Symptoms and treatment of cancer. Cancer: signs and symptoms at the initial stage of the disease

Of all the oncological diseases, skin cancer is perhaps the most frivolous attitude of many. Not all people realize how dangerous it can be. But very often skin cancer can be recognized in the early stages, when it is very easy to cure. Therefore, if you see unusual formations on your skin, you should immediately go to the doctor. But in what cases is there cause for concern, and in what cases is there not?

There are many types of malignant skin tumors, and they all differ significantly both in their nature and in the severity of the disease. Some types of skin cancer are very rare or occur in certain categories of the population, while others can affect people of different genders and ages.

Unlike some other types of cancer, which can develop silently in the early stages without significant symptoms, skin cancer in the early stages is usually easy to notice. After all, the surface of the skin is almost always available for visual inspection. This means that a person is able to pay attention to the degenerated tissue.

Risk factors

Why does cancer develop, particularly on the skin? Medicine does not have a clear answer to this question. Undoubtedly, it is not just one unfavorable factor that plays a role here, but a combination of them. Scientists believe that the following circumstances contribute most to the occurrence of tumors:

• smoking;
• unhealthy lifestyle;
• lack of personal hygiene;
• unhealthy diet, consumption of large amounts of potentially carcinogenic foods and insufficient amounts of vitamins and fiber in the diet;
• injuries and wounds of the skin surface;
• hereditary factors;
• racial characteristics;
• prolonged exposure to solar radiation;
• frequent use of solariums;
• exposure to ionizing radiation;
• prolonged contact with potentially carcinogenic substances (soot, fuel oil, benzene, coal tar, oil, etc.);
• outdoor work;
• old age (over 50 years);
• long-term use of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants;
• low level of immunity;
• high incidence of other types of skin pathologies;
• prolonged exposure to high temperature;
• precancerous skin conditions (facultative and obligate);
• systemic lupus erythematosus;
• AIDS;
• chemotherapy and radiation therapy for other cancers;
• changes in hormonal levels (including during pregnancy);

For different types of skin cancer, the proportion of individual factors may be different. For example, some types may appear almost exclusively in old age. However, one way or another, almost all types of skin cancer are observed mainly in adulthood. Cases of the disease in children are relatively rare. The incidence of other types of malignant tumors varies greatly depending on racial and gender factors.

What does skin cancer look like?

Different types of skin cancer may look different. However, regardless of what kind of skin cancer a person has, the symptoms of the disease may be similar:

• burning and itching
• soreness,
• bleeding,
• red border around the tumor.

Such phenomena as darkening of a previously light area of ​​skin, long-term ulceration of the surface, enlarged and painful lymph nodes near the site of the tumor, thickening of the skin area with its elevation above the surface should also be alarming. Soreness of skin formations may indicate tumor growth into the deep, subcutaneous layers of tissue or the addition of secondary inflammatory processes.

What to do if suspicious signs are detected? First of all, you should never put off visiting a doctor. After all, the sooner treatment is started, the greater the chances of a successful outcome.

The first signs of skin cancer on the body (initial stage)

Malignant neoplasms of the skin are diverse. Their main groups:

• non-melanoma tumors - basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer - develop from epithelial skin cells;
• melanoma;
• tumors of skin appendages;
• other neoplasms.

We will describe the first signs of skin cancer of the most common types of malignant tumors.

Basal cell skin cancer

Basal cell skin cancer (synonyms: basal cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, Krompecher basocellular carcinoma) develops from cells of the basal layer of the skin epithelium.

This type of skin cancer is the most common (about 75% of cases). However, in most cases, only older people (over 60 years old) suffer from it. Of all types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma has the slowest development and the most favorable prognosis. Basalioma is usually located on the skin of the face, most often on the following surfaces:

• side of the bridge of the nose,
• brow area,
• nose wings,
• temple,
• upper lip,
• nasolabial fold,

Basalioma can also occur on the ears and neck. Growing to a large size, it can grow through the skin and underlying tissues and cause damage. Due to the fact that basal cell carcinoma grows slowly, patients do not immediately consult a doctor about it.

Basal cell carcinoma usually occurs suddenly, without any precancerous tumor precursors, unlike squamous cell skin cancer. The diameter of the tumor at the onset stage is usually 2 cm, it is easily injured and bleeds.

Unlike other types of skin tumors, basal cell carcinoma rarely metastasizes. In principle, this type of tumor is somewhere between benign and malignant tumors. However, according to histological characteristics, it still belongs to malignant formations. The prognosis for this category of skin tumors is favorable.

Dangerous cases with this type of skin cancer are cases when the pathology is localized around the eyes, in the folds above the lip, around the outer ear canal, in the posterior groove of the auricle. In these places, the tumor grows deeply, damaging bone tissue, muscles, and the brain.

However, with early detection, timely treatment and removal of the tumor, the patient can get rid of this disease without consequences.

There are about 20 types of malignant basal cell carcinoma cells. The most common clinical forms are:

• nodal;
• superficial;
• scleroderma-like;
• cystic;
• fibroepithelial.

The symptoms and signs of each type of basal cancer vary. And most often the forms are combined in one patient. Diagnosis requires a clinical examination by a medical specialist.

Nodular (nodular, solid) basal cell carcinoma

Appears on the scalp and neck. This skin cancer in the initial stage is characterized by the appearance of dense small nodules (2 - 5 mm), which gradually merge with each other. The tumor grows slowly, then disintegrates, forming a deep ulcer with roller-like edges, covered with purulent-necrotic crusts.

The tumor's pigment cells may be translucent or range from slightly brown to black in color.

Superficial basal cell carcinoma

Usually located on the torso, arms and legs. It looks like a round pink spot. At the initial stage, it peels off, and as it develops, papilloma growths and ulcerations appear on its surface.

This skin cancer is not aggressive and has the most favorable prognosis: skin lesions develop very slowly, over decades.

Scleroderma-like (flat, morphea-like, sclerosing) basalioma

Rare, but enough aggressive cancer skin. The tumor is located deep in the layers of the skin and is much larger in volume than external signs on the surface. There are many cases of relapse of the disease.

Symptoms of this type of skin cancer are mainly found on the head and neck. At the initial stage, a pale pink plaque with raised edges and a pearlescent tint appears on the skin. On late stages development, the focus looks like a depressed scar or patch.

Cystic basal cell carcinoma

The form is called cystic because this type of skin cancer looks like a translucent nodule (like a cyst). It is discovered by chance if a biopsy is performed.

Fibroepithelial basalioma (Pincus fibroepithelioma)

Signs of this type of skin cancer are usually found on the lower back. It looks like a fibrous polyp with a flat or hemispherical stalk. This is a rare tumor formation. Has a favorable prognosis.

Squamous cell carcinoma

Squamous cell skin cancer (synonyms: squamous cell carcinoma, squamous cell epithelioma, epidermoid carcinoma, spinocellular carcinoma) develops from skin keratinocytes.

This type of skin cancer is the third most common after basal cell carcinoma and melanoma. It can affect people of any age, both adults and elderly, both men and women.

Externally, a tumor in squamous cell carcinoma resembles a small ulcer, sometimes bleeding. Very often a tumor is confused with the manifestation of some kind of inflammatory skin diseases, dermatitis, burns. However, unlike these formations, the tumor does not decrease in size and grows.

This formation can be located in various parts of the body, but most often it is found at the junction of various skin surfaces - the corners of the eyes, mouth, lips, mucous membranes, genitals (Keyr's disease), etc. Over time, the tumor can form metastases. However, they are most often observed on the skin near the primary tumor on the skin, or in the lymph nodes. For tumors located on the face, damage to the lymphatic system is most common. Signs of damage to the lymph nodes are their increase in size, their mobility and pain. In the future, their disintegration is possible with simultaneous ulceration of the nearest skin. Metastases affect distant organs only in advanced cases of the disease.

The tumor usually develops slowly, which increases the chances that it can be recognized and treated in a timely manner. However, at a late stage of the disease, the survival rate of patients is low.

Squamous cell skin cancer at the initial stage is a formation in the form of a red lump, ulcer or lump with a diameter of approximately 2 cm. This formation can be easily injured. The trigger for its development can be various factors, primarily, intense exposure of the skin to sunlight. At the site where the formation appears there can be either a healthy area of ​​skin or scars from burns, a chronic ulcer, or inflammation.

Squamous cell carcinoma is easily treatable in the early stages. For this purpose they are used surgical methods, radiation therapy, chemotherapy. However, chemotherapy in most cases is auxiliary.

Well-differentiated cancer can be specified as a type of squamous cell skin cancer. The precursor to this disease are pathological formations such as actinic keratosis and Bowen's disease.

With highly differentiated skin cancer, the tumor grows for a long time. It has a high density, horny growths and crusts on the surface. However, this skin tumor is similar to warts and solar keratoses, which can make diagnosing the disease difficult.

Poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, in contrast to highly differentiated one, has a high growth rate and an aggressive course. This is a soft formation that looks like a lump or ulcer. It may bleed or hurt.

The five-year survival rate with timely removal of cancer cells is more than 50%, but with the formation of metastases it decreases to 30%.

Melanoma

This tumor develops on the basis of skin pigment cells - melanocytes. This type of cancer is relatively rare compared to basal cell carcinoma (15% of all cases of skin cancer). However, it still ranks second after it, and if we take all cancers, then more than 1% of them are melanoma. Most often, women suffer from the disease, although the proportion of sick men is quite large. The likelihood of developing this type of skin cancer also increases sharply in people over 50 years of age.

Despite the relative improbability of development of this type cancer, it is one of the most aggressive types of skin cancer, and cancer in general. For reasons that are not entirely clear to science, the body's immune system reacts extremely poorly to melanoma, allowing the tumor to develop quite quickly - within weeks and sometimes several days, the tumor goes from cancer in the initial stage to a life-threatening stage. The tumor is also characterized by rapid metastasis in the early stages, and metastases can penetrate not only to areas of the skin adjacent to the tumor, but also to the lymph nodes, as well as to organs distant from the tumor.

The prognosis of this type of tumor is extremely unfavorable. Only at the first stage of the disease can radical removal lead to a cure. The tumor also tends to grow deep into the skin, going beyond its boundaries and penetrating into other tissues - muscles and cartilage. Melanoma mortality accounts for approximately 80% of all skin cancer deaths.

Outwardly it looks like a small uneven speck just a few millimeters wide. Signs that make it possible to identify a tumor at an early stage are its pain and bleeding. The color of the formation is usually black or dark blue, less often red. It may contain inclusions of a different color, for example white. The tumor also protrudes slightly above the surface of the skin and is often ulcerated. Sometimes there is melanoma with a whitish surface; such tumors are especially difficult to diagnose at an early stage.

The size of the tumor can vary - from 2 mm to several cm. The characteristic symptom for identifying the malignancy of a neoplasm is rather its shape, color and accompanying symptoms - pain, bleeding.

Often a tumor forms on a completely clean area of ​​skin. However, pigment spots on the skin, warts and moles - nevi - usually transform into melanoma. In this case, pigment spots can change their color, shape and size, become asymmetrical, and acquire uneven or blurred edges. Also, the nevus may become red, darker, or, conversely, discolored. Next to nevi, others with a similar structure may appear. Triggers for this transformation can be factors such as trauma benign neoplasms skin, exposure of the skin to a large dose of sunlight, interaction of the skin with carcinogenic chemicals.

Melanoma develops more often on some surfaces of the skin than on others. Such places include the face, chest and limbs. Less commonly, melanoma occurs on the skin of the feet, toes, and palms. It is possible that a tumor may also occur on the mucous membranes - the conjunctiva of the eyes, the mucous membrane of the mouth, even in the vaginal area and anus(Needless to say, such tumor localizations are extremely unlikely to be detected).

A type of melanoma is lentigo melanoma. She is growing relatively for a long time, however in appearance it resembles solar lentigo, seborrheic keratosis, pigmented actinic keratosis and red lichen planus. The appearance of black nodules in formations of this type indicates their transition to the next stage.

Most often, this type of tumor occurs in people with fair skin, with a small amount of melanin, especially if they live in southern regions where there is a lot of bright sun. People of the Caucasian race suffer from melanoma much more often than indigenous people of the African continent.

