Cancer is called the king of disease. By the number of deaths, he took 2nd place in world statistics. People are afraid of the diagnosis of cancer, fall into despair at the word "metastases". But it is not all that bad. Modern medicine has long disproved the belief that the disease is incurable. What is cancer and what are metastases in cancer? Let's get it right.
Is cancer a malignant tumor?
Often every malignant tumor is considered cancer. This name was introduced into medicine by Hippocrates, to whom the tumor resembled a crab in appearance ("karkinos" in Greek). Hence the carcinoma, or cancer. To understand what metastases in cancer are, let us try to explain simply and readily what cancer is.
Imagine that in your body, from a certain evil, an ordinary good cell suddenly turned into a monster, which has a round, not elongated body, several nuclei and a number of other mutations. This monster began to share uncontrollably, producing its own kind of monsters. So the primary tumor turned out. Good cells, in contact with neighbors and "seeing" that there is not enough space, stop dividing. This is called contact braking. Our monster does not respond to it. The offspring produced by him puts pressure on the neighbors, causing negative changes in them. Moreover, the monster has become almost immortal, as the nature-programmed cell death (or apoptosis) is now very weakly expressed. For their further successful growth, monster cells stimulate the development of new blood vessels in the tumor, and for their protection they produce special toxins that suppress the antitumor immunity in the body . They also know how to cheat immunocontrol and escape from the cells of T-killers.
What is metastasis?
With a tumor it’s clear. It remains to add that monster cells can appear in the human body anywhere, in any organ. They spare no children or adults, but more often they hit those over 50. We’ll try to figure out what metastases are for cancer. The family of monsters grows and gradually spreads, penetrating into neighboring organs (regional metastases). Moreover, they need to capture the whole organism, for which mutant cells break away from their maternal formation, enter the blood and / or lymph, and with their current are carried through the patient’s body (metastases removed).
In the first case, they are called hematogenous, and in the second, lymphogenous. In a new place, mutant cells are fixed, and everything repeats. This process in medicine is called metastasis. Some experts believe that it begins immediately after the onset of the primary tumor, others - that only after the transition of the disease to advanced stages. Still others believe that metastasis begins immediately, but does not always develop immediately. We are talking about the so-called dormant metastases, the appearance of which is affected by partial oncological treatment.
Cancer stages
There is no single classification of cancer stages, but most specialists adhere to the TNM system. The stages are distinguished here:
- That - a tumor during a clinical examination has not yet been determined.
- Tis - without metastases, that is, it sits in place.
- T1 is almost the same as the previous stage. At this stage, treatment is usually successful. The only problem is that cancer in the first stage can only be detected by chance or with special examinations.
- T2 - cancer gave metastases, but so far regional. The forecast here is quite favorable, although more complicated.
- T3 - not much different from T2. Some experts believe that at this stage, in addition to regional ones, there are isolated distant metastases. Symptoms at the 3rd stage may be blurred, and there may be no pain, which makes diagnosis difficult. In general, stage 3 cancer, like any other, is conditionally determined. Each organ has its own criteria and its own clinical picture.
- T4 is the last stage in which metastases spread both to neighboring and remote organs. At the same time, patients experience severe pain, weakness, and lose weight. As a rule, a fatal outcome causes cancer of the 4th degree with metastases. How many such patients live, it is impossible to answer exactly. The photo below shows tumor markers of metastases.
Stages of Metastases
Metastases have their own gradation, denoted by the letter M. Only distant formations are taken into account here.
- Mx - the presence of metastases is unknown, since studies have not been conducted;
- Mo - no removed tumor formations were found;
- M1 - the presence of distant metastases was detected.
Thus, the expression “metastases of the 4th degree” implies the 4th degree of cancer.
These secondary tumor formations can occur in absolutely any organ, but most often the liver, brain, lungs, bone tissue and fatty tissue are affected. In cancer of the stomach, ovaries, pancreas, intestines and uterus, metastases are also possible in the peritoneum.
