The insidiousness of oncological diseases lies in the fact that they can not make themselves felt for quite a long time, and a person realizes that he is sick only when the tumor has grown significantly. This was told socialbites.ca by an oncologist, candidate of medical sciences, associate professor, national representative of Russia at the European Association of Oncologists ENYGO Anton Ilyin.
According to the expert, in order to notice problems in time, it is worth paying attention to any changes in well-being. Especially for no apparent reason, such as weight loss, chronic fatigue and severe weakness, long-term slight increase in body temperature.
“Weight loss in cancer is called cancer cachexia. In this case, weight loss is due to the fact that cancer cells multiply very quickly, they need a lot of energy for this, and the tumor begins to take the lion’s share of nutrients entering the body. In this case, it is not the fat layer that disappears most of the time, but the muscles. In the absence of other symptoms, the person may even be happy: he did not diet, did not sweat in the gym and lost weight. Especially if it’s not frighteningly fast,” explained Ilyin, a candidate of medical sciences.
In addition, with cancer cachexia, a person often loses weight in the most unusual places – for example, the stomach and hips can retain excess volume, and the arms and shoulders literally begin to dry out. This is one of the most obvious signs of cancer cachexia.
“Despite the lack of nutrients, such a person has almost no appetite. This distinguishes cancer cachexia, for example, from hyperthyroidism, where patients overeat and still lose weight. Loss of appetite is caused by intoxication of the body, which is inevitable in oncology. Tumor cells that do not have enough nutrients die, begin to decompose and poison the body, ”said the oncologist.
In addition to loss of appetite, drunkenness causes very severe fatigue and weakness. Often a person cannot walk only a few steps. Even with minor physical exertion, there is dizziness, shortness of breath. In this case, all other symptoms may not be at all.
“Pale skin, falling hair and brittle nails are another consequence of intoxication of the body, poisoning with decaying cancer cells. Moreover, these symptoms may increase as the disease progresses. An overgrown tumor may bleed or metastasize to the bone marrow. Therefore, the number of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood decreases and iron deficiency anemia occurs. From this, the skin, hair and nails suffer even more.”
As for body temperature, this symptom most often accompanies malignant blood diseases: leukemia, leukemia, lymphoma. Of course, in healthy people, the temperature may rise slightly, for example, during physical exertion or strong excitement. However, persistent, the temperature rising to 37 – 37.5°C for weeks is a reason to be cautious.
“If you find yourself with any of the listed symptoms, of course you shouldn’t panic. Yes, it really is characteristic of oncological diseases, but not only for them. However, in order to exclude the worst, in the presence of certain symptoms, you need to consult a doctor who will make a diagnosis. “What’s even better is to undergo regular medical examinations, so that you can detect dangerous diseases at an early – asymptomatic – stage, when the chances of being cured are as high as possible,” concluded oncologist Anton Ilyin.
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