Examine the symptoms, causes, and diagnosis of cancer

Cancer (malignant tumor) is the second leading cause of death in the world. This disease occurs due to the presence of abnormal cells in the body and can affect anyone, including children, adults and the elderly. However, do you know what the symptoms (characteristics), causes, and then what if you want to check your health related to cancer? Come on, learn more in the following review.

Common signs and symptoms of cancer

Cancer consists of various types, depending on which body cells have damaged the instruction system. Each type, can cause different symptoms. That is why, the characteristics of people affected by cancer are very diverse.

Even so, some of the common signs that people with cancer feel include:

1. Weight loss drastically without cause

Losing weight without an obvious cause, such as diet, can be a common symptom of cancer. According to Cancer Research UK, about 60 out of 100 people with cancer experience loss of appetite and weight loss.

This weight loss generally occurs in people who have esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, or other organs in the upper digestive tract.

2. Fever

Another characteristic that you need to watch out for in people who have cancer is fever. In people with blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, fever is often the first symptom.

However, in other types of cancer, fever is a sign that cancer cells are starting to spread to other surrounding tissues. This malignant tumor can appear and disappear, but it is persistent or occurs frequently.

3. The body feels tired

Symptoms of body fatigue generally appear when cancer cells begin to grow and spread. However, in leukemia patients, it can be an early symptom of the disease.

Reporting from the Mayo Clinic, several types of cancer stimulate the body to release proteins called cytokines, which then trigger the body to experience fatigue. Fatigue can also be caused by cancer cells weakening muscles, changing hormones, and reducing organ functions so that the body consumes more energy and ultimately makes the body tired.

Apart from the symptoms themselves, fatigue can also occur due to the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

4. Pain appears in the body

Pain is most likely a sign of bone cancer or testicular cancer. In people with ovarian cancer or colorectal cancer, pain will occur around the back. The appearance of this pain, indicates the cancer cells have metastasized (spread to other healthy tissue).

Meanwhile, in people who have brain cancer, pain is felt around the head that does not go away. The pain may get better after taking pain medication, but it will keep coming back.

5. Skin changes

Cancer that attacks cells in the skin can cause changes in the skin. You can see and observe the symptoms of this cancer with the naked eye. Skin changes that are signs of cancer are usually:

• Skin color that is darker than the surrounding skin (hyperpigmentation).
• The skin is accompanied by a yellowish whites of the eyes (jaundice).
• Redness of the skin (erythema).
• The skin feels itchy for no apparent reason (pruritus).

Skin cancer can cause symptoms in the form of sores that don't heal. Apart from wounds, this type of cancer also causes leukoplakia, which is a precancerous feature characterized by white patches in the mouth or tongue.

For example, oral cancer will cause sores on the side of the mouth. Likewise, sores on the genitals indicate cancer of the penis or vagina.

6. Swollen lymph nodes

Lymph nodes are part of the human immune system that can help fight infection.

When an infection occurs, the lymph nodes will become swollen. Therefore, swollen lymph nodes (whether in the neck, armpit, or groin) need to be watched out because it can be a sign or symptom of cancer, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

7. Changed bowel habits and indigestion

This bowel habit can change; more often or less than usual due to disease, one of which is bladder cancer or kidney cancer.

Another symptom that may accompany is the appearance of pain when passing stool. In men with prostate cancer, men generally urinate more frequently at night but it takes a long time to pass urine from the penis. Sometimes, the urine that is passed out will also bleed.

Meanwhile, in colorectal cancer, constipation, diarrhea, or bloody stools often occur in the long term.

Indigestion, such as dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) can be a specific symptom of cancer of the stomach, esophagus, or throat. Symptoms of cancer are what will make the patient's weight continue to decrease and become weak.

8. Lumps or other marks appear on the skin

The appearance of a lump on the skin is the most characteristic feature of skin cancer. This lump can be called a tumor which arises from the accumulation of cells that divide without control.

The appearance of a lump in the breast is a typical symptom of breast cancer in women and men. Lumps can also appear around the vulva, which is the outer surface of the vagina and are a sign of vaginal cancer.

Cancer can also show signs in the form of moles (dark spots on the skin). Initially, these spots are small and blackish in color, but over time they change shape, they become larger, reddish, and painful.

9.Unusual bleeding (typical cancer symptom in women)

You should be careful if you experience unusual bleeding, which is outside your period accompanied by severe pain. The reason is, this can be a characteristic of endometrial cancer and cervical cancer (cervix).