What is the main danger of cancer?
The answer to the question of what metastases are for cancer will not be complete, if not to say that not so much the primary tumor is fatal, as its regional, and especially remote secondary foci. This condition is called metastatic cancer. It, as a rule, is manifested by significant pain, which is often the main reason for the patient’s trip to the doctor. This cancer is dangerous, mainly because of the difficulty in identifying the localization of all metastases, which leads to incomplete treatment by surgical intervention and radiation therapy. Only chemotherapy (the use of drugs), hormone and immunotherapy affect all metastases at once, but, unfortunately, such treatment is often not enough.
Forecasts
They directly depend on in which organ metastases are found. How much the patient has left to live also depends on the general condition of the body, on the location and stage of the initial tumor, on the treatment that can be carried out. If you do nothing, a person’s life is calculated in months, from 1 to 6. If you make every effort, have a positive attitude and a great desire to defeat the disease, life expectancy will increase significantly. So, with the multifaceted treatment of metastases in the lungs, patients live up to 10 years, and in the liver - up to 5 years. The most bad are metastases to the brain. This is due to the specificity of the organ and the difficulties in conducting many currently known treatment methods. The most favorable prognosis for this disease is to live about 2 years. This is possible with surgical intervention followed by irradiation and complex treatment.
Can cancer be avoided?
Perhaps everyone is interested in this question. The Oncology Research Institute of Russia and other countries conducts thousands of studies to uncover the causes of cell mutations. The main causes of cancer in any organ, scientists include the use of foods containing carcinogens, any kind of radiation (radiation, ultraviolet and others), some types of viruses (for example, papilloma), genetic predisposition, frequent stress and poor lifestyle. There are specific factors. Thus, it was noted that lung cancer more often affects smokers than non-smokers, and liver and stomach cancer - alcohol abusers. Therefore, by eliminating these factors from our lives, we reduce the risk of disease. But even in the event of an unfavorable diagnosis, one cannot give in to despair. Nowadays, even stage 3 cancer is treated quite successfully. The main thing is not to make a mistake with the diagnosis.
Diagnostics
One of the unpleasant features of a malignant tumor is that in the early stages it almost never shows any symptoms. An exception is cancer of the skin and some other organs in which tumor formations can be seen visually. Another feature is that the symptoms of cancer and other diseases are similar. It:
- fast fatiguability;
- weight loss;
- lack of appetite;
- suddenly appeared seals and swelling;
- excessive sweating;
- anemia.
If such symptoms occur, you need to consult an oncologist who will conduct a clinical examination (palpation of doubtful areas, x-rays, anamnesis). For a more accurate diagnosis, it is advisable to go to the oncology center, where a number of studies are performed: X-ray, MRI, computed tomography, endoscopy, biochemical blood tests and analyzes with tumor markers, biopsy.
Symptoms of metastases may include:
- enlarged lymph nodes;
- cough with metastasis of the lungs;
- enlarged liver;
- with metastases in bone tissue - pain in the limbs, frequent fractures;
- in the brain - various neurological problems, impaired vision, coordination of movements, hearing, speech, epileptic seizures.
The diagnosis is the same as with primary tumors.
Treatment
Most cancer patients are treated at the place of residence. However, if possible, it is advisable to clarify the diagnosis to be examined at the federal cancer center, where the most modern equipment is available, and top-level specialists work with the latest technologies. In Moscow, it is the Blokhin Cancer Center and the Herzen Cancer Institute. Any resident of Russia can get there, having previously taken a referral from his doctor and made an appointment. In St. Petersburg, this is the Petrov Oncology Research Institute.
In these centers, surgical removal of the tumor is performed, if possible, and the following types of therapy are performed:
- radiation (radiosurgery);
- chemotherapy
- immune
- gene (quite effective treatment by exposure to the patient’s genetic apparatus).