Tumor: causes, symptoms, therapies

What is it

Cancer is a disease in which a cell in the body changes its DNA and begins to multiply without limit.

This is the characteristic common to all forms of cancer. However, there are differences, even significant, between one tumor and another depending on the organs or tissues in which it develops.

The tumor can present in solid and liquid form.

In the case of solid tumors, the cells that become tumors belong to tissues, such as lung or bone. Other examples of solid tumors are:

• skin cancer, such as melanoma
• liver cancer
• prostate cancer
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• renal tumor
• ovarian tumors.

In solid tumors, three phases can be distinguished: in the first, the tumor is located in a single site; the second begins if the tumor reappears after a therapy that had eliminated it (recurrence); The third is that of metastases, in which cancer cells spread throughout the body and attack other organs and tissues.

The ability to form metastases distinguishes the malignant tumor from the benign one: in the latter case, in fact, although there is an uncontrolled proliferation of cells, for various reasons the cancer cells are unable to invade other tissues. An example is the uterine fibroid.

Liquid tumors

Liquid tumors are those of the blood.

Blood cancers are divided into leukemias and lymphomas, depending on whether cancer cells are in the bloodstream and/or lymphatic organs. If lymphoma is suspected, a blood and urine test can clarify whether the swollen lymph nodes is actually due to an infection.

Causes

Does progesterone cause breast cancer? Does the spiral cause tumors? These are just some of the questions that doctors hear from their patients, for fear that their behaviors or drug treatments to which they must undergo may increase the risk of cancer. But what are the causes of tumors?

At the origin of cancer there is an accumulation of mutations, that is, alterations, in the genes that regulate the proliferation and survival of cells.

Some of these mutations, which accumulate over a longer or shorter time, can also be hereditary. This is the case, for example, of mutations in the NF1 gene, which cause NF1 neurofibromatosis, a genetic disease characterized by the formation of benign tumors that originate from the sheath of peripheral nerves (subcutaneous or cutaneous neurofibroma depending on the location).

In the vast majority, however, other mutations are needed, those induced by environmental factors such as prolonged exposure to carcinogens of chemical, physical or viral origin. Helicobacter pylori infection, for example, has been associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer.

The best known examples are cigarette smoke, asbestos, some chemicals used in industrial processes or generated by the combustion of petroleum derivatives.

Recently it has been discovered that incorrect eating habits, such as the consumption of processed meats, are also a cancer risk factor.

Common symptoms

Symptoms vary according to the type and location of the tumor. A frequent symptom in many forms of cancer is a rapid decrease in body weight.

Depending on the type of cancer, among the most frequent symptoms are: palpable nodules under the skin, obvious changes in moles, coughing or hoarseness, abnormal bleeding, ulcerations that do not heal, persistent digestive problems, difficulty swallowing, changes in bowel habits and difficulty urinating.

In the case of leukemias, the symptoms can vary depending on whether they are acute or chronic, while in the case of myeloma among themost frequent symptoms is bone pain. If colon cancer develops, symptoms may be nuanced or non-specific. The same can be said for the symptoms of prostate cancer in the early stages; If it is an advanced prostate cancer, typical symptoms include loss of bladder control. As for uterine cancer, the symptoms can vary depending on whether the neoplasm develops in the body or in the cervix, but usually it is hemorrhages, while in the case of a fibroid, the typical symptoms are heavy bleeding during menstruation and pelvic pain. Finally, in patients with kidney cancer the symptoms often occur only in advanced stages, while in women with breast cancer the symptoms not to be underestimated are for example the appearance of superficial bumps or hollows or the secretion of serum or blood from the nipple.

Complications

Complications related to cancer depend on the type and stage of the tumor, as well as the location of any metastases, which can be considered complications of the primary tumor.

Other complications, for example the onset of infections, may be a consequence of the therapies themselves.

Not infrequently in cancer patients develop a mood disorder, such as depression.

Therapies

Therapies depend on the type and stage at which the tumor is located. Let’s see which are the main ones:

To these proven therapies, in the future could be added new treatments, today still under study or experimentation. For example, some research has been conducted on the possible antitumor effect of ASA (acetylsalicylic acid).

In addition, in addition to therapy to eradicate or control the tumor, it may be necessary to resort to a specific therapy against pain.

Prevention

Research in the field of oncology is not only concerned with developing new therapies, but also with making sure that the diagnosis is as early as possible and that some simple rules of cancer prevention are known and put into practice by the greatest number of people, for example say stop smoking for the prevention of lung cancer or expose themselves in a controlled manner to UV rays to avoid the development of melanoma.

If for the prevention of breast cancer it has proved effective to undergo screening programs regularly, in patients with prostate cancer, recognizing it early is not always easy. For the prevention of prostate cancer, in fact, the role of PSA dosage still remains uncertain.

As for cervical cancer, many women still do not know what the Pap smear is for and why they must undergo this examination regularly. This is the analysis of some cells taken from the cervix and cervical canal, through which it is possible to recognize any precancerous lesions.

Finally, research is also engaged in studying the link between certain substances (in particular some macro or micronutrients) and the prevention of specific forms of cancer. For example, numerous studies have been conducted to clarify the relationship between vitamin D and cancer.

When to consult your doctor

Whenever you observe one of the manifestations remembered among the common symptoms.

In addition, given that tumors remain asymptomatic sometimes for many years and begin to manifest themselves without specific symptoms, once at a certain age it is good to undergo regular screening tests for some forms of cancer, such as mammography for women aged 50 and over, pap smears for women aged 25 and over, and the search for occult blood in the stool for colorectal cancer after age 50.