It’s the word nobody likes to hear…..CANCER!
Exactly what is it? How is it diagnosed? What causes cancer? How many types of cancers are there? So many questions that tons of us are faced to deal with.
Cancer refers to any one of a large number of diseases characterized by the development of abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably and have the ability to infiltrate and destroy normal body tissue.
Cancer also has the ability to spread throughout your body.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States. But survival rates are improving for many types of cancer, thanks to improvements in cancer screening and cancer treatment.
Cancer is caused by changes (mutations) to the DNA within cells.
The DNA inside a cell contains a set of instructions telling the cell how to grow and divide.
Errors in the instructions may allow a cell to become cancerous. Diagnosing cancer at its earliest stages often provides the best chance for a cure.
With this in mind, talk with your doctor about what types of cancer screening may be appropriate for you.
Your doctor may use one or more approaches to diagnose cancer:
• Physical exam. Your doctor may feel areas of your body for lumps that may indicate a tumor. During a physical exam he or she may look for any abnormalities, such as changes in skin color or enlargement of an organ, that may indicate the presence of cancer.
• Laboratory tests. Laboratory tests, such as urine and blood tests, may help your doctor identify abnormalities that can be caused by cancer. For instance, in people with leukemia, a common blood test called complete blood count (CBC) may reveal an unusual number of white blood cells.
• Imaging tests. Imaging tests allow your doctor to examine your bones and internal organs in a noninvasive way. Imaging tests used in diagnosing cancer may include computerized tomography (CT) scan, bone scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound and X-ray, among others.
• Biopsy. During a biopsy, your doctor collects a sample of cells for testing in the laboratory. There are several ways of collecting a sample. Which biopsy procedure is right for you depends on your type of cancer and its location. In most cases, a biopsy is the only way to definitively diagnose cancer. In the laboratory, doctors look at cell samples under the microscope. Normal cells look uniform, with similar sizes and orderly organization. Cancer cells look less orderly, with varying sizes and without apparent organization.
Once cancer is diagnosed, your doctor will work to determine the extent, or stage, of your cancer.
Your doctor uses your cancer's stage to determine your treatment options and your chances for a cure.
Staging tests and procedures may include imaging tests, such as a bone scans or X-rays, to see if cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
For more information on cancer screenings or any other cancer topics please visit Valley Cancer Associates in Harlingen, Texas.
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