Cancer is a well known human disease. Mention is contained in medical records that have survived over the centuries. However at no previous time does it appear to have been as common as is now the case in our modern society when it may be anticipated that approximately one in four of us will suffer from it. Most of us will know from the number of our immediate contacts with friends and relatives who are suffering, that this is not an extreme prediction but is possibly an underestimation, should the momentum continue.

The public perception of cancer is that it is the most frightening condition of ill health causing much pain and prolonged suffering, both from the condition itself and from the methods of treatment which are currently employed, and that it often results in death. So it is understandable that cancer assumes such a dominant place in our list of modern anxieties. However, our fears tend to reduce our inclination to consciously focus upon all that is involved regarding this complex disease which proves to be the scourge of our modern era and which can manifest in any one of the hundred or so known types of tumours and malignant growths.

Let us learn more about what it is.

THE PATHOLOGY OF CANCER
Excerpts from an essay by Dr Michael Parsons

"Definitions of cancer are unsatisfactory. Two key concepts, however, are those of malignancy and neoplasia. Malignancy we shall discuss. Neoplasia, or abnormal new growth of tissue, may be understood from Willis' definition of a tumour as "an abnormal mass of tissue, the growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with that of the normal tissues and persists in the same excessive manner after cessation of the stimuli which caused the change."

"Now we must look at the features which distinguish benign and malignant growths."....

"Benign tumours grow from the centre, expanding the periphery evenly. As this happens the surrounding tissue is compressed and a fibrous capsule forms, so the boundary of these tumours is clearly defined and the tumour cells remain within it; they do not penetrate the capsule to invade the tissue beyond it. "

"The opposite features appear in malignancy. Here the growth is irregular throughout the tumour and there is a lot of mitosis to be seen. Areas at the centre tend to die off as the patchy peripheral growth outstrips the blood supply, causing necrosis and haemorrhage, features not found in benign tumours. This pattern of growth, with the lack of fibrous capsule, gives the tumour an irregular, ill-defined margin. How clearly demarcated the edge of the lump is can be an important clinical point: in lumps in the breast for example, it is a cardinal feature in differentiating the benign form the malignant. But the most crucial difference between the two is that malignant cells are invasive. This means that they move out beyond the apparent boundary of the tumour, infiltrating between cells of the surrounding tissue and set up new foci of tumour growth. This is what makes malignant growths locally destructive and gives them their ability to metastasize to distant sites."

DIAGNOSIS OF CANCER

A disturbance of cells can occur anywhere in the body so cancer is capable of affecting any part from more superficial skin growths, to the deep seated tumours in the lungs, abdomen or brain. Many of the general symptoms of cancer offer a means of early detection and indicate a need for further tests to ascertain whether the condition is benign or malignant. Various methods are used.

SYMPTOMS OF CANCER can include any of the following -
Low Vitality
Unexplained or sudden weight loss
Lymphatic swelling or lumps appearing in the neck, under the arms or in the groin
Lumps in the breast, abdomen or any part of the body
Bowel habits changing with constipation of diarrhea
Neurological symptoms such as numbness, paralysis, loss of sight or hearing
Changes in the appearance of a mole or the skin
A persistent sore or ulcer that will not heal
Breathlessness
Excessive perspiration
Urinary problems
Nausea and vomiting
Bleeding
Severe headaches
Chronic insomnia
Severe depression
Decreased immunity
Personality and behavioural changes
Persistent pain

It may be advisable that we know something of the range of symptoms that could reflect cancer but are more often than not, an indication of mere temporary ailments.

However, for personal health care it is always best to avoid extreme reactions to any symptom you may be experiencing, until consultation with your doctor.

Prevention of any disease is always best and it is generally within our capability of self-help. Our 'homework' remains that we are faithful to the best mental and physical fitness programme we know.



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