Treatment for melanoma, like other malignant skin tumors, is usually surgical. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy may also be used.

In oncology, the following classification of melanoma stages is used:

Tumors of skin appendages

Other types of skin cancer are much less common and account for a fraction of a percent of all skin cancers. These can be tumors of the sweat and sebaceous glands (adenocarcinoma), tumors from the tissues that make up the follicles, metastases in the skin from other neoplasms. The type of tumor in these cases can only be determined using diagnostic procedures - MRI, computed tomography and biopsy.

Adenocarcinoma

Adenocarcinoma is a fairly rare type of skin cancer. Develops from glandular cells (sweat and sebaceous glands), grows slowly. It looks like a dense blue-violet nodule or a papule rising above the skin; it forms in the armpit, groin, and under the mammary glands in women.

The node is characterized by slow growth, but in some cases it can reach large sizes (8-10 cm). Growing deeper beyond the skin tissue and detecting metastases is rarely observed. After removal, the tumor may recur in the same place.

Verrucous carcinoma

Verrucous skin carcinoma is a rare type of tumor, a type of squamous cell carcinoma. Appears on the skin of the hands appearance resembles a wart, which makes correct diagnosis difficult in the early stages of the disease. However, these formations can bleed, which allows you to pay attention to them in time.

Precancerous skin conditions

There are obligate precancerous skin diseases - those that transform into malignant tumors with 100% probability (the only question is time),

These include:

• Paget's disease,
• Bowen's disease
• erythroplasia Keira,
• xeroderma pigmentosum.

Optional forms before cancer diseases skin - those that quite often turn into malignant, but not always.

These include:

• chronic dermatitis of various etiologies;
• keratoacanthoma;
• senile dyskeratosis;
• chronic trophic ulcers;
• post-burn scars;
• giant nevus;
• complex pigmented nevus;
• nevus of Ota;
• dysplastic nevus;
• moles, papillomas and warts, provided they are constantly traumatized.

Bowen's disease

Bowen's disease is an early stage cancer in which tumor cells do not grow through the epidermis. Externally, the disease looks like scaly red plaques covered with crusts. May resemble eczema or psoriasis, a fungal skin disease. The size of the formation in the initial stage is approximately 2 cm.

Paget's disease is similar in appearance to Bowen's disease. Tumors of this type are most often located near the nipples and on the genitals.

Cutaneous horn

Cutaneous horn - pathological process, which almost always develops into squamous cell carcinoma. Skin cancer, its initial stage, looks like a small red spot or bump with horny scales. Over time, a skin tag may begin to form yellow, which gradually becomes higher. However, this type of skin tumor is uncommon and occurs predominantly in older people.

Keratoacanthoma

Keratoacanthoma is considered a precancerous condition that can quite often transform into a squamous cell type of skin cancer. It has a hemispherical shape with a diameter of 0.5 to 2 cm. It can appear and grow to large sizes in a few weeks. This skin tumor is dense and rough, and may also have a yellow growth.

Actinic keratosis

Actinic (solar) keratosis is a precancerous skin disease that in 20% of cases turns into a malignant squamous cell tumor. Typically, tumors in this form of the disease are located in groups, which increases the chances of their malignancy (degeneration into malignant tumors). In appearance, they look like flat, red, scaly plaques on the skin, often covered with yellow crusts. They are easily confused with senile keratomas. They usually occur on the head, neck, or arms.

Dysplastic nevus

Dysplastic nevus is a benign formation on the skin that has a high risk of degenerating into malignant. Signs of a dysplastic nevus, which distinguishes it from ordinary moles, are the lack of symmetry in its shape, uneven edges, etc. The larger the size of the nevus, the more likely it is to degenerate. Nevi with dark spots are especially dangerous.

Diagnosis of the disease

Determining the type of neoplasm on the skin and the characteristics of its development is not an easy task. It is also necessary to establish how strongly neighboring organs are involved in the pathological process. Of course, just analyzing the patient’s complaints and anamnesis will not be enough here.

The most important diagnostic method is a biopsy - taking a piece of tissue for analysis followed by microscopic examination. In the event that not only the skin, but also the lymph nodes are affected, it is necessary to take biological material from them for examination. In many cases, radioisotope methods and thermography are informative.

Procedures such as chest radiography, urography, abdominal ultrasound, MRI or CT scan of the brain and kidneys, and general blood and urine tests are also performed. All this is necessary to determine the stage of the disease.

Treatment

The treatment method for skin cancer largely depends on its type, stage, location of the tumor, etc. Most often they resort to surgical treatment. Sometimes the tumor can be removed using methods such as cryodestruction, laser destruction, etc. During the operation, not only the tumor itself is removed, but also a strip of adjacent skin tissue up to 2 cm wide. If not only the skin is affected, but also the lymph nodes, they must also be removed.

For sufficiently large tumors (more than 2 cm), local skin irradiation can be used after removal of the tumor. Whole body irradiation is used to prevent metastases. Chemotherapy is used as an adjuvant treatment.

The sooner a patient can be diagnosed, the more effective the recovery will be. Treatment is comprehensive: chemotherapy, radiation and surgery on an operable tumor are used. Cancer prevention is a very important element to control the development of the deadly virus in the body. Treatment of cancer with folk remedies can help with early detection.

Remember, you can always stop cancer if you catch its symptoms at the very beginning!

A dangerous disease in which cells grow rapidly, while destroying healthy ones. Symptoms of cancerous tumors differ in different human organs, not here precise definition. About 100 types of cancer have been identified. Each has a specific type of cell that can grow quickly and infect healthy organs. The definition is associated with the image of a crab or cancer, because it often creates outgrowths like the limbs of a crayfish.

Two types of tumor:

• Benign. Does not grow and does not form metastases. It is removed during surgery and does not require special treatment.
• Malignant. It is life-threatening, capable of not only increasing rapidly, but also spreading throughout the body, affecting healthy cells. In the final stages, metastases affect all important systems and organs. This condition is incurable.

A contradiction - we are afraid of cancer as an evil and inevitable karma, but at the same time we neglect the rules of prevention and diagnosis, which is the cause of most deaths! “A third of cancers can be prevented,” says WHO. Therefore, prevention is one of the key health strategies.

The cause of 90-95% of diseases is the environment and lifestyle:

• Smoking - 30%;
• Dietary features (high-calorie foods, obesity, carcinogens in the menu, small quantity fiber in food) - 35%;
• Infection (viruses, chronic lesions infections) - 10%,
• Carcinogens - 4-5%,
• Ionizing and ultraviolet radiation - 6-8%,
• Alcoholism - 2-3%,
• Polluted air - 1-2%,
• Reproductive (sexual) factors - 4-5%,
• Low physical activity - 4-5% of all malignant neoplasms.

Symptoms of cancer of different organs

Diseases of some organs are not difficult to determine by self-examination. Often people go to the doctor only when they already feel the progression of the disease. Diagnosis of the symptoms of cancer and other oncological processes carried out at the formation stage guarantees a cure in 99% of cases. Not everything is so bad if you remember the methods of early diagnosis.

• Fatigue, weakness, weight loss, fever for no apparent reason (zombification of infected tissue takes a lot of energy).
• Seals on the body. Appears due to the spread of toxins by cancer cells throughout the body. The tumor forms in the lymph nodes or in the bloodstream.
• Regular pain, because it can affect nerve endings or other organs.
• The skin changes color or pigmentation, spots on the body, rash or itching occur.
• Persistent bleeding or other discharge from the mouth, genitals, nose, ears, or nipple.
• Open wounds that cannot be treated. It is important to pay attention to non-healing mouth ulcers, with unusual color(red, brown-red) and jagged edges.
• Pale skin along with weakness and susceptibility to infections. Talks about leukemia, bone marrow cancer, etc.

Mobile phones and brain cancer. Can it be used mobile phones provoke the development of a brain tumor? Watch the video to find out. Why is it important to understand the symptoms and prevention of cancer?

The human factor - the patient is afraid to see a doctor, believes that treatment can cause complications, and misses obvious symptoms. Fatigue and diarrhea are not always related to it, but they may indicate its presence. Often completely healthy people discover that they have cancer after an examination, and they have not noticed any symptoms, and if a person has at least one factor related to it, consult a doctor immediately.

5 common signs of cancer:

7 main symptoms of cancer to look out for:

It is immediately important to clarify that they do not occur in all cases; they are common to other diseases.

• Violations in genitourinary system and chair- constipation or diarrhea, stool weight and color (colon cancer) changes. Pain when urinating and blood in the urine.
• Ulcers and wounds do not go away for a long time- they look like an ulcer. If there is a small sore in your mouth that does not go away, it may be an infection of the oral cavity. It occurs more often in smokers and alcoholics. If there are ulcers on the vagina or penis, you should immediately undergo examination, as this indicates a severe infection of the body.
• Discharge of pus or blood- if the disease has already developed and you have not noticed it, bleeding or pus may appear. If pus with blood comes out when you cough, this is a lung injury, and if blood is found in the stool, then this is a disease of the large intestine. If you have cervical cancer, there is a chance of bleeding from the vagina, and if blood appears in the urine, it is bladder cancer. If blood is released from the nipple, this indicates infection of the mammary gland.
• Small seals- if the tumor is palpable through the skin in the ovaries, mammary gland and other soft tissues, this indicates the presence of the disease. It is impossible to say for sure whether this is the initial form or the advanced one, but if you notice a lump, tell your doctor immediately.
• Difficulty swallowing and gastrointestinal problems- very often the symptoms indicate stomach or intestinal cancer.
• The appearance of moles or warts- if you already had moles, and they became larger or changed color, it may be melanoma.
• Hoarse voice or severe cough- a persistent cough indicates lung cancer ( thyroid gland or throat).

15 Atypical Symptoms of Cancer

Not the most common symptoms that also indicate the development of the disease:

• Sores on the tongue and mouth;
• Changes in the color and size of warts and moles;
• Sore throat, severe and painful cough;
• Thickenings and nodes in the nipples, dense lumps in the ovaries, mammary glands and other places;
• Painful sensations when urinating;
• Strange discharge of pus and blood;
• Trouble swallowing and abdominal pain, especially in older people;
• Severe migraine;
• Sudden loss of appetite or weight;
• Persistent infection for no apparent reason;
• Violation of the menstrual cycle;
• Tumors that cannot be treated;
• Redness of the lips and skin, yellowness in the eyes and skin;
• Strange swelling that has not appeared before;
• Bad breath.

These symptoms do not necessarily indicate the presence of cancer, but also other diseases. In any case, it is important to regularly undergo a comprehensive medical examination.

Precancerous conditions

This is a condition of the body that can develop into cancer. Let's highlight two main categories of precancers:

1. Obligate diseases are combined into one group of diseases, the cause of which is a malignant neoplasm.
2. Optional pathological conditions that are not necessarily accompanied by degeneration of the affected tissues.

Patients who do not wish to undergo treatment should be aware that it can be considered the initial stage of the oncological process, so a non-invasive tumor (in situ) must be eliminated.

5 Stages of Cancer

Without delving into the classification characteristics, let’s consider similar options:

Stage 1: Increases its borders, does not go far and does not infect organs. The exception is stomach cancer, which at this stage infects the lymph nodes.

Stage 2: not only the progression of the process, but also the growth of metastases in the lymph nodes.

Stage 3: Penetration into the lymph nodes, no distant metastases yet. Survival rates for stage 3 cancer are also different for each type. You can't count on a long and happy life.

Stage 4: Damage to the organ, lymph nodes, metastases to organs. Common, rapidly growing tumors that affect the lymph nodes. There is no cure for stage 4 cancer.

Claims that someone was cured of stage 4 cancer with baking soda, folk remedies, or some other unconventional method are often a publicity stunt of various charlatans and have no basis, and people who have defeated it and are able to support or refute pseudoscientific arguments, unfortunately, they simply don't exist. Otherwise, it is another disease, which the patient himself mistakenly accepted as a malignant tumor.

Treatment

Cancer has several stages, the first of which are treatable. For this purpose in modern medicine There are treatment methods that involve a whole range of procedures. They are prescribed by a doctor, taking into account the severity of the disease.

Primary prevention of cancer

This group of preventive measures includes methods aimed at changing lifestyle, diet, and eliminating risk factors for the development of cancer. Let's take a closer look at each of the examples.

