but it usually only lasts for a short time.
• Having trouble breathing. Being short of breath may be a sign of cancer or its treatment. Treatments might make things better.
• Headaches. Some types of cancer and some cancer medicines can make you feel sick. Your doctor may be able to tell ahead of time if your treatment will make you sick. Some medicines and other treatments may help you stop or lessen your sickness.
• Watery or hard stools. Having cancer or being treated for cancer can make your guts hurt and make you have diarrhea or constipation.
• Loss of weight. Cancer and the medicines used to treat it may make you lose weight. Cancer takes nutrients from healthy cells by stealing their food. It’s hard to treat because it doesn’t always matter how many calories or what kind of food are eaten. Most of the time, putting fake food into your stomach or vein through a tube does not change the way you lose weight.
• Changes in the way your body works. Cancer can throw off your body’s usual chemical balance and make you more likely to have major problems. Some signs and symptoms of chemical changes are having a lot of thirst, going to the bathroom a lot, having trouble going to the bathroom, and feeling confused.
• Problems with the brain and nerves. Cancer can put pressure on nerves nearby, making one part of your body hurt and unable to do its job. Brain cancer can give you headaches and symptoms that look like a stroke, like being weak on one side of your body.
• Strange responses from the immune system to cancer. When there is cancer in the body, the immune system may attack good cells in some cases. These very uncommon responses are called paraneoplastic disorders, and they can cause a wide range of signs and symptoms, such as seizures and trouble walking.
• Cancer that gets worse. Cancer may expand to other parts of the body as it gets worse. Different types of cancer spread to different places.
• Cancer that comes back. People who have survived cancer may get it again. It’s more likely for some cancers to come back than for others. Talk to your doctor about what you can do to lower your chance of getting cancer again. Your doctor may come up with a plan for your care after treatment. In the months and years after your treatment, this plan may include regular scans and tests to check for cancer that has come back.
Do genes cause cancer?
Genetic factors can make cancer more likely to happen.
The genetic code of a person tells their cells when to divide and die. When genes change, they can send the wrong orders to the cells, which can lead to cancer.
Genes also affect how proteins are made by cells. Proteins carry many of the directions for how cells grow and divide.
Some genes change proteins that fix cells that are broken. This could lead
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to a higher risk of getting cancer. If a parent has these genes, they might give their child the changed directions. This might be called a genetic gene abnormality by a doctor. These changes may play a role in the growth of up to 10% Known Source
many cases of cancer.
Some changes to genes that raise the risk of getting cancer happen after birth. These changes are known as “acquired gene mutations” in the medical field. Some possible reasons are smoking and being in the sun a lot. More often than inherited gene defects, these genetic changes lead to cancer.
Chemical signals that tell cells how to turn on and off certain genes can also change in ways that can lead to cancer. This might be what doctors call “epigenetic changes.”
How to Diagnose and Test?
When doctors think someone has cancer, they start by giving them a full physical check. They will ask you to name your symptoms and talk about any medical background in your family. Besides that, they might need to:
• Blood tests to look for cancer, such as a full blood count (CBC), blood protein tests, and tumor marker tests.
CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, and iodine metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIGB) are some examples of imaging tests.
• Biopsies, which can be done surgically (with a cut) or non surgically (with a needle).
• Genetic testing for cancer to find out what kind of cancer someone has and how to treat it if it runs in the family.
How is the stage of cancer found?
Cancer staging methods help doctors plan treatment and come up with a prognosis, or what they think the result will be.
There are four stages of most cancers. The exact stage depends on a number of things, such as the size and location of the growth.
When cancer has grown into nearby tissue or lymph nodes, it is generally called stage I-III (1-3), which means “early stage” or “locally advanced.”
If you have cancer that has spread to other parts of your body through your bloodstream or lymphatic system, you are in Stage IV (4).
How to Manage and Treat?
Based on your needs, your doctor may use more than one treatment, or they may combine procedures. Some common ways to treat cancer are:
• Surgery: Can get rid of dangerous growths that haven’t spread.
Cancerous cells are killed by chemotherapy, which uses strong drugs given by pill or IV (through a needle in a vein).
A lot of radiation is used in radiation therapy to kill cancer cells.
Immunotherapy: This method uses your immune system to fight off the illness.
• Targeted therapy: This type of treatment goes after the genetic changes that turn regular cells into cancer cells.
• Hormone therapy: stops chemicals that cause cancer. For instance, people who were born male and have prostate cancer might be given drugs that lower testosterone, which can make prostate cancer worse.
• A bone marrow transfer replaces sick blood stem cells with healthy ones.
Getting treatment for cancer can have a number of side effects. These side effects are different for everyone because they depend on the treatment and how well their body responds to it. Tell your doctor if you have any side effects while you are being treated for cancer. They might be able to help you by giving you advice or medicine.
Safety First
Doctors have found a number of ways to lower your chance of getting cancer, such as:
• Don’t smoke. Give up smoking. Don’t start smoking if you don’t already. People who smoke are more likely to get cancer than just lung cancer. You will be less likely to get cancer in the future if you stop now.
• Don’t spend too much time in the sun. The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can make you more likely to get skin cancer. Stay out of the sun as much as possible by covering up, wearing protected clothes, or putting on sunscreen.
