Cancer is an illness caused by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the human body. Cells proliferate erratically taking over organs and eventually striking the entire body with metastasis. This rapid growth can be caused by many factors. One important factor to mention in the etiology of cancer is that all cancer is caused by mutations of DNA. DNA is the genetic material that controls how cells behave. Abnormal cancer cells are produced in the most common formations known as tumors. This is not always the case. Other cancers exist which do not form tumors such as leukemia, which begins in the bone marrow and blood.
Normal body processes allow cells to divide, grow, differentiate, and perform their essential functions in an orderly fashion. Cell division is regulated flawlessly in the body and has mechanisms such as tumor-suppressing mechanisms within itself to prohibit cells to grow uncontrollably. When abnormal cells grow, normal cell division in the cell cycle is disrupted. This disruption can be caused by many different factors such as mutations caused by viruses, the environment, tobacco, etc.
In order for tumors to thrive, blood has to reach the cells. To provide a blood supply for all the cells in the tumor it must form new blood vessels. A process called angiogenesis is where tumor cells make growth factors that induce formation of new capillary blood vessels (Huether & McCance, 2019). These new vessels supply the cells in the center with nutrients and oxygen. Without a blood supply tumor cells cannot spread or metastasize to other tissue. “Thus malignant transformation, the process by which a normal cell becomes a cancer cell, is directed by progressive accumulation of genetic changes that alter the basic nature of the cell and drive it to malignancy” (Huether & McCance, 2019, p. 358). Without this effect a tumor is considered in situ in which is encapsulated and at the time does not cause metastasis but warrants surveillance for any growth.
Metastasis
Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells that have broken away to new areas of the body usually through the lymph system or bloodstream. The lymph system carries lymph fluid throughout the entire body. A tumor that has spread to other regions of the body is said to have metastasized. Primary tumors are named after the original site in which the cancer was found. Tumors formed from cells that have spread or “seeded” elsewhere are called secondary tumors. These in particular have to be able to break away from the original (primary) tumor and get into the bloodstream or lymph system, which can carry them to another part of the body. At some point they need to do the following: attach to the wall of a blood or lymph vessel and move through it, out into a new organ, then need to be able to grow and thrive in their new location (American Cancer Society, 2017). Invasive cancer cells have the ability to degradate the extracellular matrix by secreting protease. Once this secretes it breaks down the tissue boundaries and invades the adjacent tissues causing cells to migrate.
A cancer diagnosis is made through biopsy after a specific suspicious lesion or growth is found. Biopsies are then sent to a pathology lab for confirmation of malignancy.
CT scan is often used after a report of pain or abnormality where the images of the site being investigated is chopped into multiple sections for a closer look. A whole body Positron Emission Tomography Scan (PET SCAN) is also ordered to observe if any FDG (fludeoxyglucose) reuptake in order to prove metastasis to other regions of the body. PET Scans are used to see the entire body and also note any FDG uptake. This is done after confirmation of a malignancy to diagnose or look for metastasis.
The main treatments for metastasis include: medications as well as chemotherapy which affects your entire body. This is considered “systemic therapy”. It includes chemotherapy and other medications, such as targeted therapy, hormone therapy, and biologic treatment. “Local” therapy includes surgery, radiation therapy, and some other treatments.
The majority of cancers are incurable. The above treatments help keep patients more comfortable for a better quality of life while they are dealing with cancer. “These treatments pursue the following: shrink the cancer, slow its growth, help relieve symptoms, and help you live longer” (Mayo Clinic2018).
Introduction Our life on Earth is affected by many factors. Pollution is one of them. In fact, there are four kinds of pollution: air, land, water, and noise pollution. This big problem is becoming closer to putting life on the verge of death. It has …
Why does one become a vegetarian? Is it because of the health benefits, animal rights, or maybe something else? Although animal activists, religious reasons, and money reasons are a large reason why people choose to become a vegetarian, health factors are also a large reason …
Debate Topic: Cosmetic Surgeries Should Be Banned (For) 1. Cosmetic surgery can be psychologically damaging The compulsion to change one’s body is often a symptom of a mental instability. It should be treated as a problem, not by surgery. Research indicating that breast augmentation patients …
I deliberated in finding you a result, never the less I will give you an unbiased view point and give you a pragmatic answer. Consequently I have prepared a list of bullet points for and against for the answer. For Good phone signals are in …
No Coward Soul Is Mine by Emily Bronte No coward soul is mine, No trembler in the worlds storm-troubled sphere: I see Heavens glories shine, And faith shines equal, arming me from fear. O God within my breast. Almighty, ever-present Deity! Life — that in …
Should Tobacco companies be held responsible for smoking related illnesses and deaths? Is anyone supposed to be held responsible for other people’s actions or choices? This is a question that is bound to exist while considering the debate of tobacco companies being held or not …
Introduction This work presents a critical evaluation of the research article entitled, ‘How traumatic is breast cancerPost-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and risk factors for severe PTSS at 3 and 15 months after surgery in a nationwide cohort of Danish women treated for primary breast cancer’, …