Increased morbidity is caused by:

1. Obesity. Inflammation of the reproductive system in women (uterus, mammary gland) is more common in fatty, sweaty and obese women. Preventing breast cancer begins with stabilizing your weight.
2. Fatty foods. The total amount of fat consumed in 24 hours should not exceed 60 grams!
3. Harmful products– smoked, fried. Increases the risk of damage to the large intestine.
4. Sausages– in their production, nitrites are used as a dye. They give them a pink color, but it is a weak carcinogen. No one is forcing you to completely remove sausages from your diet, but eating only them is not good for your health.

The following will help reduce the risk of developing cancer:

1. Fruits and vegetables – Rich in vitamins and microelements, they support the normal functioning of body cells and inhibit the mutation of healthy cells into cancer cells.
2. Fiber. This is an element that is not digestible in the human body (found in vegetables, grains, and fruits). It has a huge effect on the digestive process and reduces the risk of colon cancer.

Lifestyle and bad habits

Smoking is the most obvious factor contributing to the development of cancer of the lungs, larynx, lips and tongue. Regular smokers have a much higher risk of damage to the stomach, uterus, and pancreas. The risk is increased not only by active smoking, but also by passive smoking - the content of carcinogens in the smoke exhaled by smokers is slightly lower.

Lack of physical activity leads to obesity, and you already know about its consequences. Sport not only helps normalize weight, but also improves the overall tone of the immune system. She fights cancerous transformation of cells, so her condition is important at any time.

Alcohol abuse leads to metabolic disorders in the body, reduces overall resistance, weakens the immune system, which increases the risk of cancer.

Quitting smoking, alcohol, regular exercise is comprehensive prevention diseases. All these methods can be classified as folk methods of prevention, which are confirmed by scientific research.

Prevention of infectious diseases

The connection between the development of certain types of cancer and viral and bacterial diseases has been 100% proven.

Examples:

1. Hepatitis B and C increases the risk of liver cancer;
2. Presence of Helicobacter pylori bacteria in the stomach, which contributes to the occurrence of not only gastritis and ulcers, but also stomach cancer.
3. Some strains of papillomavirus (HPV), lead to damage to the cervix.

Preventive measures include vaccination against these viruses and bacteria, as well as avoidance of unprotected sex with unverified partners. You can get rid of Helicobacter pylori by undergoing a course of eradication therapy.

Environmental factors

Pollution is one of the main factors behind the rise in disease worldwide. In the presence of strong foci of pollution, only changing the place of permanent residence can reduce the likelihood of cancer - for this you need to move away from polluted cities, metallurgical and cement factories.

In villages far from big cities, the incidence of skin cancer, lung cancer and other cancers is approximately 1.5 times lower than in large cities. In cities, young people are more likely to die from it.

Professional “harm”

Working in hazardous working conditions, where a person is in daily contact with carcinogens, increases the incidence of cancer. To eliminate this risk factor, it is necessary to either change your place of work or carefully observe safety precautions: wear protective clothing, respirators, pay great attention to hygiene - take a shower every day at the end of the working day.

Secondary prevention

Includes various types of honey. examinations aimed at identifying precancerous diseases, as well as precursors of oncology.

Involved:

1. fluorography: – X-ray examination aimed at identifying lung and mediastinal cancer;
2. Mammography: – X-ray of the mammary glands, to identify mutations in the mammary gland at an early stage;
3. Smear examination: from the cervix and from the cervical canal - prevention of the cervix;
4. endoscopic examinations:. Detects colon cancer in the early stages. This includes bronchoscopy to rule out cancer of the bronchi and lungs.
5. MRI and CT: including - with contrast;
6. Blood test for tumor markers:– unique chemical substances, the concentration of which increases when oncology occurs. Most types of cancer have their own tumor markers.

All people over a certain age must undergo fluorography, women over 35 years old must undergo mammography. At the first symptoms of cancer, you must consult an oncologist who will prescribe additional tests and medications for prevention.

Important: the introduction of cancer prevention screening programs has increased the detection of the disease in the early stages by 50%. This made it possible to reduce mortality by 15-20%. Every woman should know how to palpate the mammary glands for the presence of malignant tumors. During a consultation with an oncologist, you can gain the necessary skills - even a small formation in the mammary gland is a reason for consulting a doctor and a more accurate examination.

Tertiary prevention

The measures are aimed at identifying tumors in those who have already received treatment for metastases, as well as at early diagnosis. This is done by an oncologist, whose consultation can be obtained at any clinic or oncology clinic.

Important: Every patient treated for cancer and its symptoms should undergo regular medical examinations by an oncologist.

The frequency of these inspections:

1. The first year – quarterly.
2. The second year – once every six months.
3. Third and subsequent– annually.

You will receive complete information about all cancer prevention measures by watching the video review:

Eating Well to Prevent Cancer: 7 Steps Before Taking Any Vitamins

1. Include iodine in your diet:

• Seaweed and sea kale.
• Dilute one drop of iodine in water and drink. Make iodine grids.

Drink herbal decoctions containing burdock and birch leaves. Include dogwood berries, elderberries, and chaga in your diet.

Eat up to 10 (no more) raw apricot kernels every day. They are very high in anti-cancer vitamin B17. But they should not be abused, as they are toxic.

Every morning, cleanse yourself of trichomonas. You need to take a spoonful of flaxseed (or any other) oil into your mouth and hold it in your mouth for 15-20 minutes, then spit it out. The oil will turn white - this is an accumulation of trichomonas, they love oil and easily pass into it.

Before taking medications, you must cleanse your body! Otherwise, the effectiveness is greatly reduced and Trichomonas will have a chance to survive!

After cleansing, we take a course of the drug “Trichopol” according to the instructions. You can use any other drug.

Cancer grows in an acidic environment and dies in an alkaline environment (the main reason why some people take soda for years stop the development of cancer). The conclusion is simple - we need to alkalize the blood!

How to do this? The most powerful mineral that helps maintain blood alkalinity is calcium (cancer patients are deficient in it!). By taking calcium in sufficient quantities, you will shift the blood reaction from acidic to alkaline and cancer cells will not be able to develop.

Calcium is a difficult to digest mineral! This is one of the reasons why we miss him. The second reason why it is not absorbed at all is magnesium deficiency - calcium is absorbed only in the presence of magnesium, in a ratio of 1 to 2 (calcium).

What foods contain magnesium? There is enough of it only in green leaves, which is why in August people have a peak level of calcium and magnesium in the blood and there is a terrible deficiency by March, after winter. The conclusion is simple - you need to eat greens (Victoria Butenko’s “green smoothies” can help here).

And the third reason why calcium is not absorbed is that we consume mainly calcium carbonate (from meat, for example, and almost everything pharmacy complexes) and other forms that are difficult to digest (in greens, minerals are in ionic form, which is very easily absorbed). Calcium carbonate requires a lot of gastric juice for absorption; for those who have stomach problems, the% absorption drops by 4 times compared to, for example, calcium citrate.

Conclusion: take calcium complexes with mandatory magnesium content and always in ionic form, and not in the form of carbonate (for example, coral calcium). There is a lot of ionic calcium in turnip tops.

Avoid dairy products (casein is even more acidic than pork!), as well as flour products and all types of sweets. Meat is also a highly acidifying product, so eat it in minimum quantities and only boiled! Drink freshly squeezed vegetable (not fruit) juices.

Medication

The main type of drug treatment is chemotherapy. There are cancer treatments that are similar to chemotherapy. Hormonal or immunotherapy, but “chemistry” is based on the destruction of cells that contribute to the development of the disease. Instead of cancer cells, healthy ones appear.

The medicine is injected into the blood and circulates through the veins. If you try to remove the cells using surgery or radiotherapy, there is a chance that some of them will remain. During the development of the disease, a small clot may separate from the tumor and travel through the bloodstream to another system of the body. Thus, the process may contribute to the emergence of a new tumor. And in the case of chemotherapy, the medicine moves throughout the body and, if new cancer cells form somewhere, it will destroy them.

The two main side effects of chemotherapy are:

1. Partial or total loss hair. This reaction of the body is very difficult for people who find it difficult to get used to changes in appearance. There are medications that reduce the risk of hair loss.
2. Bone marrow damage, since a huge mass of drugs passes through it. Side effects may appear in the form of fatigue, temporary memory loss, as it is difficult for the body to resist colds, due to the fact that the level of leukocytes is greatly reduced.

Folk remedies

In folk medicine there are many recommendations and recipes for treatment using mainly the healing qualities of plants. They are able to inhibit the growth of tumors, destroy affected cells and allow healthy ones to grow. Help the body correct failures in defense mechanisms. Remember that any folk remedies are best used in combination with medical treatment and after consultation.

Organ cancers

Mammary gland (breast)

The most common cancer in women. A cancerous tumor consists of malignant cells replacing glandular tissue. The disease was characterized by predominantly affecting women over 50 years of age.

7 symptoms that can cause the disease:

• Heredity.
• Contraceptive and hormonal drugs.
• Early onset of menstruation and later menopause.
• A long gap between births and a delayed onset of the first pregnancy.
• If there was once damage to another organ, and the infected tissues of the body were exposed to radioactive radiation.
• Diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.
• Addiction to bad habits: smoking, drinking alcohol and poor diet.

It can be confused with simple inflammation. If your breast hurts or itches, your nipple becomes inverted or swollen, or the skin on your chest turns red and becomes covered with yellowish scales, consult a doctor immediately. This may not be simple inflammation, but the first symptoms of cancer that require treatment. Stages of the disease:

• A solid mass is an incidental finding when there are no other symptoms;
• Discharge from the nipple;
• Nipple retraction;
• The skin changes color, a “lemon peel” appears;
• Discomfort in the armpits;
• Enlarged lymph nodes on the affected side.

Define malignant formations mammary gland can only surgically. If the tumor is less than 5 cm in diameter, it is removed along with the surrounding ducts. And if it is more than 5 cm, the mammary gland itself is removed.

Precancerous breast conditions: Breast tumors develop into cancer in 30% of cases. Such diseases are most often a problem for young women. After 40 years, the incidence of breast pathologies decreases. Most often, pathology occurs due to hormonal imbalance. Excess estrogen and lack of progesterone lead to the formation of tumors.

Lungs (bronchi)

It is based on malignant degeneration lung tissue and disruption of air exchange. Characterized by high mortality. The main risk group consists of smoking men aged 50-80 years.

More than 1 million new cases are diagnosed annually, with approximately 60 thousand in Russia. According to statistics, it is most often formed on the right (57%), this is due to anatomical features: the trachea flows into the right lung almost at a right angle, so it is more strongly influenced by unfavorable factors. Can appear at any age.

The formation of a tumor in the lungs more often occurs in people who have suffered from chronic diseases: pneumonia, bronchitis, tuberculosis. This disease affects people employed in hazardous industries where they inhale tar, coke and essential oils. Smokers, miners, workers in metallurgical, asbestos-cement, and phosphate industries suffer from lung cancer more often.

Lung precancer: include diseases such as lung cysts, chronic pneumonia, chronic suppurative processes, tuberculosis. In order to correctly and timely diagnose lung cancer, it is necessary to take into account the presence of these diseases during the examination.

Bronchial damage: The disease (small cell, squamous cell and others) is diagnosed in patients from 45 to 75 years old. More often, signs appear in representatives of the stronger sex. Over the past few decades, the incidence has increased several times. Scientists attribute this trend to the increased influence of carcinogens.

Stomach or pancreas, esophagus (GIT)

Malignant mutation of gastric epithelial cells. The disease in 70-90% of cases is associated with damage to the stomach walls by bacteria Helicobacter pylori and refers to common cancers in people aged 50 to 70 years. Stomach cancer is diagnosed 10-20% more often in men than in women. The incidence is 19-30 people per 100 thousand. The duration of the preclinical period of the disease is from 11 months to 6 years. Men with stomach cancer live on average 12 years, and women 15 years less than their peers.

