Cancer

Cancer is a group of diseases that can occur to numerous organs of the body. It is a metastatic condition in which there is abnormal growth of cells and this growth spreads to numerous parts of the body ultimately leading to death. In cancer, as against normal cell division, there is abnormal cell division and cell growth. When cells of a particular organ or a part start to grow uncontrollably, they might enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system. When this occurs, they can enter other organs or parts of the body. This is called metastasis. Cancer is of numerous types – carcinomas, sarcomas, lymphomas, myeloma, melanoma, leukemia and mixed forms of cancer. While carcinomas begin in the tissues that line the organs and spread, sarcomas develop in the fat, bone, connective tissue, cartilage and muscle and spread. Lymphomas start in the immune system and leukemia starts in the blood and the bone marrow. Cancer of each organ shows up with specific symptoms. Cancer generally comes in stages. In the first stage, cancer is specific to the organ and has not yet spread to any other organ. In this stage, generally, the cancer is treatable and survival rates (5 years) are high. In the second stage, the cancer has grown, but it has not yet spread to the surrounding tissues or organs. In the stage three, cancer cells break free from the malignant area and start moving into the bloodstream and lymphatic system. In the next stage (stage four), cancer has spread to other organs. As the stages of cancer increase, the survival rates reduce. Cancer is generally diagnosed by CT-scans, MRI, and biopsies. It is treated with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and palliative therapy. A statistical data established the fact that people with diabetes are at an increased risk of getting cancer, especially of the endometrium, pancreas, kidneys and liver. This might be due to the fact that the genesis of type 2 diabetes and cancer share some common pathways.