What are cancer diseases?
The most common types of cancer in the UK are breast, lung, prostate and bowel cancer. A cancer disease occurs due to a disturbance in the cell division process, which usually is very regulated and controlled. The disturbance causes uncontrolled cell division, creating a cancerous tumour that grows and potentially spreads to nearby organs and then the rest of the body. Cell division is regulated by different factors that affect the genes in the cell nucleus. This regulation is usually balanced. This means that when a cell divides itself, another cell dies. Changes to the genetic material can result in uncontrolled cell division, where the cells divide themselves faster but without dying, and this will eventually cause the formation of a tumour of abnormal cells surrounded by normal tissue. These genetic changes are called mutations or ‘epigenetic changes’.
What are the symptoms of cancer?
There are countless symptoms of cancer, and they all vary greatly according to the type of cancer. In general, you should be observant if you experience high degrees of fatigue and exhaustion without any direct explanation to it as well as involuntary weight loss. Moreover, changes in your bowel habits, coughing, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing and inexplicable bleeding in the urine, or stools, are also symptoms that should be examined by your GP. Any symptoms can be an indication of cancer in different organs, or a sign of other serious diseases, which should also be examined and treated.
What are the causes of cancer diseases?
As mentioned, changes in the regulation of the cell division process are what causes cancer. This change of the cell’s genetic material can occur spontaneously without any underlying explanation, but it can also be due to external factors. I.e., these factors can originate from cancer-causing substances in foods, tobacco smoke and polluted air. These substances are called ‘carcinogenic’ substances as they can cause cancer. Other diseases, however, can be due to genetically inherited changes. Cancer diseases of this type will often occur earlier in life than cancer diseases associated with exposure to carcinogenic substances.
What are the treatments for cancer?
The treatment of cancer greatly depends on the type of cancer, where the tumour is located, and whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Overall, there are three treatment options for cancer; chemotherapy, radiation treatment and surgery, but they are often combined to achieve the best possible treatment of the disease.