Factors contributing to the development of cancer cells in the stomach:

• Monotonous diet, the presence of pickled, fried and smoked foods, salt, and animal fats in the menu.
• The composition of the soil in the area in which you live.
• Gardeners use fertilizers that contain nitrogen, nitrate, copper, cobalt and molybdenum.
• Living conditions. If a person lives in a private house and heats it with a stove, then the product of combustion of coal or wood - ash, entering the body, contributes to the development of the disease. Addiction to smoking and alcohol, especially vodka.
• Patients with stomach ulcers, polyps, atrophic gastritis.

When the cancer has grown greatly and gone deep into the tissues of the body, a person develops new symptoms: severe pain in the stomach, which can be felt even in the back, increased weakness and reluctance to do anything, sudden weight loss over a long period of time. Doctors pay attention to the skin; it becomes pale, and in some cases acquires an earthy tint. Pain appears in the later stages (3-4), when the cancer, having reached a large size, has spread to other organs. The last stage leaves a stomach cancer patient with only a few months to live.

Symptoms of cancer and signs of a malignant process in other localizations are described in materials devoted to individual organs; we have given only the most common forms.

Precancerous diseases of the pancreas:

• Diabetes,
• Chronic pancreatitis,
• Gallbladder diseases,
• Pancreatic cysts.

It grows quickly, metastasizes early, is difficult and painful to diagnose and treat, and has a very unfavorable prognosis. However, if you detect the disease at the first stage and quickly take action, you can count on five (or even more) years of life.

At the third and fourth stages, the voice already changes, dysphagia increases, vomiting periodically appears, something is constantly bothering the chest, the patient loses weight and loses the ability to work. Survival rates for stage 3 cancer are low; with active treatment, 25% of patients survive, but with distant metastasis, only half of them have little prospects.

With stage 4 cancer, patients live barely six months, and this can hardly be called a full life.

Elderly people suffer from esophageal cancer. There are more patients among men. The appearance of the tumor is promoted by smoking and drinking strong alcoholic drinks. Such habits increase the risk of developing cancer tenfold. Most often they occur in the middle and lower parts of the esophagus. The most common form develops from cells squamous epithelium. In second place is adenocarcinoma, which is formed from glandular cells. In 10% of cases, this form is accompanied by a tumor in oral cavity: lips, palate, tonsils, larynx.

Large and small intestine (intestines)

Malignant degeneration of the glandular epithelium of the colon or rectum. The main method of treatment is surgical removal affected tissue.

It most often affects the large intestine of middle-aged and elderly men. The first symptoms (discomfort, fatigue, nervousness) do not give much reason to suspect. The appearance of obvious signs (pain, intestinal disorders, bleeding in feces) is often delayed.

It is characterized by the appearance of neoplasms of a malignant nature in the wall of its mucosa. Currently, cancer in various parts of the intestine is diagnosed in 9-12 people per 100 thousand.

In the structure of cancer incidence, colon cancer ranks 2nd in women, behind breast disease, and 3rd in men, behind infection of the prostate and lungs. It accounts for 15% of all malignant tumors, with 20% affecting the cecum and rectum, 10% sigmoid and 40% colon.

The reasons for the appearance are not benign formations in the intestines:

• Smoking
• Nutritional Features
• Familial forms (heredity, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis)

Gastrointestinal diseases:

• Polyps in the intestines (benign formations) can become malignant (75%), so they are considered stage 0 oncology and are recommended to be cut out.
• Inflammation and ulcers in the mucous wall, Crohn's disease and other gastrointestinal diseases can provoke the appearance of neoplasms.
• Celiac disease - gluten intolerance is also one of the provocateurs of the development of oncology in the intestines.

What should you pay attention to so as not to miss the disease?

• Intestinal disorder, which is accompanied by diarrhea, constipation, and fecal incontinence. Discharge: bloody, purulent and mucous.
• Feeling of pain in the rectum.
• Sudden weight loss, manifestations of anemia, pallor.

At the initial stage there are no symptoms of cancer, but the infected area continues to grow and after some time the intestinal lumen closes. Painful sensations appear, since feces cannot pass freely, this provokes the release of blood and pus. Over time, feces become deformed and change color; in medicine this is called ribbon-like stool. Rectal cancer is compared to hemorrhoids, but with hemorrhoids it appears at the end of a bowel movement, not at the beginning.

Cervix

Women from 15 to 70 years old are affected. Between the ages of 18 and 40, the disease is the main cause early death. This type of cancer can be vaccinated.

8 reasons promoting development:

• Hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
• Addiction to smoking and alcohol.
• AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Menopause disorders.
• Early sex life and childbirth.
• Frequent change sexual partners.
• Scars after birth injuries and erosion.
• Obesity.

Early diagnosis offers hope for full recovery. If a form is discovered that cannot be treated, the pregnancy of a woman expecting a child is terminated.

Symptoms: Mostly women complain of pain and regular bleeding even after menstruation. But these symptoms only indicate that the tumor is gradually disintegrating and is already in an advanced form. It is referred to as leucorrhoea - an unpleasant watery or mucous discharge that is mixed with blood. Leucorrhoea often has a very unpleasant odor, but not in all cases; sometimes it does not smell of anything. If you have strange discharge, consult a doctor; it is quite possible that the cancer has not yet reached a deep and advanced stage and there is a chance of cure.

Throat (larynx)

65-70% of tumors that are recognized as malignant are throat cancer. This disease most often affects men who are already 40 years old. The percentage of those who can be cured is 60%. This is an “urban” disease; rural residents suffer less from it.

Factors of occurrence:

• smoking;
• consumption of alcoholic beverages;
• professional (whether inhaling dust from coal or asbestos);
• neglect of oral hygiene;
• excessive consumption of salted meat;
• heredity;
• chronic diseases (pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis).

In rare cases, a tumor can develop as a result of malignancy of leukoplakia, long-standing papillomas and other benign formations in the throat area. At the initial stage, the following can be distinguished: symptoms of throat and larynx cancer:

• significant change in voice sound;
• the appearance of hoarseness in the voice, followed by loss of voice;
• pain when swallowing food and saliva;
• feeling of a foreign object in the throat;
• possible occurrence of shortness of breath.

A cough in the presence of a formation in the throat occurs reflexively and is accompanied by the secretion of mucus, with possible streaks of blood, due to a violation of the formation. Probable Causes pain syndrome is caused by the presence of a formation in the upper parts of the throat. The pain can radiate to the ear and also intensifies when swallowing, which is the reason for refusing to eat.

Larynx: In the general structure of malignant tumors, it accounts for 2.6% of cases. Among such neoplasms of the head and neck, it ranks first in frequency. Patients with laryngeal cancer make up about 70% of all patients with cancer of the upper respiratory tract. It affects mainly males; for every 1 sick woman there are 9-10 men. Most often it occurs in men aged 65-75 years, in women - at 70-80 years.

Brain

A dangerous disease that is difficult to treat and can lead to death. The greatest threat lies in its asymptomatic course - the fourth stage of brain cancer, in which the patient has severe symptoms of cancer, is difficult to treat and the prognosis for such patients is disappointing. The incidence of this cancer is about one and a half percent of the total number of registered malignant tumors.

Factors in the development of oncology:

Ovaries or prostate

A common pathology, which is most often detected among women of retirement age (from 50 to 70 years). The prognosis cannot be the same for everyone; we cannot talk about the stage; in each case, the characteristics of the tumor, the age of the patient, and the condition of other organs are taken into account. Ovarian tumors account for a quarter of all inflammatory processes in the female genital organs. Given the high mortality rate, it is very important to detect the disease in its early stages.

The term “ovarian cancer” is most often used in a general sense and means a malignant neoplasm. But in fact, there are many different tumor processes that can pass from benign to “cancerous” forms, be located in different parts and have completely different treatments.

Thyroid gland

1% of all tumors and less than 0.5% of deaths. The peak incidence is at 45-60 years of age, but malignant tumors of the thyroid gland can appear at any age. This form is also found in children and adolescents. At an early age, the tumor behaves more aggressively than in adults.

Women are 2-3 times more likely to become victims of thyroid cancer. But in old age (over 65) men are at greater risk of getting sick than their peers.

The disease most often occurs in regions that have been exposed to radiation and where there is an insufficient amount of iodine in nature. This form of cancer is most common among Caucasians. It is classified as a non-aggressive tumor. It may not increase in size for years and not metastasize to other organs.

Blood (leukemia)

What is blood cancer? A malignant tumor that affects and destroys hematopoietic system. This reproduction can occur not only in the bone marrow, but also in the blood passing along the periphery, as well as in internal organs. As a result, it grows in the bone marrow and replaces the “healthy” processes of blood formation.

During further development illness, the patient develops many diseases that are associated with:

• Increased degree of bleeding;
• General weakening of the immune system;
• Infectious complications.

There are two main forms:

• Acute: determined by a significant number of immature cells that inhibit normal blood production.
• Chronic form: it is considered to be overly active formation of two types of bodies, granulocytes or granular-type leukocytes. As noted above, it is they who ultimately replace healthy cells that previously formed blood.

How long do they live? The prognosis for chronic leukemia is many times more positive than for acute forms. The extremely rapid, even aggressive course of acute leukemia always provokes an equally rapid “fading” of the patient.

Presented form of leukemia:

• Practically impossible to adequately treat;
• It often turns out to be a catalyst for the formation of lymphoblastic leukemia (in approximately 80% of cases).

With this type of leukemia, discovered at an advanced stage, months count. In case of timely intervention - from two to five years. Chronic leukemia is characterized by a slower progression. However, this happens exactly up to a certain stage, at which the so-called “blast crisis” occurs. In this case, chronic leukemia actually acquires all the features of acute leukemia.

Death at this stage may well occur from any consequences of the disease. Medical intervention provided on time gives a chance for for many years and even decades, to achieve long-term remission. The younger the patient, the higher the chances of 100% recovery.

At the initial stage, the patient is faced with:

• Painful sensations in the abdominal cavity, especially in its upper region;
• Pain in the joints, which may be accompanied by “ache” in the bones;
• Frequent bleeding that is quite difficult to stop;
• Forced formation of bruises or blood stains;
• A significant increase in the size of not only the liver, but also the lymph nodes;
• Constant weakness, lethargy and apathy;
• A condition with symptoms resembling fever;
• Frequent infectious diseases;
• Frequent urge to urinate.

As a rule, this stage of blood cancer is diagnosed after the fact - when moving to a further stage of the disease.

Other less common types of cancer: Skin (melanoma)

The formation of a malignant tumor occurs during the uncontrolled division of a somatic cell and its penetration into human organs. Cancer is dangerous because such division cannot be seen visually. This disease can develop as a result of the consequences of chronic dermatitis, prolonged exposure to the sun and radioactive radiation.

First, small nodules form on the skin. When there are few of them, it does not cause pain. And when the plaque nodules protrude above the skin and grow, the pain becomes noticeable. Finally, the tumor grows to such a size that it covers the entire skin and penetrates deep into it.

It includes the following types of malignant skin tumors:

• basalioma (formed from basal cells of the skin),
• squamous,
• melanoma (formed from melanocytes).

If a mole changes color, becomes larger, itches, or bleeds, you should immediately consult a doctor. It is recommended to examine a dermatologist once a year and perform dermatoscopy in the presence of suspicious moles and other age spots.

skin tumors: 1 - mole, 2 - nevus dysplasia (moles), 3 - actinic keratosis, 4 - squamous cell, 5 - basal cell, 6 - melanoma

Liver

A connection between this disease and chronic hepatitis has been established. The development of mutations in cell tissue occurs gradually, over several years after infection with the virus. Under its influence, healthy cells die and scars (cirrhosis) form in their place, which leads to the development of cancer. Chronic alcoholic hepatitis is another cause of the disease.

Liver cancer has almost no symptoms. Loss of appetite and weight, fatigue, weakness, pain in the right side may go unnoticed. And this can precisely be caused by the growth of cancer cells.

Its treatment is carried out with surgery and can only be cured with complete removal tumors! During this procedure, the affected area of ​​the liver is removed, and, if necessary, half of the organ. The liver quickly recovers to its original size.

If the tumor is too large, is located next to large vessels and has spread to the entire organ, surgery is useless. In this case it applies rehabilitation treatment to alleviate the general condition of the patient and prolong his life. If left untreated, it quickly leads to death.

Bladder

The symptoms are similar in terms of manifestations to cystitis, it appears several times more often in men than in women, it occurs mainly in people of both sexes aged 40 to 60 years.

