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The importance of Cells
It is not easy to explain in
simple words what cancer is. The
human body is made up of basic
units called cells. Examples are
blood cells, nerve cells or
neurons, muscle cells, liver
cells and epidermal or skin
cells.
Cells are the smallest
biological units capable of life
by themselves: normal cells can
be born, grow, reproduce by
dividing themselves into two
identical daughter cells,
specialize in various functions,
get older and ultimately die.
But sometimes something goes
wrong.
Sometimes it happens that a cell
frees itself from this strictly
controlled life cycle: it
doesn't specialize in any
particular function, doesn't get
older and doesn't die, but
remains young and continues
reproducing itself, forming a
mass of cells with the same
characteristics and
proliferative potential of the
initial cell.
These are called cancer cells,
while the mass they form is
called a tumor.
It is not clear why, at a
certain point of its life, a
normal cell transforms itself
into a cancer cell. A variety of
factors may come into play,
including viruses, pollution,
radiations, chemicals, dietary
contaminants, as well as family
history and genetic factors.
However in most cases it is
impossible to trace the specific
cause of cancer. That's why the
diagnosis of cancer only
considers the location and behaviour (benign or malignant)
of the tumor, as well as the
type of cells forming it,
without however specifying the
cause.
Benignity and malignity of
tumours
The severity of a cancer depends
on the location and extent of
the tumor mass, as well as on
the benignity or malignity of
the cancer cells forming it. It
is important to distinguish
between benign and malignant
tumors, as this affects both the
treatment protocol and the
chance of a successful cure.
Benign tumors are generally
asymptomatic, painless and slow
growing. They usually remain
localized to their site of
origin and are well demarcated
from the surrounding normal
tissue, so they can be removed
by surgical excision.
On the contrary malignant tumors
are characterized by an
uncontrolled, unpredictable
growth of cancer cells that may
invade nearby tissues as well as
spread to distant organs through
the bloodstream. As malignant
tumors grow larger, they
gradually compress and destroy
the tissues in which they grow,
thereby often causing pain.
The treatment of malignant
tumors is often a challenge.
It may include surgery,
chemotherapy, radiation therapy
or a combination of the three.
But this is not always curative,
because many malignant tumors
tend to recur after treatment.
In addition, patients affected
by cancer often require pain
management, as well as
psychological support since most
of them see cancer as a death
sentence. And this is not
surprising. The word "cancer"
frightens everyone.
New hope from research
Although to date a definite cure
for cancer has not been yet
developed, fortunately the
research in this field is very
active and will probably produce
great results in the near
future.
Treatment of cancer may be very
expensive for patients and their
families. That's why it is
advisable to be covered by an
appropriate health insurance
plan.
If you would like to cover
yourself or your relatives from
medical issues such as cancer
you may ask us for advice
choosing a comprehensive
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*Always seek professional
medical advise from a qualified
doctor before undergoing any
treatment.
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