Written and Researched by Asis Tung
What are Autoimmune Diseases?
Autoimmune: A term that usually refers to autoimmune diseases where your body will naturally react to the disease. For example, one's body will automatically produce antibodies and send them out at rapid diseases to fight the unknown cells that are creating trouble. This will make one weaker however it is proven to work.
Cancer?
Cancer however is a different case of disease. It is one of the leading causes of death and can affect any body part ever. During the time cancer is brought into the body, whether it gets noticed or not the body's automatic response is to send out antibodies and other cells to fight the virus. However in cancer the cancer cells are far too much for the body to fight on its own.
Stages and Symptoms of Early Cancer Diagnosis
Cancer usually is terminal and can not be treated or takes everything the patient and doctors can give to get the patient out of cancer. The war against cancer is not an easy one to fight for most people, however cancer works in stages.
Stage zero means that there are no actual cancer cells however there are abnormal cells that may look like bumps of guilts on the skin that are usually removed in case of future cancer. That is why it is important to get anything abnormal on your body seen by a professional before it is too late.
Stage one cancer is when cancer is in just one part of your body and the cell dividing process is slowed. Usually when cancer is caught in stage one the percentage of being treated is much higher and this is considered lucky.
Stage two and three mean that the cancer has grown and the cells of the cancer have divided and spread itself through the patient's body. Usually it has gone into the tissues and lymph nodes. The lymph nodes are where anit-bodies are made and when the cancer hits the lymph nodes they are unable to complete their function which leads to the body getting extremely weak.
Stage four is the last stage of cancer where it has spread to lots of other places in your body and is now advanced metastatic cancer. One that is rarely ever cured. Usually patients are given a remaining life span in this stage.
Detecting Cancer Early - Symptoms
Pain and heartburn after eating
Nausea and vomiting
Belly pains, trouble swallowing and indigestion for long periods of time.
Fatigue, fever and night sweats, mouth changes, bleeding from lip and mouth
Headaches, seizures, vision/hearing changes, face drooping
Lumps in breasts, firm breasts, nipple changes or discharges.
Red and scaly skin that looks picked.
Weight gain or weight loss for no known reason.
New mole, not healing sore, jaundice.
Chemotherapy and Radiation
Cancer can affect all types of body parts such as lungs, heart, brain, breasts, or even blood cells. Cancer leads to hair loss at rapid rates. The treatments for cancer are radiation and chemotherapy.
This is either where high rays of dangerous toxic rays are applied to remove and kill all cancer cells. Radiation is bad for all ages and leads to lots of problems. Weakening in the body, blindness, loss of sight, hearing or speaking abilities.
Chemotherapy is where high doses of medication are pumped into your bloodstream to remove the cancer cells. This also leads to hair loss and extreme weakening.
Tumors
Another form of cancer and can attack just as fast as Cancer.
Tumors are mass and lumps of tissue that are like swelling. They are not always cancerous.
Benign: These tumors are not cancerous, they either spread and grow and doctors remove them for safety reasons.
Premalignant: These tumors are not cancerous but they usually do lead to cancer so they are also removed.
Malignant: These tumors are cancerous and spread and grow to other parts of the body.
Cancer and Autoimmune
Cancer and autoimmune diseases are both that immediately affect the immune system and make it battle by sending out fighting cells. However usually both are more common to win over the body's immune system which leads to weakening. Autoimmune diseases attack the body's healthy cells in mistake for a purpose where the body thought it was right. For example in diabetes patients the immune system might attack the pancreas for not creating enough insulin. Cancer and autoimmune diseases are alike but not the same. Some patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases have an increased risk of cancer. These are inflammatory diseases in the immune system that attack muscles, joints and bones. They have been most commonly linked to cancer.