The growth of a tumor formation that occurs in the area of ​​the lumen of the bladder, with the subsequent destruction of this formation leads to hematuria, the main manifestations of which are the appearance of blood in the urine. It is fresh, has a scarlet color, and appears in the urine in the form of several drops or streaks. Its appearance is not accompanied by pain; moreover, the state of health at this time can be called prosperous.

Progression tumor process leads to the following complications: Renal hydronephrotic transformation, manifested in combination with impaired urine outflow. Chronic renal failure with its characteristic symptoms such as dry mucous membranes and skin, lethargy and itchy skin. In addition, digestive disorders may occur.

Bladder cancer happens different types. This classification depends on what cells the malignant formation consists of:

• Transitional cell category (carcinoma). It is he who is diagnosed most often, in 90% of overall statistics of cases.
• Squamous category. It forms noticeably less frequently, and its main cause is cystitis, that is, chronic inflammation.
• Among the rather rare forms are carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, etc. Despite their rarity, they are not excluded when making a diagnosis.

Bones and joints

In 60% of cases, patients with cancer are diagnosed osteogenic sarcoma. This is a malignant tumor that most often affects the long bones of the leg. A similar disease is diagnosed in adolescents and young adults aged 10 to 25 years. The neoplasm develops during the period of intensive growth and puberty, and boys are more prone to this disease.

It usually forms in the growth area, such as near the knee or at the lower end femur. Constant pain that gets worse when walking, temporary lameness, weakness and sharp decline weight - these are the main symptoms of leg bone cancer. Without treatment, metastasis occurs, with the lungs being primarily affected. The main risk group is children and young people under thirty years of age. It affects men from 17 to 30. Elderly people get sick very rarely.

Main symptoms:

• limitation of joint mobility;
• enlargement of regional lymph nodes;
• swelling of the limbs and joints;
• swelling of the soft tissues at the location of the tumor;
• pain even after rest, worse at night;
• increased skin temperature over infection;
• thinning, pale skin, pronounced vascular pattern;
• weakness, lethargy, fatigue, drowsiness;
• breathing disorders.

Kidneys and adrenal glands

The tumor can develop on one or both kidneys. In most cases, patients diagnosed with kidney cancer have metastases in various organs. Most often, the disease occurs in the male half of the population; women are slightly less likely to encounter this problem.

The reasons for the appearance of malignant neoplasms in the kidneys include the following:

• Bad habits. Smoking, since nicotine contains carcinogens that have a detrimental effect on kidney tissue;
• Excess weight. Even in the early stages of obesity, people can develop kidney malignancies;
• Injuries and falls. Any mechanical impact on the kidneys can provoke the appearance of a malignant neoplasm;
• Medicines. Constant use of medications in the treatment of various diseases increases the risk of swelling;
• Contact with chemistry and radiation;

TO precancerous kidney diseases include kidney cysts. These are tumor-like formations of the kidneys, often with an asymptomatic course. Sometimes there is pain in the lower back or hypochondrium on the affected side, renal colic and a tendency to increase blood pressure.

Adrenal cancer accounts for 10-15% of all tumors, including benign ones. Both children and elderly people get sick. If we consider that the incidence in Russia is only 0.2% in adolescents and children, and the dynamics increases with age to 7%, then the probability of getting sick is low - 1-2 cases per million population.

Prostate

This is a male disease, otherwise it is called carcinoma. It affects the prostate gland, which negatively affects a man’s sexual function and can threaten his life. It is more common in men over 40 years of age. Carcinoma is a very dangerous disease. The threat lies in the active spread of metastases when a person does not feel signs of the disease. Therefore, mature men need to carefully monitor their health. And for this you need to know what signs prostate cancer has. Treatment should be started immediately. Contact your doctor immediately if you are concerned about:

• Painful urination with blood.
• Urinary incontinence.
• Pain in the perineum and bones.
• Weight loss.

Language

The initial stage of tongue cancer is asymptomatic in most cases, but painful cracks, ulcers, erosions, and indurations should alert you to the development of an oncological process. Leukoplakia of the tongue, papillomatosis, erosive changes in the mucosa are common precancerous conditions.

The average age of patients is 60 years. It often forms on the lateral surface or middle part of the tongue, less often found on the root, back and tip of the tongue. It is quite easy to detect a tumor, since it forms on visible parts of this body. The danger of cancer growth in the tongue is that the tumor is located close to important organs, such as lymph nodes or the brain, and when metastasis spreads, it can affect them. The main causes are addiction to tobacco, poor nutrition and dental problems in the oral cavity.

Cancer treatment consists of a complex of measures, including drug therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, and specially formulated postoperative nutrition.

Lymph nodes

It is important to remember that the concept of “lymph node cancer” implies and combines at least 30 specific types of tumor formations.

Main groups:

• Hodgkin's lymphoma, accounting for approximately 25-35% of all existing lymphomas. It is determined during examination by the presence of extremely large Ridge-Berezovsky-Strenberg tissues in the lymph nodes. Also called lymphogranulomatosis;
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas- this is the name of all other types of malignant lymphomas, which account for the remaining 65-75%. A diagnosis can only be made after histological examination all samples of cells and tissues of formation.

Almost always, the main route is lymphogenous or regional location, and then more distant nodes are affected. This happens when cancer cells spread throughout the body. Very often, a tumor also begins to form in the lymph nodes.

Lips

Most often affects lower lip(95-98%), mainly in men. The remaining 2 - 5% are malignant neoplasms of the upper lip: in this group of patients almost only women. It forms after the age of sixty, and after seventy there is a sharp rise in incidence. Therefore, lip cancer is considered a disease of old age. However individual cases This cancer occurs in younger people.

Without prevention and treatment, cancer spreads to the cheeks and bones lower jaw, chin, then - supraclavicular lymph nodes and cervical lymph nodes. Lip cancer gives metastases to other organs and systems very rarely. If the disease is detected early, the prognosis for the patient’s life is very favorable. Complete cure is possible in seventy percent of cases.

Lip cancer is not so common; smokers or people who irritate this area in other ways suffer more. The symptoms (non-healing cracks, ulcers, peeling, in general, everything that should not be there) are not so painful for the patient that he would quickly run to the doctor, but in vain, because at the initial stage it can be cured. This will be very difficult to do in the future. The initial stage of throat cancer occurs with symptoms of inflammation, so patients attribute everything to manifestations of the usual chronic illness and, as a rule, they are in no hurry to see a doctor.

Neoplastic processes that have found a place on the tongue, lips, and throat are combined into one pathology - oral cancer.

Eyes

Eye cancer refers to a whole group of malignant neoplasms that appear both in the appendages of the eyeball (the lacrimal gland and on the eyelid) and in its tissues (the conjunctiva, retina and choroid).

Since the causes of eye cancer have not yet been fully established, it is generally accepted that no person is potentially protected from the risk of their development.

Necks

The danger of the disease lies in the cancerous intoxication of the body, the proximity of the airways and the brain. Early diagnosis of malignant neck lesions plays a role key role in the treatment of cancer patients.

There are many risk factors for the development of malignant tumors of the neck, but correction of the vast majority of them is possible. Quitting alcohol and smoking protects not only from the development of cancer, but also from many other diseases; if gastroesophageal reflux disease is detected in time, it responds well to treatment (sometimes there is even no need to take medications).

Spine

Cancer often develops in the vertebral bodies, which is the cause of pain in the affected areas. Malignant tumors are divided into: those affecting the spinal lining, those affecting the spinal cord. They lead to painful sensations in the organs located below it. Often these places lose sensitivity, and the person feels muscle weakness.

To determine the diagnosis, the necessary examination is required, one of the main components is x-ray, during which a special colored liquid is injected into the spinal canal, which in the image indicates the absence or presence of a spinal tumor. To definitively clarify the diagnosis, a biopsy and computed tomography are indicated.

Nose

Rarely seen. More often in men than in women. The cause of this disease has not been identified. But in most cases, risk factors for developing nasal cancer are contact with flour and wood dust, and work in the production of leather products. The risk also increases if a person works with solvents and glue, nickel, chromium and some other substances. Smoking increases the likelihood of sinus and nasal disease. Therefore, preventing the development of a malignant tumor involves eliminating risk factors. The reason that changes a benign tumor into a malignant one has also not been established.

The prognosis of nasal cancer depends on its stage. At stage 1, 100% of cancer patients experience complete recovery. The outcome of nasal cancer in the final stages with the formation of multiple metastases in the lymph nodes worsens. According to statistics, the survival rate at stage 4 does not exceed 10%, so it is important to diagnose it as early as possible.

Jaws

A dangerous disease that requires prompt treatment. 15% of visits to dentistry are associated with various neoplasms originating from bone tissue. Not all of them are caused by the development of cancer cells. Only 1-2% are a sign of cancer. There is no specific age for the disease. Jaw cancer develops in both older people and infants. Each patient requires an individual approach.

• The injury is chronic. A bruise, an incorrectly installed crown, filling, or a prosthesis that causes constant rubbing of the gums.
• Damage to the oral mucosa.
• Inflammatory process.
• Smoking.
• Ionizing radiation.

Nasopharynx

In Russia - about 2% of cases of tumors of the neck and head in men, and about 1% - in women and girls. The disease most often affects older people aged 50-60 years, but benign tumors(hemangiomas and angiofibromas) occur in adolescents and children. The development of oncology in the nasopharynx begins unnoticed. It is important not to start the process, but to identify it fatally dangerous problem and put correct diagnosis. With the correct oncological therapy tactics, three-year survival after nasopharyngeal cancer detected on early stages, is 93% (without relapses - 65%).

Cancer in children

A silent question in the eyes of parents: “Why and why did this happen to my child?” remains unanswered. There is an opinion that the risk of a tumor is associated with a gene breakdown, that is, it is programmed before birth. In most cases, the question of the origin of cancer in children remains open.

In a young growing body, a tumor develops rapidly, so noticing it in the initial stages is an important task, because only early diagnosis may give hope for recovery. When people talk about childhood oncology, they often don’t mean cancer itself, because epithelial tumors are not typical for children. Children more often develop tumor processes in other tissues:

1. Bone, muscle and connective tissue (which includes blood and lymph) - sarcomas, lymphomas and leukemia, which people call blood cancer, which, in principle, is incorrect, but understandable;
2. Nervous - neuroblastomas, gliomas and others (with a tumor localized in the brain, everything is the same as with neoplasia hematopoietic tissue- it is popularly called brain cancer).

People in the non-medical profession can be forgiven for such a renaming; classification is a matter for specialists, and the short word “cancer” immediately explains everything.

Tumors of the central nervous system give symptoms and signs that are also suitable for various pathological conditions:

• Headaches, especially in the morning, with vomiting (who would see cancer in such manifestations?);
• Decreased visual acuity (the child began to see poorly, but many parents attribute this to the negative influence of the monitor; children now sit too long at the computer);
• Apathy, indifference to games, changes in behavior;
• Gait disturbance;
• Increased head volume (the only symptom in young children who cannot yet correctly express their complaints).

Symptoms of cancer in children caused by tumors of other locations can also resemble any disease:

• Weakness, fatigue, malaise, headaches;
• Pale skin, anemia;
• Dyspnea;
• Loss of appetite and weight;
• Pain in bones, muscles and joints;
• Increased body temperature;
• “Growing” belly due to enlargement of the spleen and liver;
• Enlarged lymph nodes.

Of course, not all symptoms and signs appear at the same time; this depends on the type of neoplasia, its stage and location. The presence of such manifestations does not indicate the development of a malignant process, so often a local pediatrician, gastroenterologist, rheumatologist tries to treat children, suspecting ARVI, poisoning, rheumatism and much more.

Often a cancerous tumor does not manifest itself in any way specific symptoms. Therefore, most people learn about a terrible diagnosis only when coping with the disease is already very difficult, and sometimes even impossible. And there is also a category of citizens who, in case of any ailment, think about the worst and try to detect signs of cancer. Perhaps there is no need for excessive vigilance, but if you really notice something wrong in your condition, it is worth undergoing a medical examination. Better to be safe!

