Cancer is one of the worst words to hear in the doctor’s office. It often brings forth pictures of death and painful treatments. Cancer is one of the top natural killers of humans and there is no real way to stop it. But what is it really?
Under normal circumstances, the human body reproduces cells at a regular rate. Sometimes through outside forces, the DNA of some cells get damage and do not die off like they are supposed to. These reproduce at an unchecked pace and the growth spreads through the body. This is the basic explanation of cancer. Its’ typically treated through radiation, chemotherapy, or by removing the infected tissues.
If left untreated, the tissues will keep growing. If the growth is localized and not affecting any other areas, the tumor is benign and harmless. Most benign tumors are left alone unless they are blocking something or for cosmetics reasons. Most benign tumors are treated by removing the affected area.
If the benign tumor spreads into other regions and affects the cells in that area, then it turns into a malignant tumor. This is the fatal version. Left untreated, the cancer cells can spread throughout the body via the blood stream and infect other organs.
Basic treatments for malignant cancer are removal of tissue that’s affected and radiation or chemo therapy. Inoperable tumors will get chemo or radiation therapy as they are more effective for these tumors. The radiation will kill the localized cells and the body will dispose of them naturally.
Remission is the hopeful outcome for a patient with cancer. There is no cure. The chance of reoccurrence differs depending on what form a patient has. So far the best prevention of cancer is to reduce certain behaviors and activities that have been proven to cause the illness.
Hundreds of websites, such as www.canceranswers.info, offer support, information, and research. This has been a boon to survivors and those concerned with the killer disease.