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Writer's pictureAlexandru Burlacu

The Breakdown of Cancer


Right now, you are made up of trillions of cells that over your lifetime normally grow

and divide as needed. When cells are abnormal or get old, they usually die. Cancer starts when something goes wrong in this process and your cells keep making new cells and the old or abnormal ones don't die when they should. As the cancer cells grow out of control, they can crowd out normal cells. This makes it hard for your body to work the way it should. For many people, cancer can be treated successfully. In fact, more people than ever before are leading full lives after cancer treatment. So many people ask this question regularly: What is cancer and how does it appear actually?


Cancer is a condition when a few of the body's cells grow out of control and spread to

other bodily regions. In the millions of cells that make up the human body, cancer can develop practically anywhere. Human cells often divide (via a process known as cell growth and multiplication) to create new cells as the body requires them. New cells replace old ones when they die because of aging or damage. Occasionally, this systematic process fails, causing damaged or aberrant cells to proliferate when they shouldn't. Tumors, which are tissue masses, can develop from these cells. Cancerous or non-cancerous (benign) tumors are both possible.


Cancerous tumors can metastasize, which is the process by which they migrate to distant parts of the body and invade neighboring tissues to produce new tumors. Malignant tumors are another name for cancerous tumors. blood malignancies, including leukemias, seldom develop solid tumors although many other malignancies do.


Noncancerous tumors do not penetrate or spread to neighboring tissues. Benign tumors typically don't come back after removal, however malignant tumors can. However, benign tumors can occasionally grow to be quite enormous. Some, like benign brain tumors, can have grave side effects or even be fatal.


Since genes that determine how our cells behave, particularly how they grow and divide, are altered, cancer is a genetic disease. Errors that arise during cell division, environmental toxins like those in tobacco smoke, and UV rays from the sun can all damage DNA and create genetic alterations that lead to cancer. (More details can be found in our section on cancer causes and prevention.) or something we got from our parents.


Cells with damaged DNA are typically eliminated by the body before they develop into

cancer. But as we become older, the body becomes less capable of doing so. This contributes to the increased chance of developing cancer later in life. The genetic mutations in every person's cancer are different from one another. More alterations will take place when the cancer spreads. Different cells in the same tumor may have different genetic alterations.


Metastatic cancer is a type of cancer that has progressed from the site of its initial

formation to another location in the body. Metastasis is the process by which cancer cells spread to other areas of the body. The initial or original cancer's name and cancer cell type also apply to metastatic cancer. For instance, breast cancer that spreads to the lung and develops a tumor is considered metastatic breast cancer rather than lung cancer.


Metastatic cancer cells typically resemble the original malignancy cells when viewed

under a microscope. Additionally, there are some biological similarities between metastatic

cancer cells and the initial cancer cells, such as the presence of chromosome alterations. People with metastatic cancer may occasionally live longer with the aid of treatment. In other circumstances, preventing the spread of the cancer or reducing the symptoms it is causing are the main objectives of treatment for metastatic cancer. Most cancer patients die from metastatic disease, which can seriously impair how the body works.


The words “you have cancer” may be one of the hardest things anyone has to hear.

People finding out that they have cancer might make them feel frightened and overwhelmed at first. Many of those have the impression that they’ve lost control of their lives. The healthcare providers understand all those feelings and know that a cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event. They also know cancer treatment is a stressful journey which everyone should not hesitate to take on.



Bibliography:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12194-cancer

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-

cancer#:~:text=Cancer%20is%20a%20disease%20caused,are%20also%20called%20genetic%20changes.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20370588

https://www.who.int/health-topics/cancer#tab=tab_1

https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/cancer-basics/what-c%C3%A1ncer

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