You will be shocked to know that every year 7 lakhs new cases of cancer come up in India. There are almost 2.5 million cancer patients in our country. Out of these, 50% are breast cancer patients in females and oral and lung cancer sufferers in males.
Recently, Sonali Bendre, one of the biggest actresses of 90s has also been diagnosed with a “high-grade” cancer. The cancer is named as metastatic cancer and here is all that you need to know about it.
What is metastatic cancer?
The word “metastatize” means “spread”. Metastatic cancer is the cancer which spreads to different parts of the body. It is often the 4th stage of cancer.
How does this cancer develop?
This cancer mainly develops when the cancer cells get separated from the main tumor and then spread to different parts of the body by entering into the lymphatic system or the bloodstream. This means that the cancerous cells detach from the original tumor and lead to the formation of new tumors when they settle and grow in the other body parts.
Any cancer can spread (metastatize) depending upon some factors:
- The type of cancer
- How long it has been since the cancer in the body started growing
- How fast growing the cancer is?
- A few other factors
Where do metastases develop?
Metastasis is common in brain, bones, lymph nodes, and liver. The cancer cells can also metastasize to the abdominal cavity. Because of this, an excess fluid gets build up in these areas.
Here are the areas to which the different types of cancer metastasize-
- Lung cancer usually spreads to bones, brain, adrenal glands and liver
- Colon and rectal cancers spread to the lungs and the liver
- Breast cancer spreads to liver, bones, chest wall, lungs and brain
- Prostate to cancer spreads to the bones
Symptoms of Metastasis cancer
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Vision problems
- Short breath
- Jaundice
- Inflammation
- Unhealed pain
Can Metastasis cancer be cured?
To be honest, the metastases cancer is not curative; but, in some situations, it can be cured. With treatment, the doctors can reduce the growth of this cancer and reduce its symptoms.
How well the treatment will work depends upon the type of cancer, how aggressive it is, how much has it already grown, how the cancer will respond to the treatment, etc.
We just wish for Sonali Bendre that she gets well soon!