CANCER
What is cancer?
A illness that stems from abnormal changes within the cells that lead to uncontrollable cell division & growth
The type and name of the cancer is determined by its place of origin
Metastasis is the process in where cancer spreads: the cancer cells move through the body & start developing in a new location
There are more than a 100 types of Cancers that fall into 2 categories: Hematologic Cancer (blood cancer) & Solid Tumour Cancer (Cancer of organs & tissues)
Tumours
Tumours are lumps or growths formed from mass amounts of abnormal cells that can be either malignant or benign
Benign tumours are non-cancerous and typically stay in one location, once the tumour is removed it usually doesn't come back
A diagram of a tumour
Malignant tumours are cancerous and will spread to nearby organs & tissues, cancerous tumours are more likely to reappear again later on
How is cancer causes?
Cancer is created from multiple changes in the cells genes
Many factors are carcinogen/agents to cancer
Lifestyle habits
Family genetics
The environment
Cancer can also be caused from no known cause
How developed & spread out the cancer is when discovered determines what stage of cancer the patient has
Stage 1&2 refer to a cancer in the beginning stages that has yet to spread
Diagnosing Cancer
Stage 3&4 refers to a cancer that is well developed and has gone through metastasis and has spread to other areas of the body
Cancer can be diagnosed through the seeing of shadows/masses in X-rays, endoscopes, and biopsy
Cancer can also be noticed through symptoms: the patient could experience slight discomfort, tiredness, loosing or gaining weight, or other health complications
A biopsy =
Cancer can also be found through cancer screening: a screening that takes place with no cancer related symptoms present
A biopsy is a technique where samples of tissues are used for cancer tests and to be examine closer for abnormalities
A real life representation of a Biopsy =
Cancer Symptoms
Leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma are examples of hematologic cancer
Breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal are examples of solid tumour cancer
Patients with bladder cancer can experience trouble urinating, blood in the urine, or change in urinating patterns
Patients with colon cancer can experience change in bowel habits, and blood in the stools
Patients with breast cancer can experience lumps & firmness on or underneath the breast, nipple changes & discharge, skin in the area that is itchy, red, scaly, dimpled, or puckered
Patients with neurological/brain cancer can experience severe headaches, seizures, vision change, hearing change, and drooping of the face
Patients with skin cancer can experience a flesh coloured lump that bleeds or turns scaly, a new mole or change in existing mole, a sore that won't heal, or jaundice
Patients with soft-tissue sarcoma cancer can experience swelling, lumps, or the feeling fullness in the contaminated body part
Many cancerous patients can experience bleeding or bruising of no known reason, cough or hoarseness that never gets better, eating problems and appetite change, vomiting, sever tiredness, fevers & night sweats, white or red patches in the mouth or on the tongue, bleeding, pain, or numbness of the lips & mouth, and unknown weight gain or loss
Lymphoma forms from B cells or T cells
Myeloma is a cancer that starts in plasma cells: the abnormal cells will lead to build up & tumours
Leukaemia is formed from large numbers of white blood cells
B cells can form Reed-Stern-berg cells that provide the patient with Hodgkin lymphoma disease
The type of cancer is also determined by its cancer cells and their DNA & genes = some cancer cells grow faster, are terminal, and some only can thrive in certain areas of the body
How cancer affects the tissues, organs, and systems of the body
Tissues
Organs
Organ Systems
As cancer grows & develops in the tissue normal cell organization & order is lost, the extracellular matrix gets broken down, and existing tissue will be displaced & forced upwards beside the tumour
Majority of cancers take place in the epithelial tissue = the type to line all body cavities
Epithelial cells use a network relying on cell adhesion & polarity proteins
Epithelial cells form carcinomas - they have a column-liked shape
Epithelial Tissue
Polarity proteins are key components for the initiation & growth of cancer
Carcinomas = changes in normal cell & tissue organization, as the process progresses it becomes increasingly disorganized + arise in carcinomas in the tissue counts for 90% of all the cancers (1)
Connective Tissue
Cancer that impacts the connective tissue is known as soft-tissue sarcoma
The "soft" means these cancers don't originate in bones as in osteosarcoma
Soft-tissue sarcoma forms in extremities: arms & legs
Soft-tissue sarcoma is more commonly found in children than adults
Soft-tissue sarcomas cancers typically form masses or give the limbs a sense of fullness + if the mass presses a nerve it can lead to tingling or numbness
Muscle Tissue
Cancer in the muscle tissue may develop a syndrome called cachexia
Cachexia is when the cancer caused muscle atrophy or muscle wasting = the muscles begin to waste away or disappear
Tumours grown in the muscle tissue can trigger the muscle cells to self-destruct
Cancer in the muscle tissue can also cause a chemical imbalance = affecting the muscles function
Brain Tissue
Tumours have the ability to develop in the brain tissue but often start growing in the brain tissue after metastasis
Tumours in the brain tissue don't have unlimited space for growth therefore displace existing tissue - this can cause blockages for cerebrospinal fluid
Cancer cells take over the space and nutrients the healthy organs need to use = healthy organs can no longer function properly = Organ failure
The organ systems provide a path for the cancer cells to travel through, allowing for more organs & tissues to be infected & their functions to be compromised
Treatments
Treatments for cancer are surgery, radiation, medications, and other therapies to cure, shrink, or stop the progression of the cancer
Adjuvant treatment = Kill any leftover cancer cells from the primary treatments through therapy
Palliative treatments = relief symptoms of treatment or symptoms from the cancer itself + this treatment can be taken along with other treatments
Primary treatments = completely removing the cancer & killing the cancer cells typically through surgery
Treatment Options
Radiation = Use high-powered energy beams to kill cancer cells
Bone Marrow Transplant = Use stem cells of your own or donor to increase chemo dosage & replace diseased bone marrow
Chemotherapy = Use drugs to kill cancer cells
Immunotherapy = Assists the body's immune system to see the cancer as a negative and attack it
Surgery = remove the cancer
Hormone Therapy = Removing hormones that generate certain cancers (breast cancer) to stop the growth of cancer cells
Targeted Drug Therapy = focuses on specific abnormalities within cancer cells
Cryoablation = Uses a cryoprobe needle to freeze the tumour & then it thaws - the repeated pattern kills the cancer cells
Radio-frequency ablation = A needle is inserted into the skin to heat the cancer cells killing them
Clinical Trails = studies to investigate new cancer treatments
New Treatments
CAR T-cell therapy
This new therapy uses some of your own T-cells from your immune system to Treat cancer
The doctors will take out some of the T-cells and alter them, adding new genes = make the cells stronger & better fighters against cancer cells
Smoking is a lifestyle habitat that is a risk factor for lung cancer
The blockage of cerebrospinal fluid will lead to increased brain pressure - the brain can no longer perform its duties the same = the brain slowly starts failing
Increase in brain pressure will alter the brain tissue and impact the whole nervous system = the pressure can damage the brain & spinal cord, restrict blood flow of these areas, and sometimes alter the messages & the way the system communicates to the body = its whole purpose
The nervous system =
The nervous system cells sending message =