Her ethos is her personal experience with the subject as demonstrated in the first paragraph: “Almost every day of every month, between these attacks, I feel the sudden irrational irritation and the flush of blood into the cerebral arteries which tell me that migraine is …
Breast cancer is a disease that devastates so many women in our society each year. The catastrophic toll that it had on women in the 1800’s was much more traumatizing than it is today. Robert Shadle and James S. Olson give us a vivid picture …
Obesity Is A Disease Obesity is a disease that affects one in three members of the American population. The trend of obese Americans has continually increased since 1960, and is not showing signs of slowing down. More than half of the adults in America are …
Questions: 1. What details in the first two paragraphs convey a sense of the ordinary, behind-the-scenes routines of film critics? What words or phrases suggest the longevity of Ebert’s career as a movie reviewer? (more…)
Attention Getter: There are currently 442 active nuclear power reactors worldwide according to the Nuclear Energy Institute. Of all of the reactors worldwide, 14 have been classified as accidents where the public has been exposed to radiation. The most devastating of these incidents was the …
The finding was made through a study from the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program at Michigan State University, which indicated that before any umors appear, there are changes in the breast that include increased cell growth and alterations in immune cells. I believe …
Science Is a Threat to Humanity 1st – Opposition Assalamualaikum and a very good day to the wise and honorable adjudicators, the alert and punctual timekeeper, my fellow teammates, the misleading government team, and MOTH. Before I start, I would like to refute the definition …
The majority (31%) of deaths from alcoholic liver disease were among those geed 50-59 years. My rationale for picking the target group under ass’s is because I want to try & prevent under ass’s from the onset of dying of alcoholic liver disease because 40 …
Are cell Phones a Health Hazard? With the increasing of mobile phones’ functions, people rely more and more on them. The lower price also enables the mobile phone to become people’s daily necessity. Now even many students have their own mobile phone. People began to …
In Rebecca Skloot’s novel The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks many ethical questions are raised regarding the practices used to collect and distribute Henrietta’s cells. These practices led to emotional challenges faced by each of Henrietta’s family members and close friends. These ethical issues combined …
Breast Cancer Intro Attention Getter: Did you know both men and women are able to get breast cancer? Thesis Statement: According to US Breast Cancer Statistics it states that in 2013 there were more than 2. 8 million women with history of breast cancer. But …
Abstract Medical personnel come into contact with a complex variety of deadly toxins. Contact comes from industrial cleaners, sterilization products, radiation, medications, and mercury. Side effects of these toxic materials are known to lead to a variety of cancers, miscarriages, asthma, birth defects and metabolic …
The walk It was a cold raining Saturday in October. Driving by all you can see is pink. Pink everything; Pink hair, pink shoes, pink socks, pink on people’s faces, pink on dogs. Everywhere you look you saw pink. You have to get there early …
During the 1800’s the overall health of the public was extremely poor, children and babies were dying in their thousands, and adults would work in the most horrific of conditions. Families of 8 or 9 would live in 1 room where they all slept, ate …
Bladder cancer is the growth of malignant cells in the urinary bladder. Most forms of bladder cancer start in the superficial layer of the transitional epithelium, and most often affect the transitional cells. It may also be called transitional cell carcinoma or even urothelial carcinoma. …
Abstract Background This research project focuses on the controlled drug legislative profile of two European countries (UKandGreece). An extensive review of the current legislation systems is made and any similarities and differences are underlined. The need of setting a pan-european legislation surrounding the safe and …
The population of United States of America is quite diverse as there is substantial numbers of African-American, Hispanic, Native American or Asian/Pacific Islander living here. The numbers of non whites is enormously increasing in the country. In 1900, one in eight American was non white …
St. Jude Children ‘s Research Hospital is a not-for-profit infirmary located in the bosom of Memphis, Tennessee. It is an internationally recognized infirmary that pioneered research determination remedies and salvaging kids with malignant neoplastic disease and other ruinous diseases. It treats patients from all 50 …
Childhood Cancer Clusters in California’s Central Valley Case report :Sakshi Arora March 22, 2012 This case study examines childhood cancers in agricultural communities of Mc Farland and Earlimart from 1978 to 1995. According to the local residents of these communities the main reason for cancer …
An aim is something a business would like to achieve. A business may only have one aim but others may have more than one. In the private sector a business will aim to make a profit. Where as in the public sector a business would …
Introduction The NHS Breast Screening Programme began in 1988 and was set up by the Department of Health in response to the recommendations of a working group, chaired by Professor Sir Patrick Forrest. The report Breast Cancer Screening was published in 1986, and popularly known …
One of the most heated controversies in athletics centers on the use of anabolic steroids. Behind the dispute is the evidence that steroids pose a health hazard. They are linked to the cardiovascular disease, liver disorders, and cancerous tumors. In addition, there is evidence that …
The multifactorial model in health psychology is a leading paradigm that recognizes the multi-faceted nature of illnesses. It is not a clear-cut, simple case that a disease is caused by a singular factor. The fact is that decades if not over a century of modern …
Includes Diseases: Squamous cell carcinoma; Adenocarcinoma.
Save time and let our verified experts help you.
Hire writer
