There can be many many kinds of cancer like skin cancer, lung cancer, stomach, oral cancer, blood, protate etc. and the symptoms vary depending on the kind.
What are the common terms associated?
Since cancer is a group of disorders, there are some terms commonly used in the description of the disease.
Oncology – 'onco' meaning 'cancer', oncology is the study of various types of cancers.
Tumour – a lump resulting from an uncontrolled growth of cells which may be malignant or benign.
Malignant – a growth of cells that destroys the surrounding tissue and spreads to other parts of the body.
Benign – a growth of cells that is not cancerous.
Both benign and malignant growths are unwanted multiplications of cells, but whereas a benign growth does not generally leave the place of its origin, a malignant growth usually destroys not only the tissue of its origin but also the surrounding ones. This is why cancers are caused due to malignant growths, which spread to all areas of the body.
Carcinoma – a term synonymously used with cancer. But carcinomas are specifically malignant tumours mostly forming on the outlines (epithelium) of the affected organ. It is the most frequently occurring form of cancer.
Sarcoma – another form of cancer where specifically the connective tissue (that which supports the various parts of the body), is affected. It is a malignant form and cancers of the blood, lymphatic system, bone and the like, fall under this category.
What are the symptoms of Cancer?
Cancers appear in many different ways. Most often they are noticed as a lump or growth in some part of the body. This is the case with tumours that form on the outlines of organs. When the cancerous growth is not physically identifiable, there may be other revealing symptoms depending on the form of cancer and the affected organ.
Cancer in the brain may have symptoms like headache, vomiting, difficulty in walking, paralysis and memory problems. Tumours of the intestine can present problems in bowel movements and pain in the stomach. Lung cancers may be manifested by difficulty in breathing and cough. Cancers of the breast are detected as a painless lump. There may also be some deformity of one or both breasts in some cases.
Some malignant tumours are manifested by abnormal bleeding from the affected organ. For example, cancer of the intestine may result in loss of blood in stools. Similarly, lung cancer may be detected when the patient passes blood in the sputum. Pain, as popularly believed, is not a common symptom of cancer. It only occurs in some cases where a nerve is pressed due to rapid enlargement of a tumour.
Other symptoms that may be common to all forms of cancer are a lack of appetite, unexplained loss of weight, general feeling of weakness and fatigue and increased proneness to infections. These symptoms shouldnt be ignored by men and women. Always consult your doctors if you see any such symptoms.
How to diagnose Cancer
In case blood is passed in stools or cough, the patient should see a doctor. For confirmation, a biopsy of the affected organ is done. In this procedure, a small part of the tissue is taken for laboratory testing to detect the presence of cancerous cells.In case of cancer of the lungs, liver, stomach or intestine, an X-ray or ultrasound of the area may be taken. CT scans of the organs may also be done for diagnosis. The diagnosis is always made keeping in mind the patient's previous medical history.