Cancer: Signs and Symptoms

Diseases of this kind manifest themselves in different ways. But there are common characteristics between women and men. In general, three groups of symptoms can be distinguished:

• Unsuccessful treatment of diseases. When you carry out intensive therapy for any pathology, be it a stomach ulcer, inflammation of the bladder or pneumonia, and there is no improvement over a long time, you should be wary. This may indicate the presence of a cancerous lesion.
• Minor manifestations. Decreased performance, a constant feeling of discomfort, rapid fatigue, decreased interest in the surrounding reality, causeless weight loss - all this can indicate oncology.
• Tissue proliferation. If, during a visual examination or palpation, you discover deformation or asymmetry of some part of your body, you should be wary. Perhaps such a tumor is dangerous.

Now we will list the first symptoms of cancer, when they appear, you should definitely consult a doctor.

1. Sudden weight loss. Many people at an early stage of the development of the disease begin to rapidly lose weight. If you have lost more than five kilograms in a short time, see your doctor immediately.
2. Increased temperature and fever. This symptom usually appears when the cancer has already spread quite widely. But it could be the first bell.
3. Fatigue and weakness. These are perhaps the most important first signs of cancer, characteristic of absolutely any type of cancer. However, many simply ignore them.
4. Bone pain. This symptom may indicate malignant neoplasms in bone tissue.
5. Changes in the quality and color of the skin. Dermatological signs such as darkening, redness, yellowness of the skin, itching and others may indicate the presence of skin cancer or oncology of internal organs.
6. Changes in the size, color, thickness, shape of moles, as well as the occurrence of wounds or ulcers that cannot be treated. Moles can transform into malignant formations, so do not ignore such manifestations.
7. Bladder dysfunction and stool disorders. You should consult a specialist if you suffer from constant constipation or, conversely, diarrhea. Changes such as pain during bowel movements, more frequent or infrequent urination should also alert you.
8. Constant headache. This symptom may indicate the presence of a brain tumor.
9. Unusual discharge, bleeding. Impurities of blood in stool, urine, vaginal bleeding in women - all this can be a manifestation of cancer.
10. Persistent cough, sore throat, hoarseness, as well as problems swallowing and indigestion. If you find sputum in your cough blood clots, you need to urgently visit a doctor, because you may have lung tissue cancer. Problems with swallowing and digestive disorders are often not signs of cancer, but if they occur together, cancer of the pharynx, esophagus or gastrointestinal tract can be suspected.

Symptoms of different types of cancer

Of course, except common manifestations, there is also specific signs oncological diseases characteristic only of one type or another. And still, even if you find any characteristic symptom, do not immediately think that you have cancer. First, visit a specialist, and then draw conclusions.

Stomach cancer

In the early stages of the disease, signs are imprecise and scarce. Often, not only patients, but also doctors themselves attribute the symptoms to gastritis. In this case, everything is limited to the prescription of medications, and a full examination is not carried out. And yet, specialists who listen attentively to patients’ complaints sometimes detect the first signs of cancer. These include:

The described first signs of oncology can appear both against the background of a previous stomach disease (for example, ulcers) and against the background of absolute health. Only when a malignant tumor becomes widespread do striking symptoms appear: persistent vomiting, intense pain radiating to the back, severe weakness, sallow skin color.

Breast cancer

The first signs of cancer in women in this case are retraction and flattening of the nipple and bloody discharge from it. Soreness is not a diagnostic symptom. With mastopathy, the pain may be completely absent, but with mastopathy, on the contrary, it can be pronounced. Depending on what form of cancer it is, signs and symptoms will vary. So, with a mastitis-like form of the disease, the mammary gland becomes greatly enlarged, swollen and painful. The skin becomes hot to the touch. The erysipelatous form is characterized by the sudden appearance of redness on the skin of the chest, as well as a significant increase in temperature. Armored oncology manifests itself lumpy compaction skin. A kind of shell is formed, covering part of the chest, and sometimes the whole of it.

Rectal cancer

As already mentioned, usually the signs of cancer in the early stages are not particularly pronounced. Rectal cancer is no exception. Symptoms that can be noticed: dull pain during defecation at the time of passing feces, discharge of mucus and blood in the stool, and subsequently ribbon-like stools. Such manifestations are often mistaken for signs of hemorrhoids. However, there is a difference: with hemorrhoids, blood in the stool usually appears at the beginning of a bowel movement, and with rectal cancer - at the end. At a later stage, constipation followed by diarrhea, frequent urge to defecate, and discharge of foul-smelling purulent-bloody masses are added to the listed symptoms.

Skin cancer

This type of oncology can also have different forms: ulcerative, nodular, infiltrative. However, often the first signs of skin cancer, regardless of the form, are the same. Dense painless nodules of a waxy pinkish-yellowish color appear on the body. Gradually they grow. Very rarely there are forms with sluggish growth, which do not show visible changes for many years. But such cases also happen.

Lung cancer

Depending on where the primary tumor occurs, in the lung tissue or bronchus, the first signs of oncology will vary. In the case of central cancer (bronchus cancer), a hacking dry cough first develops, later sputum appears, often with blood in it. This form of the disease is characterized by the causeless occurrence of pneumonitis ( pneumonia), accompanied by a rise in temperature, increased cough, general weakness, and in some cases chest pain. Peripheral cancer, which originates in the lung tissue, is practically asymptomatic at the initial stage and is often detected during a preventive X-ray examination.

Brain tumor

Signs of brain cancer are numerous and cannot be called specific. It is noteworthy that many neoplasms do not manifest themselves at all and are most often discovered only after death, during an autopsy. This applies, for example, to a pituitary tumor. You also need to take into account that not all tumors are malignant - benign tumors often manifest themselves in the same way as cancerous ones. The only way to verify the nature of the existing symptoms is to undergo an examination.

Symptoms of these types of oncology are associated with pressure from the tumor on the brain and, as a result, disruption of its functioning. The symptoms are similar in both the primary and metastatic (when the tumor penetrates other parts of the brain) stages and are characterized by weakness, headache, absent-mindedness, the appearance of convulsions and spasms, and difficulty in motor processes. Nausea and vomiting (especially in the morning), blurred vision, weakened intellectual activity associated with impaired memory and concentration, a gradual decrease in mental activity, changes in the emotional state, and difficulty in speech processes are also possible. The listed symptoms, as a rule, do not appear immediately, so the disease may remain undetected for a long time.

In conclusion

We have listed the signs of the main oncological diseases, but, of course, we have not touched on all types of cancer. There are a lot of them, and the symptoms in each specific case will differ. For example, the main manifestations of uterine cancer are bleeding and discharge in the form of leucorrhoea from the vagina. The main symptom is pain when swallowing food, and the most common bladder symptom is blood in the urine. Do not be negligent about your health and immediately consult a doctor at the slightest suspicion of a terrible disease!

A diagnosis of cancer sounds like a terrible death sentence for many, but is it so? The term “cancer” has been known since the time of Hippocrates, who called diseases of the breast and other organs “cancer” (translated from Greek as “crab”, “cancer”). This name is due to the fact that the neoplasms, like claws, grew deep into the tissue, which in appearance resembled a crab.

Cancer, a group of diseases that affect all systems, organs and tissues of a person, is characterized by rapid growth atypical cells that form over a long period of time from one normal cell under the influence various factors, penetration and spread into surrounding organs.

Some statistics! Around the world in 2012 there were approximately 14 million cases of cancer and about 8 million deaths from this disease. Lung cancer accounted for 13% in the morbidity structure, becoming the most common cause deaths from cancer and accounting for about 20% of all deaths from neoplasms. WHO estimates that in 30 years the prevalence of lung cancer will double. Russia and Ukraine are in second place in Europe in terms of mortality from lung cancer.

Such a high mortality rate from lung cancer is due to the fact that most often the diagnosis is made in the later stages of the disease due to poor visualization of the respiratory system, so it is very important to detect the disease in time, which will increase the chances of recovery.

Interesting fact! Men get lung cancer 10 times more often than women, and the incidence increases with age. Therefore, with an aging population (and today in many European countries The number of older people is higher than that of young people), and the incidence of cancer is also increasing.

The problem of lung cancer is closely intertwined with the spread of tobacco smoking among all groups of the population, the state of the environment, and the spread of viral and other infectious diseases. Therefore, the prevention of cancer is the destiny of not only each individual, but also the public as a whole.

Anatomy of the lungs

Topographic anatomy of the lungs

Lungs are paired organ breathing, which supplies the blood with oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. Lungs occupy 80% chest cavity.

Lung structure

Lung skeleton poses bronchial tree, consisting of: trachea; left and right main bronchi; lobar bronchi; segmental bronchi.

The lung tissue itself consists slices, which are formed from acini, directly carrying out the breathing process.

The lungs are covered with pleura, which is a separate organ that protects the lung from friction during breathing. The pleura consists of two layers (parietal and visceral), between which the pleural sac is formed (normally it is not visible). A small amount of secretion is normally released through the pores of the pleura, which is a kind of “lubricant” that reduces friction between the parietal and visceral pleura.

With lesions of the pleura, exudate (liquid) can be determined:

• serous, serous-purulent, purulent fluid - pleurisy,
• blood (hemorrhagic exudate) – hemithorax,
• air (pneumothorax).

The root of the lung is the anatomical structures that connect the lung to the mediastinum.

The root of the lung is formed by:

• main bronchus;
• pulmonary arteries and veins;
• bronchial arteries and veins;
• lymphatic vessels and nodes.

The root is surrounded by connective tissue and covered with pleura.

The mediastinum is a group of anatomical structures located between the pleural cavities. In order to describe the process, its localization, prevalence, and determine the scope of surgical operations, it is necessary to divide the mediastinum into upper and lower floors.

The superior mediastinum includes:

• thymus gland (thymus);
• vessels: part of the superior vena cava, aortic arch, brachiocephalic veins;
• trachea;
• esophagus;
• thoracic lymphatic vessel;
• nerve trunks: vagus, diaphragmatic, nerve plexuses organs and vessels.

The lower mediastinum includes:

• heart, aorta and other vessels;
• lymph nodes;
• pericardium;
• trachea;
• esophagus;
• nerve trunks.

X-ray anatomy of the lungs

Radiography is the layering of all projections of organs on X-ray film in a two-dimensional image. On radiographs, dense tissues are depicted in white, and air spaces in black. The denser the tissue, organs, or fluid, the whiter it appears on x-rays.

A plain X-ray of the chest organs reveals:

• bone frame in the form of three thoracic vertebrae, sternum, clavicles, ribs and shoulder blades;
• muscular frame (sternocleidomastoid and pectoral muscles);
• right and left pulmonary fields;
• domes of the diaphragm and pleuro-phrenic sinuses;
• heart and other mediastinal organs;
• right and left lung root;
• mammary glands and nipples;
• skin folds, moles, papillomas, keloids (scars).

Lung fields On radiographs they are normally black due to air filling. Lung fields are structural due to the pulmonary pattern (vessels, interstitial or connective tissue).

Pulmonary drawing has a branched shape, “depletes” (becomes less branched) from the center to the periphery. The right pulmonary field is wider and shorter than the left due to the cardiac shadow located in the middle (larger on the left).

Any darkening in the lung fields (white formations on x-rays, due to increased density of the lung tissue) are pathological and require further differential diagnosis. Also, when diagnosing diseases of the lungs and other organs of the chest cavity, it is important to pay attention to changes in the roots of the lungs, expansion of the mediastinum, location of the chest organs, the presence of fluid or air in the pleural cavity, deformation bone structures chest and more.

Depending on size, shape, structure pathological shadows, found in the lung fields, are divided into:

1. Hypopneumatoses(decreased airiness of lung tissue):
   • Linear – stringy and branched (fibrosis, connective tissue), strip-like (pleural lesions);
   • Spotted – focal (up to 1 cm in size), foci (more than 1 cm in size)
2. Hyperpneumatoses(increased lung transparency):
   • Cavities surrounded by anatomical structures - bullae, emphysema;
   • Cavities surrounded ring shadow– caverns;
   • Cavities not limited to surrounding tissues.
3. Mixed.

Depending on shadow density distinguish:

• low-intensity shadows (lighter, “fresh”),
• medium intensity shadows;
• intense shadows (fibrous tissue);
• calcifications (look like bone tissue).

