Being diagnosed with cancer can be one of the toughest things one can experience. Cancer is usually an uncontrollable growth of cells in the human body. It can be of many variants and affect multiple organs. However, the fatality of this disease depends on the stage and type of the cancer. You can consult the best cancer surgeon in Siliguri for optimal care for the disease.
Your healthcare team devises an effective treatment plan for cancer through a thorough diagnosis of the stage and condition of the cancer. When cancer spreads beyond the original site, it is termed metastasis, creating more complications. Cancer treatment involves a complex and wide range of procedures, which depend on how far the cancer has spread in the body.
Let's Understand What Cancer Is
Cancer is not a single disease; it is a large group of diseases with one thing in common. It involves cells in the body growing rapidly and multiplying uncontrollably, affecting normal cell growth. It happens when a cell’s genes change and cause all the genes to grow abnormally. One of the most common causes of death across the world is cancer. Although not all cancer cells form tumours, many types of cancer cells cause tumours.
However, cancer is a treatable disease when diagnosed early. It becomes more difficult to treat when cancer reaches the metastatic stage. It occurs when cancer spreads massively, carrying cancer cells through the bloodstream. In this stage, cancer cells can attack nearby tissues, spreading through other organs.
There are several types of cancer affecting different body parts. Healthcare experts divide various types of cancer, such as lung cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer, prostate cancer, blood cancer (leukemia), liver cancer and many other types, depending on the place and type. You can take professional guidance to understand metastatic cancer symptoms.
Know How Cancer Spreads in the Body
When cancer cells break from the original tumour and enter your bloodstream or lymphatic system, and spread to other areas of your body, it is called metastatic cancer. This is the most advanced stage of cancer, and doctors can not cure most of the metastatic cancers, but treatment can be effective in managing symptoms.
Nearly all cancers can metastasise, but it depends on several factors, such as the type, size, and location of the primary tumour. It invades the nearby healthy tissues and carries the original cancer to other organs like lungs, kidneys, liver and bones.
Metastatic cancer happens in two primary ways: through the bloodstream and the lymphatic system.
● Through the Bloodstream: Cancer cells enter blood vessels and then get into the bloodstream. They are known as circulating tumour cells or CTCs. Experts are studying to use these circulating tumour cells to diagnose cancer. Unlike a biopsy, where a piece of body tissue is removed and checked by pathologists under a microscope, these circulating cancer cells are hoping to be tested to plan the cancer treatment patients need.
These cancer cells are swept through the circulating blood until they get stuck somewhere. They get stuck in a very small blood vessel, like a capillary. There, the cancer cell moves through the tissue of the organ and forms new tumours. The tumour can grow if the conditions are right.
This is quite a complicated process where cancer cells don’t survive as thousands of cancer cells reach the bloodstream. Cancer cells are found and killed by the white blood cells present in the immune system. Circulating cancer cells stick to platelets, the blood cells that help cancer cells form a clump or move into surrounding tissues.
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● Through the Lymphatic System: The lymphatic system in our body is a network comprised of glands and tubes. It helps in filtering body fluids and fighting infections. The damaged and harmful cells are trapped by it, including cancer cells. Cancer cells can enter small lymph vessels near the primary tumour.
Following that, they can travel into nearby lymph glands, also known as lymph nodes, present throughout the body, particularly in the armpits, neck, and groin. After entering the lymphatic system, cancer cells may die, but certain cancer cells survive. These cancer cells start growing and form tumours in one or more lymph nodes. This is known as lymph node spread.
Places Where Cancer Metastasises
There are more than 100 variants of cancer, and nearly every type has the potential to metastasise. Where cancer will spread depends on the location and type of the primary cancer tumour. Some of the most common places in our body where cancer is more likely to metastasise are the adrenal glands, bones, brain, liver, lungs, lymph nodes, and peritoneum.
Treatments Available for Metastatic Cancer
This is the most advanced stage of cancer when the tumour has spread all over the body. At this stage, surgery can not treat the cancer; surgeons need to perform traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy, along with other treatments. Chemotherapy involves powerful drugs to kill the growing cancer cells and prevent them from multiplying. On the other hand, radiation therapy uses strong X-rays to detect the cancer cells and destroy them.
Certain metastatic cancers may require targeted therapy to manage symptoms. For example, if one has breast cancer and it has reached the bone, causing pain or fractures healthcare provider can treat it with surgery or radiation to the bone. Other treatments of metastatic cancer include hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy, which can be used along with other treatments.
Final Thoughts
Most cancers tend to spread and metastasise, affecting certain areas of the body. Depending on the primary location and type, doctors develop a staging system that is used to classify cancers based on how far they have spread and from where they have originated.
Many cancers follow a staging system from 1 to 4, following the severity and growth of the cancer. Knowing the spread of cancer helps doctors to provide treatment planning and give supportive care to patients. You can consult the best cancer surgeon in Siliguri to receive effective cancer treatment and long-term management.
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