Cancer

Cancer is a disease characterized by a population of cells that grow and divide without respect to normal limits, invade and destroy adjacent tissues, and may spread to distant anatomic sites through a process called metastasis.

These malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited in their growth and do not invade or metastasize (although some benign tumor types are capable of becoming malignant).

Cancer may affect people at all ages, but risk for the more common varieties tends to increase with age.

Genetic abnormalities found in cancer typically affect two general classes of genes. Cancer-promoting are often activated in cancer cells, giving those cells new properties, such as hyperactive growth and division, protection against programmed cell death, loss of respect for normal tissue boundaries, and the ability to become established in diverse tissue environments. Tumor suppressor genes are often inactivated in cancer cells, resulting in the loss of normal functions in those cells, such as accurate DNA replication, control over the cell cycle, orientation and adhesion within tissues, and interaction with protective cells of the .

Signs and symptoms-

Roughly, cancer symptoms can be divided into three groups:

Local symptoms: unusual lumps or swelling (tumor), hemorrhage (bleeding),pain and/or . Compression of surrounding tissues may cause symptoms such as jaundice.

Symptoms of metastasis (spreading): enlarged lymph nodes, cough and hemoptysis, hepatomegaly (enlarged liver), bone pain, fracture of affected bones and neurological symptoms. Although advanced cancer may cause pain, it is often not the first symptom.

Systemic symptoms: weight loss, poor appetite and cachexia (wasting), excessive sweating (night sweats), anemia and specific paraneoplastic phenomena, i.e. specific conditions that are due to an active cancer, such as thrombosis or hormonal changes.

Every symptom in the above list can be caused by a variety of conditions (a list of which is referred to as the differential diagnosis). Cancer may be a common or uncommon cause of each item.

Adult cancers-

In the U.S. and other developed countries, cancer is presently responsible for about 25% of all deaths. On a yearly basis, 0.5% of the population is diagnosed with cancer. The statistics below are for adults in the United States, and will vary substantially in other countries:

Childhood cancers-

Cancer can also occur in young children and adolescents, but it is rare. Some studies have concluded that pediatric cancers, especially leukemia, are on an upward trend.

The age of peak incidence of cancer in children occurs during the first year of life. Leukemia (usually ALL) is the most common infant malignancy (30%), followed by the central nervous system cancers and neuroblastoma. The remainder consists of Wilms' tumor, lymphomas, rhabdomyosarcoma (arising from muscle), retinoblastoma, osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma. Teratoma< is the most common tumor in this age group, but most teratomas are surgically removed while they are still benign.

Female and male infants have essentially the same overall cancer incidence rates, but white infants have substantially higher cancer rates than black infants for most cancer types. Relative survival for infants is very good for neuroblastoma, Wilms' tumor and retinoblastoma, and fairly good (80%) for leukemia, but not for most other types of cancer.

 Remedies-

1. Calcarea fluorica. [Calc-f]
This remedy is most useful for knots, kernels or hardened lumps in the female breast, accompanied with indurated glands of stony hardness; the enlargements may occur in the fasciae. It will prevent the development of cancer, and should be considered always in the cases where the breasts present suspicious lumps. Enchondroma.

2. Lapis albus. [Lap-a]
Several cases of incipient scirrhus (cancer) of the mammary gland, presenting retraction of the nipple, and the other characteristic symptoms have been cured with this remedy. It is of signal use in many cases of goiter. Lapis is used in malignant diseases of the uterus where the discharges are black and offensive and intense burning pains all through the diseased part.

3. Silicea. [Sil]
This remedy will often abate the pains of cancer. Lupus and sarcoma with a thick yellow and offensive discharge.

4. Heckla lava. [Heckla]
Osteomata (Bone Cancer), not so-called ivory tumors, but those of spongy nature.

5. Conium. [Con]
Great hardness of the infiltrated glands, with flying stitches in them worse at night. Cancer, mammary tumors of beginning of scirrhus; chief remedy, especially useful after contusions and bruises, it corresponds particularly to glandular bruises.The irritability seems the characteristic. Epithelioma, enlarged testicles or uterus.

6. Condurango. [Cund]
This remedy has achieved considerable reputation is cancer of the stomach and various forms of carcinoma. Open cancer and cancerous ulcers; it modifies the pain. It is often indicated in epithelioma, especially in open and ulcerated types.

7. Phytolacca has a tendency to fat formation, and may prove useful in fatty tumors as well as in hard, painful nodosities in the breast. Cancers of the breast when the tumors are hard, painful and purple. It acts as an absorbent in fibroid tumors of the uterus.

8. Thuja. [Thuj]
Bleeding fungi. There is on record the cure of a fungus tumor of the orbit, It is also a remedy for polypoid growths in the nose and ears. The epithelial variety of cancer, and cauliflower excrescences would seem to correspond to this remedy. Thuja as a valuable remedy in sarcoma. Palpillomata also comes within its field.

9. Hydrastis. [Hydr]
This remedy corresponds to the epithelial diathesis and is of undoubted and special value in epithelioma and uterine cancer. This remedy is of great use in simple glandular tumors of the breast; here it allays the pain retards the growth and improves the patient generally. The dyspeptic symptoms of the remedy lead to its choice. The hydrastis treatment is one of the best known in cancer.

Hydrastis corresponds to the diathesis, the worn jaded look, the sallow complexion hide-bound state of the skin, low spirits, loss of appetite, constipation, as well as to the ulcerative stage. It has cured lupus, epithelioma and malignant ulcers. Tumors of the stomach and pylorus have disappeared under the continued use of Hydrastis.

10. Radium. [Rad-br]
The use of this substance has been heralded as a remedy for cancer. Though it produces actually and pathologically that disease, it has never cured cancer in any dosage nor in any stage of that affection. It use in all doses save those of Homoeopathy is dangerous and should be avoided. It is used in "Cancerinique" dyscrasia, which means the abnormal blood conditions which tend toward that disease, and always precede it. Thus it use is confined to the pregrowth manifestations when we have such symptoms as aching pains, itching over the body, pains resembling a chronic arthritis. Apprehension. Mentally tired and irritable patients. Pimples on the skin and spots which itch and burn. Restlessness, heat in stomach, flatulence and constipation. We can never be certain whether a patient has not been subjected in some unknown way to radium emanations and by giving the remedy in the lower strengths we may add to the trouble.