Roughly, cancer
symptoms can be divided into three groups:
Local symptoms: unusual lumps or swelling (tumor), hemorrhage
(bleeding), pain and/or ulceration. Compression of surrounding
tissues may cause symptoms such as jaundice.
Symptoms of metastasis (spreading): enlarged lymph nodes, cough
and hemoptysis, hepatomegaly (enlarged liver), bone pain,
fracture of affected bones and neurological symptoms. Although
advanced cancer may cause pain, it is often not the first
symptom.
Systemic symptoms: weight loss, poor appetite and cachexia
(wasting), excessive sweating (night sweats), anemia and
specific paraneoplastic phenomena, i.e. specific conditions that
are due to an active cancer, such as thrombosis or hormonal
changes.
Every symptom in the above list can be caused by a variety of
conditions (a list of which is referred to as the differential
diagnosis). Cancer may be a common or uncommon cause of each
item.
Diagnosis >>
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Cancer
Classification
1. Nomenclature
2. Adult cancers
3. Childhood cancers
Signs and symptoms
Diagnosis
1. Investigation
2. Biopsy
Treatment
1. Surgery
2. Radiation therapy
3. Chemotherapy
4. Targeted therapies
5. Immunotherapy
6. Hormonal therapy
7. Symptom control
8. Complementary and alternative
9. Treatment trials
Prognosis
1. Emotional impact
Causes
1. Chemical carcinogens
2. Ionizing radiation &
Infectious diseases
3. Hormonal imbalances
& Immune system dysfunction
4. Heredity & Other causes
Pathophysiology
1. Epigenetics
2. Oncogenes
3. Tumor suppressor genes
4. Cancer cell biology
4.1 Clonal evolution
4.2 Biological properties of cancer cells
Prevention
1. Modifiable ("lifestyle") risk factors
2. Diet
3. Vitamins
4. Chemoprevention
5. Genetic testing
6. Vaccination
7. Screening
Epidemiology
History
Research |