There are symptoms, making you feel like your menstrual cycle is messy or abnormal. Try checking your menstrual cycle with a fertility calculator.

A special sign of cancer that occurs in subsequent women is bleeding after menopause. Even though after menstruation, menstruation will not happen again. Vaginal discharge such as vaginal discharge that smells bad can also be a symptom of cancer that attacks the cervix or vagina.

So, what causes cancer?

The main cause of cancer is a change (mutation) in the DNA in cells. This DNA contains a series of instructions for the cell to divide and die.

When a mutation occurs, the cell's command instructions will be damaged and cause abnormal cell function. This keeps the cells from dividing and not dying programmatically. DNA mutations in the body can be triggered by various factors, including:

1. Food or various things that contain carcinogenic substances

Carcinogens are substances that can trigger cancer. Substances that cause cancer or can be found in the food you consume, such as grilled meat, fish contaminated with factory waste, popcorn packaged in perfluorinated chemical (PFC) bags, coffee containing acrylamide, and hot food containing styrene..

In addition, carcinogenic substances are also found in talc talc mixed with asbestos and cleaning materials or household furniture containing formaldehyde. In fact, recently the drug Ranitidine was withdrawn from the market by BPOM RI because of the NDMA (N-Nitrosodimethylamine) substance which is a carcinogen.

2. Health and hereditary factors

As a healthy person, it is not only the symptoms (characteristics) that you need to understand. The causes and risks of cancer must also be known. The reason is, several things can put you at a high risk of cancer, one of which is health problems.

People who have diabetes and hyperinsulinemia, gum disease, and colitis have a high risk of developing cancer in the affected tissues or organs. Likewise, people who inherit gene mutations from their families have a higher risk of developing cancer later in life.

3. Unhealthy lifestyle and other cancer triggers

Likes to eat heavily in the middle of the night, less consumption of vegetables and fruit but likes fatty foods, or often staying up late can be the cause of obesity. This condition can be a cause of increased risk of cancer because it triggers inflammation in the body so that it may make cells become abnormal.

This inflammation will increase the risk coupled with the habit of smoking and drinking alcohol excessively.

In addition, the use of birth control pills can also increase the risk of breast and cervical cancer in some women. Being too tall and too often exposed to solar radiation also increases the risk, according to various studies.

Medical procedures such as CT scans and x-rays can also damage cells and if they are done frequently it may increase the risk of cancer. However, it is still used today to help diagnose the disease and is monitored by doctors for the procedure for its implementation.

Early detection and diagnosis of cancer

If you experience symptoms or signs that are suspected of being cancer, immediately see a doctor. You will be asked to undergo various medical tests to make a diagnosis. This test also applies to those of you who are at risk, with the aim of early detection of cancer.

Medical tests that doctors recommend to diagnose and detect cancer include:

• Physical test by looking at the symptoms experienced and personal and family medical history of cancer.
• Laboratory tests, such as blood tests to see if the levels of certain substances in the body are abnormal.
• Imaging tests, such as ultrasound, MRI, CT scan and PET scan to look inside the body, determine the location and size of the tumor.
• Biopsy, which is the removal of suspected abnormal tissue in the body to be checked again in the laboratory.

What are the stages of the cancer?

Based on your symptoms and test results, your doctor will determine which type of cancer you have and its severity. The severity of this cancer is known as "stage" which consists of grade 0 (in situ neoplasm), grade 1 (initial), grade 2, grade 3, and grade 4 (late).

In cancer stage in situ, found a group of abnormal cells. Furthermore, in stage 1 cancer, this indicates that there are cancer cells but is relatively small. In stage 2 cancer, the cancer / tumor is larger and may attack nearby lymph nodes.

In stage 3 cancer, the lymph nodes and surrounding tissue may already have cancer. Meanwhile, in stage 4 (late) cancer, the cancer has spread to organs or tissues far from the initial location of the cancer.

Cancer stages 1,2 and 3 that are not yet severe can be cured with chemotherapy treatment, radiotherapy, or surgery. Some patients with stage 3 cancer who are already severe may not be able to recover. So, can stage 4 cancer still be cured?

This severe cancer cannot be cured because it has attacked many healthy tissues or organs. Even so, the treatment carried out can help relieve cancer symptoms as well as improve the patient's quality of life.

Do this if you are diagnosed with cancer

After being diagnosed with cancer, you may be sad and disappointed. It's okay, you need time to accept things. However, don't let this continue and interfere with your health.

Try to gain insight about the disease you have, seek support, stay healthy, and build a life expectancy to motivate you to undergo treatment.