A tumor is known as an abnormal growth of body tissue. Tumors can be so cancerous or noncancerous. In general, tumors occur when cells divide and they grow excessively in the body. Normally, the body will control the cell growth and division. The new cells are formed to replace the older ones or to carry out new functions. Cells which are damaged or not needed anymore die to make room for the healthy substitution. If the balance of cells growth and death is disturbed, a tumor will then form. Problems with the body’s system of immune can lead to tumors. Tobacco is notoriously known to cause more deaths than are any other environmental substance. The other risk factors for cancer cover the following:
- Genetic problems
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Benzene and other chemicals and toxins
- Excessive sunlight exposure
- Viruses
- Obesity
- Radiation exposure
- Environmental toxins, such as some poisonous mushrooms and a type of poison which can grow on peanut plants
Some tumors are more common in one gender than the other. Some are more common among children or the elderly. Others are related to diet, environment, and family history.
The symptoms depend on the type as well as the location of the occurring tumor. For instance, lung tumors are likely to cause coughing, chest pain, or shortness of breath. The tumors of the colon can cause diarrhea, weight loss, constipation, anemia, iron deficiency, and blood in the stool. Some tumors may not even trigger any symptoms. Others, such as the pancreatic cancer, do not commonly cause symptoms till the disease has reached the advanced stage. The symptoms below may occur with tumors of any sort.
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Malaise
- Night sweats
- Weight loss
The treatments to tumor can vary, which is dependent on the type of tumor, whether it is cancerous or non-cancerous, and the location of the tumor. It is actually likely that you will not need treatment if the tumor is non-cancerous or benign or the tumor grows in area where it will not cause symptoms or problems with the normal way organ works. Sometimes benign tumors are removed due to cosmetic reason. Benign tumors of the brain may be removed due to their location or harmful effect on the surrounding normal tissue in the brain.
When the tumor is cancerous, then it will form cancer, which is a class of disease which are characterized by uncontrolled cell growth. There are more than 100 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the kind of cell which is initially affected.
Cancer harms the body when altered cells divide uncontrollably to create masses or lumps of tissue named tumors (except in the case related to leukemia where the cancer prohibits the normal blood function by the division or abnormal cell in blood stream. Tumors can grow and interfere with the digestive, circulatory systems, and nervous, and they can release hormones which alter the body function. Tumors which stay in one area and pose limited growth are commonly considered benign.