• Take care of your health. You should eat a lot of fruits and veggies. Choose meats that are lean and whole carbs. Cut down on the amount of prepared meat you eat.
• Work out most days of the week. Cancer risk goes down when you work out regularly. Try to work out for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Start out slowly and work your way up to 30 minutes or more if you haven’t been working out as much.
• Stay at a good weight. Being overweight or fat might make you more likely to get cancer. Getting and staying at a healthy weight can be done by eating well and working out regularly.
• If you choose to drink, do so in limits. If you do decide to drink booze, don’t drink too much. That means that healthy people can have up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men.
• Make appointments for cancer screenings. Talk to your doctor about what kinds of cancer screenings are best for you based on the things that put you at risk.
• Talk to your doctor about getting shots. Some bugs can make you more likely to get cancer. Some viruses, like hepatitis B, which raises the risk of liver cancer, and human papillomavirus (HPV), which raises the risk of cervical cancer and other cancers, may be able to be avoided by getting vaccinated. Talk to your doctor about whether getting a shot against these viruses is right for you.
The outlook or prognosis
What are the chances of beating cancer?
Your chance of getting better is also unique. Your doctors will decide how to treat you based on things like
• Your health in general.
• What kind of cancer do you have?
. What type of cancer do you have?
How well do you do with treatment?
There isn’t a single way to cure cancer, but some types do well with care. A lot of people notice that their symptoms and signs get better. These times are known as recovery by medical professionals. You are in partial recovery when your symptoms and signs are less severe. When you have complete recovery, you no longer have any signs.
As a result, results are different for each type of cancer. People who find out they have cancer and start treatment before it spreads tend to have a better attitude. Even if the cancer has spread to other parts of your body, treatment can still slow its growth, ease your symptoms, make you live longer, and make your life better.
How many people with cancer survive?
The survival rates are guesses based on what a lot of people with different types of cancer have been through. Survival numbers are different for each type of cancer, stage, and treatment.
It is important to keep in mind that mortality rates are just figures. Some medicines might not work on your body or they might not be able to tell you how long you’ll live. These numbers can help you understand what they mean for you. Talk to your doctor or nurse about them.
Getting Along With
How do I look after myself?
In order to live with a cancerous tumor, you need to take care of yourself. This means different things to different people. You can lower your worry and improve your mental, social, and spiritual health by giving yourself some TLC when you need it. Here are some ways to take care of yourself:
• Think about art or music treatment.
• Join a support group where you can talk to people who are going through the same things you are.
• Get a massage, but first make sure your doctor says it’s okay.
• Talk to a chef about making a plan just for you.
• Do yoga, meditate, or something else that helps you be more aware.
• Watch a favorite movie or read a book you love.
• Take breaks whenever you need to, not just when you can.
• Choose when you can spend time with your family and friends, and make sure you still have time for yourself.
• Talk to a therapist or psychologist about how your sickness is making you feel.
• Write down what’s on your mind.
It’s okay if some of these things aren’t your thing. In the end? To feel good, do things that make you happy. Spend your time in ways that matter.
When do I need to see my doctor or nurse?
Tell your doctor about any problems you’re having while you’re getting treatment for cancer, even if they are side effects. A lot of the time, your doctor can find ways to make you feel better. If you’re not feeling well, don’t be afraid to get in touch.
What should I talk to my doctor about?
It’s true that knowledge is power. You will want to learn as much as you can if you have cancer. Here are some things you should ask your doctor or nurse:
• What kind of cancer do I have?
• Is the cancer now in other parts of my body?
• How likely is it that I will live?
• What kinds of treatments do you suggest?
• What are the good and bad things about my treatment?
• How long will it take to treat?
• Will I be able to work while this cancer treatment is going on?
• Will my fertility be affected by my cancererous tumor treatment?
• Will I have to stay in the hospital while I get better?
• Would taking part in a research study be a good idea for me?
Questions people often ask
There are a lot of questions and answers about cancer below.
In what ways can I tell if I have cancer before it gets worse?
Some types of cancer show signs early on, while others don’t show signs until they are further along. A lot of these signs are caused by things that aren’t connected to Known Source sickness.
The best way to find cancer early is to see a doctor about any strange or long-lasting symptoms. They can then tell you what tests you may need.
Can cancer patients live a long time?
Each person’s view is different.
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Depending on the type of cancer they have and other things like how healthy they are in general and whether the cancererous tumor has spread.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) says that the total death rate from cancer has gone down by 33%.
For how long can someone with cancer not know they have it?
In the early stages, some types of cancer don’t show any signs. On account of this, a person might not understand they have the disease until it gets worse.
A message from the reprospot
Hearing these words may be the scariest thing you have ever heard. Everything seems so uncertain. You may be depressed, anxious, angry, or frustrated—or none of these at all. Whatever you are feeling is valid and acceptable. What are the implications for me? How will my life change going forward? How much time will I get to spend with my loved ones? Are these questions racing through your mind? You’re not alone. The day you were told you had cancer, you joined a group of people around the world who have survived cancer. On this trip, you’ll meet a lot of people. Use them and your friends and family to help you. These people who work in health care know how serious this life-changing event is and are here to help you in any way they can.
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