Radiation anatomy of lung cancer

Radiation diagnostics lung cancer is of great importance in primary diagnosis. X-rays of the lungs can reveal shadows of various sizes, shapes and intensities. The main sign of a cancerous tumor is the bumpiness of the surface and the radiance of the contour.

Depending on the x-ray picture, the following are distinguished: types of lung cancer:

• central cancer (photo A);
• peripheral cancer (nodular, pneumonia-like, pleural, cavitary forms) (photo B);
• mediastinal cancer (photo B);
• apical cancer (photo G).

A
B
IN
G

Pathological anatomy for lung cancer

Oncological formations of the lungs develop from the tissues of the bronchi or alveoli. Most often, cancer appears in the segmental bronchi, after which it affects the large bronchi. In the early stages, the cancerous formation is small, perhaps not detectable on radiographs, then gradually grows and can occupy the entire lung and involve lymph nodes and other organs in the process (usually mediastinal organs, pleura), and also metastasize to other organs and systems of the body.

Ways of spread of metastases:

• Lymphogenic – along the lymphatic system - regional lymph nodes, mediastinal lymph nodes and other organs and tissues.
• Hematogenous – through the blood along the vessels - the brain, bones, liver, thyroid gland and other organs.

Types of lung cancer depending on the type of cancer cells

1. Small cell lung cancer– occurs in 20% of cases, has an aggressive course. It is characterized by rapid progression and metastasis, early dissemination (spread) of metastases to the mediastinal lymph nodes.
2. Not small cell carcinoma lung:
   • Adenocarcinoma – observed in 50% of cases, spreads from glandular tissue bronchi, most often in the initial stages it occurs without symptoms. Characterized by copious sputum production.
   • Squamous cell carcinoma occurs in 20-30% of cases, is formed from flat cells in the epithelium of small and large bronchi, in the root of the lungs, grows and metastasizes slowly.
   • Undifferentiated cancer characterized by high atypicality of cancer cells.
3. Other types of cancer:
   • bronchial carcinoids are formed from hormone-producing cells (asymptomatic, difficult to diagnose, slow growing).
   • tumors from surrounding tissues (vessels, smooth muscle, immune cells, etc.).
   • metastases from tumors localized in other organs.

What does a cancerous lung look like?

The photo of peripheral cancer of the left lung shows a large cancerous tumor under the pleura without clear boundaries. The tumor tissue is dense, gray-white, with hemorrhages and necrosis around. The pleura is also involved in the process.

Smoker's lung

Photo of a lung affected by central bronchial cancer. The formation is dense, connected to the main bronchus, gray-white in color, the boundaries of the tumor are unclear.

Causes of lung cancer

• Smoking, including passive smoking.
• Air pollution.
• Harmful working conditions.
• Radioactive background.
• Genetic predisposition.
• Concomitant chronic infectious diseases.
• Other causes of cancer include poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol abuse, viral infections, etc.

Smoking

T 800-900 C

Harm of smoking

• Chemical effect on cell genotype. The main cause of lung cancer is the entry of harmful substances into the lungs with the air. Cigarette smoke contains about 4000 chemicals, including carcinogens. As the number of cigarettes smoked per day increases, the risk of lung cancer increases exponentially.
  Inhalation cigarette smoke Carcinogens can affect cell genes and cause their damage, thereby contributing to the degeneration of a healthy cell into a cancerous one.
• Physical effect on the bronchial mucosa of high temperatures and smoke.
  The risk of developing cancer when smoking also increases due to the temperature of the cigarette: for example, when it smolders, the temperature reaches 800-900C, which is a powerful catalyst for carcinogens.
• Narrowing of the bronchi and blood vessels
  Under the physical and chemical influence of nicotine, the bronchi and vascular network of the lungs narrow. Over time, the bronchi lose their ability to stretch during breathing, which leads to a decrease in the volume of inhaled oxygen, in turn, to a decrease in oxygen saturation of the body as a whole and the area affected by cancer lung cells in particular.
• An increase in the amount of mucus produced, its thickening
  Nicotine is able to increase the secretion of pulmonary secretions - sputum, its thickening, and removal from the bronchi, this leads to a decrease in lung volume.
• Atrophy of the villous epithelium of the bronchi
  Cigarette smoke also negatively affects the villi of the bronchi and upper respiratory tract, which normally contribute to active removal of phlegm with particles of dust, microbial bodies, tar from cigarette smoke and other harmful substances that have entered the respiratory tract. If there is insufficient bronchial villi, the only way to remove phlegm is to cough, which is why smokers constantly cough.
• Decreased oxygen saturation levels
  Insufficient oxygen saturation of the cells and tissues of the body, as well as the toxic effect of harmful substances from tobacco, affects general body resistance and immunity, which increases the risk of developing cancer in general.
• Passive smoking has the same danger as active. When a smoker exhales, the nicotine smoke becomes more concentrated.

Causes of lung cancer in non-smokers, mechanisms of development

• Genetic factor
  In modern times, with the study of the genetics of many diseases, it has been proven that predisposition to cancer is inherited. Moreover, the tendency to develop certain forms and localizations of cancer is also inherited.
• Environmental pollution exhaust gases from transport, industrial enterprises and other types of human activity affect the human body in the same way as passive smoking. Also relevant is the problem of soil and water contamination with carcinogens.
• Asbestos dust and other industrial substances (arsenic, nickel, cadmium, chromium, etc.) contained in industrial dust are carcinogens. Asbestos dust contains heavy particles that settle in the bronchi and are difficult to remove from the respiratory system. These particles contribute to the development of lung fibrosis and long-term exposure of the carcinogens they contain to the genetic background of normal cells, which leads to the development of cancer.
• Radon – natural gas, which is a product of the decay of uranium.
  Radon can be detected at work, in water, soil and dust. When radon decays, alpha particles are formed, which, with dust and aerosols, enter the human lungs, where they also affect the DNA of the cell, causing it to degenerate into an abnormal one.
• Infectious diseases The bronchopulmonary system, as well as inadequate therapy for them, can lead to chronic inflammation of the bronchi and lungs, this, in turn, contributes to the formation and spread of fibrosis. The development of fibrous tissue can cause the development of cancer cells. The same mechanism of transformation of cancer cells is possible during the formation of scars in tuberculosis.

Symptoms and signs of lung cancer

Early manifestation of lung cancer

It is most important to identify the disease in the early stages of tumor development, and most often the course at the onset of the disease is asymptomatic or asymptomatic.

Symptoms of lung cancer are nonspecific and can appear in many other diseases, but a set of symptoms may be a reason to consult a doctor for further examination for the presence of cancer.

Depending on the extent of the lesion, shape, location and stage, symptoms may vary. There are a number of symptoms that may indicate lung cancer.

Symptom	How the symptom manifests itself	Causes of the symptom
Cough	Dry, frequent, forced, paroxysmal, later - wet with copious secretion of thick sputum (mucous or purulent).	Tumor of the bronchus, compression of the bronchus by a tumor from the outside, copious discharge sputum, enlarged intrathoracic lymph nodes, toxic-allergic effect on the bronchi.
Dyspnea	It appears with little physical exertion: the larger the tumor damage, the more pronounced shortness of breath. Possible shortness of breath due to bronchial obstruction, accompanied by noisy wheezing.	Narrowing of the lumen of the bronchus, collapse of a segment or lobe of the lung (atelectasis), secondary pneumonia, the presence of fluid in the pleural cavity (pleurisy), tumor spread lymphatic system, damage to the intrathoracic lymph nodes, compression of the superior vena cava, etc.
Hemoptysis	It is rare and is manifested by the appearance of streaks or blood clots in the sputum, copious discharge of foamy or jelly-like sputum is possible, and in rare cases, profuse bleeding, which can lead to the rapid death of the patient.	Associated with tumor damage blood vessel in the form of melting of its wall and blood entering the bronchus.
Chest pain	The pain can be different: from periodic to acute paroxysmal and constant. The pain can radiate to the shoulder, neck, or stomach. The pain may also intensify when deep breathing, cough. The pain is not relieved by taking non-narcotic painkillers. The intensity of the pain can be used to judge the extent of damage to the lungs and other organs of the chest.	Tumor damage to nerve structures, fluid in the pleural cavity, compression of mediastinal organs, damage great vessels and so on.
Increased body temperature	A common symptom of cancer. The symptom may be temporary (as with ARVI) or recurring (sometimes patients do not pay attention to this symptom).	Lung tissue breakdown inflammatory changes in the affected organ.
General intoxication symptoms	Decreased appetite, weight loss, fatigue, nervous system disorders and others.	Intoxication due to the breakdown of lung tissue, metastasis.

Stages and types of lung cancer

Depending on the anatomical location:

1. Central cancer characterized by a tumor in the epithelium of the main bronchi.
2. Peripheral cancer affects smaller bronchi and alveoli.
3. Mediastinal cancer characterized by metastasis to the intrathoracic lymph nodes, while the primary tumor is not detected.
4. Disseminated cancer lungs is manifested by the presence of multiple small cancer foci.

Stages of lung cancer

Depending on the extent of the tumor process

Stage	Dimensions	Lymph node involvement	Metastases
Stage 0	The tumor has not spread to surrounding tissues	No	No
Stage I A		No	No
Stage I B		No	No
Stage II A	Tumor up to 3 cm, does not affect the main bronchus		No
Stage II B	The tumor is from 3 to 5 cm in size, has not spread to other parts of the lungs, is located 2 cm or more below the trachea	Damage to single regional peribronchial lymph nodes.	No
		No	No
Stage III A	Tumor up to 5 cm, with/without involvement of other parts of the lungs	Damage to the bifurcation or other lymph nodes of the mediastinum on the affected side	No
	A tumor of any size that spreads to other organs of the chest, except the trachea, heart, and large vessels	Damage to peribronchial, regional or bifurcation and other mediastinal lymph nodes on the affected side	No
Stage III B	Tumor of any size, affecting the mediastinum, heart, great vessels, trachea and other organs	Involvement of any lymph nodes	No
	Tumor of any size and extent	Damage to the lymph nodes of the mediastinum on the opposite side, the lymph nodes of the upper shoulder girdle	No
Stage IV	Tumor of any size	Damage to any lymph nodes	Presence of any metastasis

Diagnosis of lung cancer

X-ray diagnostic methods

1. Fluorography (FG)- mass screening x-ray method for examining the chest organs.

   Indications:

   • the patient has pulmonary or intoxication complaints;
   • detection of pathology on fluorography;
   • detection of neoplasms in other organs in order to exclude metastasis to the lungs and mediastinum;
   • other individual indications.
   Advantages:
   • the ability to use certain projections individually;
   • the ability to use X-ray examinations with the introduction of contrast agents into the bronchi, vessels and esophagus in order to conduct a differential diagnosis of the identified pathology;
   • identification of neoplasms, determination of their approximate size, localization, prevalence;
   • low X-ray exposure when performing one projection of radiography, since X-rays penetrate the body only along one surface of the body (with an increase in the number of images, the radiation exposure increases sharply);
   • a fairly cheap research method.
   Flaws:
   • insufficient information content - due to the layering of three-dimensional measurement of the chest on the two-dimensional measurement of the x-ray film.
2. X-ray

   It is a real-time x-ray research method.
   Flaws: high radiation exposure, but with the introduction of digital fluoroscopes this disadvantage is practically leveled due to a significant reduction in the radiation dose.

   Advantages:

   • the ability to evaluate not only the organ itself, but also its mobility, as well as the movement of injected contrast agents;
   • the ability to control invasive procedures (angiography, etc.).
   Indications:
   • detection of fluid in the pleural cavity;
   • conducting contrast research methods and instrumental manipulations;
   • screening of the condition of the chest organs in the postoperative period.


3. Computed tomography(CT)

   Advantages:

   • Efficiency and safety.
   • Mapping the structure of the body using radio waves emitted by hydrogen atoms, which are contained in all cells and tissues of the body.
   • No radiation exposure - is a tomographic, but not x-ray method of research,
   • High accuracy of detecting tumors, their position, type, shape and stage of cancer.
   Indications for MRI:
   • unwanted use of x-rays;
   • suspicion of the presence of a neoplasm and metastases;
   • the presence of fluid in the pleural cavity (pleurisy);
   • enlarged intrathoracic lymph nodes;
   • control of surgery in the chest cavity.
   Disadvantages of MRI:
   • Presence of contraindications (use of a pacemaker, electronic and metal implants, presence of metal fragments, artificial joints).
   • MRI is not recommended when using insulin pumps, claustrophobia, mental agitation of the patient, or the presence of tattoos using dyes made from metal compounds.
   • Expensive research method.
   Ultrasound examinations in the diagnosis of lung cancer (ultrasound) are an ineffective but safe research method for lung cancer.

