Cancer: A Dreaded Disease

In developed as well as in developing countries worldwide, cancer is becoming one of the top dreaded fatal diseases. Though it is one of the major causes of deaths, many people, even those having this disease, do not really understand the nature of cancer.

Medical health practitioners and scientists usually speak or write about "cancer cells." It's because the disease occurs at the body cells, the basic and microscopic building block of the human body and all living things. This level of attack, at the most basic part of the human body, is what makes cancer difficult to treat .

Cancer is a disease resulting from the abnormal growth of cells due to exposure to carcinogens, viruses and some genetic defects. That's why can be can be hereditary. On the other hand, carcinogens are substances that can cause cancer.

Normally. a cell divides and grows until a certain period of time, when it dies. On the other hand, an abnormal cell does not go through its cycle of division and growth at a normal rate. What happens is that it becomes :"trophoblastic." A trophoblast serves as the path for the food to the embryo from the uterine wall at the early part of pregnancy. The action is described as "trophoblastic" because trophoblastic cells are capable of attacking, destroying and spreading the disease to other parts of the body.

Every time the human body is injured, internally or externally, the surrounding cells become trophoblastic to be able to immediately respond to the healing process and replace the dead or damaged cells with healthy ones. However, even after the injury has healed, there are times when the cells still continue to multiply which may result in the formation of mass of tissue or a lump. That lump is what is referred to as a tumor.

Tumors can be malignant or benign. A benign tumor is usually just in one location and can be removed surgically without aggravating the situation. On the other hand, malignant tumors spread or metastasize not only to the surrounding area but also to the other organs of the body. Surgical removal of a malignant tumor may cause more cells in the opened area to become trophoblastic as a reaction to the need for the "heal" the wound. This can further increase the number of abnormal cells in the affected area.

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are still the usual cancer treatments. Radiation therapy, which can be internal or external, uses ionizing radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells. In external radiation, the radiation comes from a machine while internal radiation source is placed near the tumor. External radiation can be done on outpatient basis while internal radiation may required the patient to stay in the hospital.

Chemotherapy is a treatment using tissue-specific drugs or chemicals to destroy only the targeted malignant cells. The disadvantage of chemotherapy is its adverse effect on the immune system which hampers the natural healing of the body.