Cancer: Are all tumours cancerous? How to know if one is?

Cancer, is caused due to the abnormal growth of cells in certain body parts. If left undiagnosed, which is the case in several cancer patients, the disease spreads to other body organs as well. In 2020, more than 10 million cancer related deaths were reported. The disease was held accountable for nearly one in six deaths in that year. This alarming information makes it imperative to understand what causes cancer and why tumours of any nature should not be ignored.

In a normal human body, the cells grow and multiply throughout the lifetime of the individual. Old cells die or get damaged and new cells get generated to carry out the biological functioning. Sometimes this process breaks and an abnormal cellular multiplication starts. These cells form tumour and while many of these do not turn cancerous, many others lead to cancer. One of the biggest challenges in cancer diagnosis and treatment is the identification of the symptoms and distinction between benign and malignant tumours.

Not all tumours get cancerous, but that does not mean you can ignore any of them. Benign tumours are not cancerous and they do not invade other tissues. They tend to grow slowly and are usually not life-threatening. A skin wart is a type of tumour that does not spread and remains confined to its location. These can be removed and usually do not come back. Other examples of benign tumors include most moles, fibroids, and some types of cysts. But these require medical treatment.

Tumours which are either malignant or premalignant can develop into cancer. Premalignant tumours are typically scaly and thicky patches. For example, Leukoplakia, which can be the early sign of mouth cancer, are painless, have irregular shapes, and do not go away even when the tongue is scrapped. Malignant tumours have an uncontrolled growth rate. They are formed in epithelial cells (stomach, prostate, pancreas, lung, liver, colon, or breast), in bones, cartilage, ovaries, testicles, brain, abdomen or chest.

Always be careful of any abnormal growth in the body. Self-examination is the key to find unusual lumps, especially in the breast, and colorectal cancer. For other types of cancer like leukemia, in which lumps are not formed, one can watch out for key symptoms like increasing episodes of infection, recurrent bruising or bleeding. Do not delay and visit a doctor the moment you notice a lump or any persisting signs of cancer.

Your doctor is likely to examine you physically. Changes in skin color around the lumps will be carefully examined. Blood test, and urine test are also recommended first. Cancer is also diagnosed using imaging tests like computerized tomography (CT) scan, bone scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) scan, ultrasound and X-ray.

It is a wrong belief that biopsy worsens cancerous growth. Biopsy is a common medical procedure in cancer treatment. In biopsy, doctors take a small tissue sample and determine the cancer's characteristics and its type. Health experts say that biopsy done in time can help the patient in getting medical treatment at the earliest.