Question 1

What exactly is cancer?

Accepted Answer

Cancer is a condition where abnormal cells multiply uncontrollably, disrupting normal bodily functions. Normally, cells divide for growth, repair, and maintenance, creating exact copies of themselves. However, in cancer, cells become abnormal due to unknown factors, leading to faulty division. These abnormal cells continue to multiply, forming lumps or ulcers in organs. In blood cancer, such as leukemia, abnormal cells circulate in the bloodstream, without visible lumps. Cancer can spread to other parts of the body through lymphatic channels or blood vessels, a process known as metastasis, making it challenging to treat once it has spread.

Question 2

What initiates the development of Cancer?

Accepted Answer

The precise process by which normal cells become cancerous remains unclear. However, various factors such as tobacco use (smoking and chewing), alcohol consumption, radiation exposure, asbestos exposure, certain chemicals, high fat intake, and viral infections are known to contribute to this transformation.

Question 3

Is a Lump Always Indicative of Cancer?

Accepted Answer

A lump can manifest in various parts of the body, and not all lumps indicate the presence of cancer cells. While some may grow large and lead to ulcers, causing disruption to nearby organs, they are typically benign tumors. Unlike malignant tumors, benign tumors do not pose a risk of spreading to other parts of the body and can usually be safely removed through surgery without recurrence. However, cancerous lumps, known as malignant tumors, exhibit a distinct characteristic of potential spread to other sites and infiltration into organs.

Question 4

What are the factors that contribute to the development of cancer?

Accepted Answer

Two types of factors contribute to the cause of cancer. One is a tendency or predisposition to develop cancer. The other is exposure to the triggers that start it off. Examples are cigarettes, environmental toxins, sun exposure, or liver damage.

Question 5

Why do some people get cancer and not others?

Accepted Answer

In a few cancers such as retinoblastoma and in a small portion of the more common cancers such as a small proportion of breast and ovarian cancers there seems to be an inherited factor that researchers can partly identify. In most cancers, doctors assume that a person’s cells have a low threshold for becoming malignant. So that person will develop a cancer with relatively less prompting by a trigger such as cigarettes or the sun than another person whose cells have a higher threshold and who may be able to tolerate more exposure to a trigger without developing a cancer.

Question 6

What are the most common Cancers seen in Indians?

Accepted Answer

Cancer affects different body organs due to a variety of factors and in India there are variations in the occurence and pattern of cancer. However, in our men, the majority of all cancers are found in mouth and throat, lung, stomach, gullet etc. and in women, they are found in large numbers in uterus[cervix], breast, mouth and throat.

Question 7

Do we get cancer from what we eat?

Accepted Answer

"It is a complex interplay of factors. While the high-fat, low-fiber diet prevalent in developed nations is speculated to contribute to approximately one-third of all cancers, medical experts have yet to establish definitive causation. Furthermore, there is no conclusive evidence linking toxins or chemicals in modern foods to cancer. In fact, advancements in food preservation techniques may even be associated with a decrease in certain types of cancer, such as stomach cancer."

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