Cancer
Etiology
Cancer is caused when there are changes to DNA. A change in DNA causes genes that have normal cell growth to become cancerous, or oncogenes.
Signs & symptoms:
Extreme tiredness, weight loss/weight gain, swelling or lumps on the body, unusual bleeding or bruising, jaundice, vision/hearing problems, pain, coughing up blood, appetite changes, and many more. These are only a few of the common ones, but there are tons of others.
Diagnosis
During a physical exam, look for abnormalites like changes in your skin colour or organ enlargment. Labratory tests like urine and blood tests also help identify cancer. Biopsies are also a way where doctors look at the cell samples underneath a microscope and figure out if it is a normal cell or a cancerous cell.
Treatment
You can undergo surgery where the doctor cuts out the tissue with the cancer cells. Chemotherapy is also a treatment option where special medications shrink and kill cancerous cells. You can have radiation therapy done where high-energy rays kill the cancer cells. Hormone blockers are also an option where it blocks the cancer cells from getting the hormones they need to grow.
Prevention
Some tips to prevent cancer are: avoid the use of tobacco, have a healthy and nutritous diet, mantain a healthy weight, be physically active, protect yourself from the sun, get vaccinated, and avoid risky behaviour.