   Indications:

   • determining the presence of liquid or gases in the pleural cavity, enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes;
   • detection of metastases in the abdominal and pelvic organs, kidneys and adrenal glands.
4. Bronchoscopy

   This is an invasive method of examining the airways using a bronchoscope.

   Advantages:

   • detection of tumors, inflammatory processes and foreign bodies in the bronchi;
   • the possibility of taking a tumor biopsy.
   Flaws:
   • invasiveness and discomfort during the procedure.
   Indications:
   • suspicion of a neoplasm in the bronchus;
   • taking tissue biopsy material.

Histological and cytological methods for studying lung cancer

Determination of the cellular composition of the formation, detection of cancer cells by microscopy of tissue sections. The method is highly specific and informative.

Biopsy methods:

• thoracentesis – puncture of the pleural cavity;
• fine-needle aspiration biopsy - taking material through the chest;
• mediastinoscopy – taking material from the lymph nodes of the mediastinum through a puncture of the chest;
• thoracotomy - surgical diagnostic operations with opening of the chest;
• cytological examination of sputum.

Tumor markers

They are detected by a blood test for specific proteins secreted by cancer cells.

Indications:

• an additional method for detecting tumors using other methods;
• monitoring the effectiveness of treatment;
• detection of disease relapses.

Flaws:

• low specificity;
• insufficient sensitivity.

Main tumor markers of lung cancer:

• Carcinoembryonic antigen(REA)
  up to 5 µg/l – normal;
  5-10 µg/l – may indicate nonspecific diseases;
  10-20 µg/l – indicates a risk of cancer;
  more than 20 μg/l - indicates a high probability of cancer.
• Neuron-specific enolase (NSE)
  up to 16.9 µg/l – normal;
  more than 17.0 μg/l – high probability of small cell lung cancer.
• Cyfra 21-1
  up to 3.3 µg/l – normal;
  more than 3.3 μg/l – high probability of non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer treatment

Treatment of any cancer must be long-term, comprehensive and consistent. The earlier treatment is started, the more effective it becomes.

Efficiency treatment determines:

• absence of relapses and metastases for 2-3 years (the risk of relapses after 3 years is sharply reduced);
• five-year survival after completion of treatment.

Main treatment methods lung cancer are:

1. chemotherapy;
2. radiation therapy;
3. surgical treatment;
4. traditional medicine.

The choice of examination tactics, diagnosis and treatment, as well as the therapy itself, are carried out under the supervision of an oncologist. The effectiveness of cancer treatment also largely depends on a person’s psycho-emotional mood, faith in recovery, and the support of loved ones.

Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy (CT) is a common method of treating lung cancer (especially in complex treatment), which consists of taking chemotherapy drugs that affect the growth and activity of cancer cells.
• In modern times, scientists around the world are studying and discovering the latest chemotherapy drugs, which leaves the possibility for this method to take first place in the treatment of cancer.
• HT is carried out in courses. The number of courses depends on the effectiveness of the therapy (on average, 4–6 blocks of chemotherapy are required).
• The tactics and regimens of chemotherapy differ for small cell and non-small cell lung cancer.

When appointed:

• Chemotherapy is more effective for rapidly growing forms of cancer (small cell cancer).
• CT can be used for cancer at any stage, even in the most advanced cases.
• CT is used in combination with radiation therapy or surgical treatment.

Chemotherapy effectiveness:
In combination with radiation therapy or surgery, the five-year survival rate for stage I is up to 65%, for stage II - up to 40%, for stage III - up to 25%, for stage IV - up to 2%.

Radiotherapy (radiation therapy)

Radiation therapy is a method of treating cancer that uses ionizing radiation to target cancer cells. The dose, duration, and number of procedures are determined individually.

When to use:

• Small cancerous tumors.
• Before or after surgery to target cancer cells.
• Presence of metastases.
• As one of the methods of palliative treatment.

Types of radiation therapy:

Video of using CyberKnife for lung cancer:


The main possible side effects from radiation therapy:

• Damage to the skin at the site of exposure to the radioactive beam.
• Fatigue.
• Baldness.
• Bleeding from an organ affected by cancer.
• Pneumonia, pleurisy.
• Hyperthermic syndrome (increased body temperature).

Surgical treatment of lung cancer

Surgery to remove the tumor is the most effective treatment for cancer. But, unfortunately, surgical intervention is possible only with timely identified processes (I – II and partly III stages). The effectiveness of surgical treatment is higher for non-small cell lung cancer than for small cell lung cancer. Thus, only 10-30% of lung cancer patients are operable.

TO inoperable cases include:

1. Advanced forms of lung cancer.
2. Cases with relative contraindications to surgical treatment:
   • heart failure of the 2nd-3rd degree;
   • severe heart pathologies;
   • severe liver or kidney failure;
   • severe general condition;
   • patient's age.

By removing only the visible tumor, there is a risk of cancer cells remaining in the surrounding tissues, which can lead to the spread and progression of the cancer process. Therefore, during the operation, surgeons remove part of the surrounding tissue of the organ, lymphatic vessels and regional lymph nodes (lymphadenectomy), due to which the radicality of this method is achieved.

Types of operations:

• Partial lung resection.
• Lobectomy - removal of an entire lobe of the lung.
• Pulmonectomy – removal of the entire lung.
• Combined operations – removal of the affected part of the lung and affected parts of surrounding organs.

The choice of the type of operation by surgeons is most often made directly during the operation.

Efficiency of surgical treatment depends on the stage and type of cancer, on the general condition of the patient, on the type of operation chosen, and professionalism operating team, equipment and complexity of treatment.

• Three-year absence of relapses – up to 50%.
• Five-year survival rate is up to 30%.

The effectiveness of complex therapy(surgery +/or chemotherapy +/or radiotherapy). On average, 40% of patients are completely cured of lung cancer. Five-year survival rate for stage I is up to 80%, for stage II – up to 40%, for stage III – up to 20%, for stage IV – up to 2%.
Without treatment, about 80% of lung cancer patients die within two years.

Palliative care – activities aimed at making life easier for patients with advanced forms of lung cancer or with no effect on the therapy.

Palliative care includes:

• Symptomatic treatment that relieves symptoms but does not cure the disease (narcotic and non-narcotic analgesics, antitussives, tranquilizers and others). In addition to medications, palliative operations (radiation and chemotherapy) are used.
• Improving the psycho-emotional state of the patient.
• Prevention of infectious diseases.
• Individual approach to such patients.

Traditional methods

• The effectiveness of treatment with traditional methods has not been studied enough.
• It is advisable to use these methods in combination with traditional medicine methods (after consultation with the attending physician).
• It is possible to use traditional methods as palliative care for the patient.
• As in traditional medicine, treatment regimens with traditional methods depend on the form, location, type, stage and extent of the cancer process.

In the treatment of lung cancer they use:

• Herbal decoctions and tinctures (mostly poisonous plants are used).
• Applications of herbal tinctures, medicinal stones.
• Energy medicine.
• Special diets and exercises.

A decoction of fly agarics. Chop fly agarics (250 mg) with roots into a container, add 250 ml of vodka, leave for 5 days. Afterwards, strain. Pour the remaining mushrooms into three liters of boiling water and leave in a warm place for 9 days. Take 100 ml daily 30 minutes before breakfast.

A decoction of aconite roots. 20 g of plant roots are poured with water (1 liter), then boiled for 2 hours. Drink 30 ml daily before bed.

Musk tincture. Pour 5 g of musk into 200 ml of vodka and leave for 1 month in the dark. Start taking 5 drops after each meal, the dose is gradually increased to 25 drops. After each month of treatment there is a break of 7 days.

Tincture of catharanthus rosea. Pour caranthus leaves and flowers into a half-liter container, fill them with 70 percent alcohol to a volume of 1 liter, leave in a dark place for 2 weeks. Drink 5 drops 3 times before meals. Increase the dose to 20 drops over the course of a month. After a month - break for 7 days, then start again. This treatment lasts 8 months.

Cetraria decoction. Pour 2 teaspoons of crushed cetrarium into 250 ml of chilled water for 12 hours. Then put in a water bath, evaporate to 2/3 of the volume. Take 1-2 tablespoons 3 times a day. Every 3 weeks – a break of 7 days.

Tincture of cherry laurel leaves. Pour 250 g of fresh leaves into 1 liter of vodka and leave in the dark for 2-3 weeks. Take 10 drops 2 times a day 1 hour after meals, gradually increase the dose to 20-25 drops per dose, then to 7 and 10 ml. Drink for a month, then take a break for 2 weeks, repeat this regimen.

Also, in the treatment of lung cancer, various decoctions and tinctures of saffron, sage, sage, wormwood, violet roots, squeaky grass and many other plants are used.

Prevention of lung cancer

The basis for the prevention of lung cancer and any other cancer is:

1. Healthy lifestyle
   • Quitting smoking cigarettes.
   • Protection from passive smoking.
   • Avoidance or moderate consumption of alcohol.
   • Quitting drug use.
   • Active lifestyle.
   • Healthy eating.
   • Fight with overweight bodies.
   • Refusal to take any medications unless necessary or prescribed by a doctor.
   • Prevention of infectious diseases, especially those transmitted through blood and sexual contact.
   • Adequate antibiotic therapy for infectious diseases of the lungs and bronchi.
   • Dosing of exposure to sunlight.
   • Planning pregnancy - a healthy lifestyle during the period of conception and pregnancy will significantly reduce the risk of cancer.
2. Society's fight against environmental pollution.
3. Personal respiratory protection in hazardous industries.
4. Reducing exposure to radiation: improving ventilation in the home, checking radon levels building materials, used in the home, avoidance of non-indicated x-ray diagnostic methods.
5. Timely and regular medical examination.

Be healthy!

Some organs are much more likely to be affected by cancer than others: 67 out of every 100,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer, 59 with prostate cancer, 41 with bowel cancer, and skin and kidney cancer are also common. But, for example, pancreatic cancer develops only in 12 people, brain cancer in six. Opposite the heart column in the statistics there is a “zero” mark.

How is this possible? A dispute has recently erupted between representatives of the two hypotheses. Some researchers insist on the pattern that in various organs cells divide with at different speeds and with each cell division, the risk of error increases. This feature of the body explains two thirds different levels morbidity, and the remaining third is due to the influence of environmental factors. The faction of opponents of the first hypothesis gives a central role in the formation of cancer to the environment. The main examples are the large difference in the risk of lung cancer between smokers and non-smokers. Also, the risk of skin cancer increases significantly due to exposure to UV radiation.

Two kidneys, but only one heart

However, while the discussion is ongoing in full swing, Frederic Thomas (Montpellier) took it and proposed a third option. He calls it "ecological" and "evolutionary." Main idea is that the body can withstand tumor invasion better or longer where large and/or paired organs are located. Such organs can survive tumors longer, so they have less high degree protection. This could, for example, explain the fact that (two) kidneys suffer from cancer more often than (one) pancreas. This hypothesis may also explain the difference between the frequently cancerous (large) colon and the rarely cancerous (small) small intestine.

In addition, also key to the hypothesis is the question of how important the organ is for the body and its reproduction. The “corner stones” of the body, such as the heart, brain or uterus, are protected by the body with all its might. Thomas does not see his hypothesis as a competitor to previous hypotheses. But at the same time, he does not consider it a simple addition to popular assumptions among oncologists. He himself sees the rough edges in his hypothesis. It cannot be denied that in the heart, and especially in the brain, cells recover relatively slowly. In the heart, 15% are renewed, and in the brain, only 2.7% of cells are renewed per year. By comparison: the intestinal walls are completely renewed every five days. Has it always been this way, or is it evolution? This may be a protective measure. And major organs such as the liver may have evolved to grow so large on purpose for the sake of longer survival.

Jurgen Langenbach