What is cancer?

• Cancer is a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body.
• Cancer can start in any place in the body. It starts when cells grow out of control and crowd out normal cells. This makes it hard for the body to work the way it should. There are many types of cancer. Cancer can start in the lungs, the breast, the colon, or even in the blood.
• The cells in our bodies all have certain jobs to do. Normal cells divide in an orderly way. They die when they are worn out or damaged, and new cells take their place.
• Now when the same cells grow out of control they crowd out normal cells. This causes problems in the part of the body where the cancer started.

          What are the common symptoms of cancer?

• The signs and symptoms of cancer will depend on where the cancer is, how big it is, and how much it affects the organs or tissues. If a cancer has spread (metastasized), signs or symptoms may appear in different parts of the body.In some cases as the cancer grows, it may push the nearby blood vessels or organs thereby causing pressure symptoms.Where as in other cancers, it may not cause any symptoms till it’s grown big.Treatment works best when cancer is found early – while it’s still small and is less likely to have spread to other parts of the body.Some general signs any symptoms of cancer are:
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Fever
  • Pain
  • Skin changes
  • Lumps in the body
  • Irregular bleeding
  • White patches in the mouth
  • Ulcers that do not heal
  • Persistent irregular bowel habits
  • A nagging cough or hoarseness that won’t go
  • Warts/ moles that grow