Cancers involve out-of control growth and spread of abnormal cells. These cancerous cells can continue to grow and divide and finally spread to other parts of the body. They form tumors (lumps) in our body and then invade and damage our normal tissues. These scary cells can separate from a tumor, and then travel through our blood stream, or in our lymph system or other parts of the body. When they sit at certain places they will build up their “colony” and start to grow until all the cells have become their colonies. Their power to kill is always more powerful than any other modern atomic bombs human have ever invented. Thus, many and many lives disappear suddenly when their bodies are conquered by many colonies of cancerous cells.
Lung Cancer
If you do not cough quite often, but suddenly you have a cough that hardly goes away and persist over time, then you should aware of the probability of getting lung cancer. The cough gets worse and this will result in blood being coughed up. Other early symptoms of lung cancer include a constant chest pain in one side, shortness of breath, wheezing, or hoarseness, loss of appetite, swelling of the neck, weight loss, fatigue and swollen fingertips or clubbed finger. There may also cases like repeated problems with pneumonia (an inflammation of the lung caused by infection with bacteria, viruses and other organisms) or bronchitis (an inflammation involves the main air passages, bronchi of your lungs).
The doctor will do a chest X-ray, or sometimes a CT scan to deal with cough or persistent chest pain his patients may go through. The ECT examination is also helpful to detect the possibility of getting lung cancer.
Esophageal Cancer
Esophageal Cancer on CT Scan
Esophageal cancer starts in the inner layer of our 10-inch long tube, esophagus which connects our throat and stomach. It usually does not cause any symptoms. As time goes, this cancer will grow and the initial symptoms become obvious.
You may feel painful or difficulty in swallowing solid foods (or called dysphagia or odynophagia) and a sensation of food getting stuck in your throat or chest. Sometimes, the pain can be felt in the mid-chest, behind the breastbone or between the shoulder blades when swallowing foods. It may also cause severe weight loss, hiccups, vomiting, chronic cough and coughing up blood.
When you have the above symptoms, you should check with a doctor to find out whether these are a result of esophageal cancer.
Intestinal cancer
Colon Cancer
This type of cancer can occur in both the colon and rectum. In the initial stage, you will have persistent abdominal (stomach area) pain or discomfort such as cramping or gas. There is always a change in your bowel habits such as diarrhea, or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool that lasts for more than 14 days. Sometimes, you may feel that you need to have a bowel movement but nothing is excreted out from your bowel or a feeling that your bowel does not empty completely. Other conditions include abdominal pain with a bowel movement, rectal bleeding or blood in your stool, weakness or fatigue and unexplained weight loss. The infection, hemorrhoids and inflammatory bowel disease may also cause these symptoms. Thus, it is also possible to have intestinal cancer and not have any symptoms.
It is always better to talk to your doctor since recognizing intestinal cancer earlier makes successful treatment.
Nasopharynx Carcinoma
Nasopharynx Carcinoma is a cancer that develops in the nasopharynx, an area in the back of the nose and upper throat towards the base of skull and just above the soft palate. Two types of tumors, benign (noncancerous) and cancerous tumors can develop in the nasopharynx, penetrate into surrounding tissues and spread to other parts of the body.
This cancer causes no symptoms at all. It may only be diagnosed when it reaches an advance stage, and may cause symptoms that appear to be associated to a disease other than cancer.
The only obvious sign of this cancer is a neck mass. The swelling of the neck is due to a lump in the neck area. Other common symptoms of nasopharyngeal cancer such as one side hearing loss, nasal blockage or stuffiness, pain, nosebleeds, difficulty opening the mouth, and blurred or double vision.
When these conditions happen, you should consult your doctor without delay. The sooner you receive an appropriate diagnosis, the sooner the treatment can be carried out and the more effective your treatment will be. But most importantly, you save your life.
