Lump in 2025: Friend or Foe?

Charles, a 24-year-old healthy male went on a routine health checkup due to the recent changes in his general well-being. He was met with a surprise when the physician announced that he had an abnormal growth in his body which was spreading rapidly which he described as a cancer. Afterwards, he was educated about the disease condition and effective ways to manage the condition.

Prevalence

Cancers also referred to as neoplasms are discovered to be the leading cause of mortality after cardiovascular disease. In 2022, a record of 127,763 new cancer cases in Nigeria were observed and research found that 28% of Nigerians have been affected by cancer with breast and cervical cancer most common in women, prostate cancer in men and others such as colorectal, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, liver, and leukemia cases recorded as occuring generally.

Definition

Cancer is a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body. It is a general term used to describe a new growth and is referred to as neoplasms.

Types

The major types of cancer are carcinoma, sarcoma, melanoma, lymphoma, and leukemia. Carcinomas are the most commonly diagnosed cancers which originate in the skin, lungs, breasts, pancreas, and other organs and glands. Sarcoma cancer that starts in muscle, fat, bone, cartilage, blood vessels, or connective tissue. Lymphomas are cancers of lymphocytes. Leukemia is cancer of the blood.

Risk factors

According to the American Association for Cancer Research, the risk factors that cause cancer include smoking, excess body weight, unhealthy diet, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and infection with certain pathogens and are avoidable. Other factors include lifestyle, genetic disorders, exposure to certain viruses, environmental exposure, high dose chemotherapy and radiation exposure. These factors result in changes in the normal cell division,  growth and cell death processes resulting in disorderly cell activities and eventual development of said disease condition.

Signs

Different types of cancers.present with symptoms that are unique to them, but generally, cancers may present as new lumps or growth on the body parts, fatigue, weight changes,slow healing sores, darkening, yellowing of the skin among other symptoms.

Prevention

Early detection and management of symptoms is key in beating cancer. Effective measures that can be taken include avoiding exposure to materials or mutagens that cause gene alteration, maintain a healthy weight, refrain from tobacco use, limit the use of alcohol.

Management

In terms of managing the disease condition depending on the type of cancer that presents, patients will require watchful waiting to monitor rate of cell growth and spread, surgery, radiation, medicines, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, stem cell or bone marrow transplant, hormone therapy to achieve treatment success.

Cancer awareness is important to educate the public about the importance, prevalence management and prevention of all kinds of cancers.  Your health is priority, spread the word and get informed. Rx Iruoma Goldy Ani

Ref: WHO

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