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癌症英文概论:Cancer-A General Overview
来源:医学全在线 更新:2008/8/24 字体:

 

Most cancers are probably due to a combination of factors

Not everybody who comes into contact with a carcinogen or has an unhealthy lifestyle will develop cancer. For example, not all smokers develop cancer of the lung. In fact, we are all probably exposed to low doses of carcinogens a lot of the time.

The body has certain mechanisms that may protect us from developing cancer. For example, it is thought that many cells that are damaged by carcinogens can repair themselves. Also, the body's immune system may be able to destroy some types of abnormal cells before they multiply into a tumour. Perhaps one carcinogen may only damage one gene, and two or more genes may need to be damaged or altered to trigger the cells to multiply 'out of control'.

In many cases it is likely that a combination of factors such as genetic make-up, exposure to a carcinogen, age, diet, the state of your immune system, etc, play a part to trigger a cell to become abnormal, and allow it to multiply 'out of control' into a cancer.

How is cancer diagnosed?

If a cancer is suspected from your symptoms
Your doctor will examine you to look for abnormalities such as a lump under the skin or an enlarged liver. You may be referred for tests such as X-rays, scans, blood tests, endoscopy, colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, etc, depending on where the suspected cancer is situated. These tests can often find the exact site of a suspected cancer. However, a biopsy is often needed to be certain that the abnormality is a cancer and not something else (such as a benign tumour).

Biopsy
A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under the microscope to look for abnormal cells. Sometimes it is easy to obtain a biopsy. For example, from a lump on the skin which may be a skin cancer. However, it can be difficult to obtain a biopsy from deeper tissues and it may require specialised procedures.

What are the treatment options for cancer?

Treatment options vary, depending on the type of cancer and how far it has grown or spread. See the separate leaflets on the specific cancers for more details. Briefly, the three most common treatments are:

More recently other treatments have been introduced which include:

For some cancers, a combination of two or more treatments may be used. A range of other treatments may also be used to ease cancer related symptoms such as pain.

What are the aims of treatment?

The aims of treatment can vary, depending on the cancer type, size, spread, etc. For example:

What is the outlook for people with cancer?

Therefore, it is not possible give an overall outlook (prognosis). See the information about the individual types of cancer for further details. As a general rule, the outlook is usually better the earlier a cancer is detected and treated.

 

Some questions you may want to go through with your doctor

If you have been diagnosed with cancer you will have many questions. The organisations listed at the bottom of the leaflet are good sources of further and detailed information. The following are also some suggested questions that you may wish to go over with your doctor.

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