NEOPLASTIC DISEASE: TUMORS AND CANCER

Friday, March 27, 2009 5:28

Posted in category Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction

Sometimes cells in the body grow and multiply without listening to the body’s commands. The result is a tumor, either benign or malignant. Benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body, but they cause damage by pushing aside and pressing on neighboring tissues and organs. Malignant tumors invade adjacent tissues and cells from the tumor often spread to different parts of the body. These distant malignant cells are called metastases, and the process is metastatic spread.

Cancer, or carcinoma, is not a single disease but an all-inclusive term to describe the many varieties of malignant tumors. The word is often used too loosely and usually strikes fear into the hearts of most people, young and old. I have heard patients with severe life-threatening heart disease ask if they had cancer. When they were told that they did not, they said, “Thank God, it’s not cancer,” even though their heart disease was in many ways more dangerous.

Certain types of malignancies are found more often in older people, and others are found more commonly in the young. Since time is one factor that allows malignant tumors to grow, it is understandable that if you are older you will have a greater chance of developing a malignant growth than a younger person. This does not mean that age causes cancer, and it does not imply that it is inevitable. Depending on the organ involved, the treatment and response will vary. The types of treatment for cancer change rapidly, so some more malignant tumors might improve temporarily with newer forms of therapy. An oncologist (cancer specialist) should be consulted for advice about the effectiveness of the various treatments.

Any organ of the body can be affected by malignant disease. Some varieties of cancer are more common than others, and as you grow older, certain classes of tumors may occur more frequently. Depending on the part of the body involved, the signs of the disease can differ and the kinds of treatment and their likelihood of success vary.