Cancer is a disease that affects the person has been known since time immemorial. Paleontologists have discovered cancerous changes in the jaws of primitive man, who lived about half a million years ago. Cancer is mentioned in ancient papyri. Why the problem of malignant tumors is has become so urgent in the most recent time?
Socio-economic progress and tremendous achievements in medicine in the fight against severe infections, infant mortality and tuberculosis have led to the fact that people live much longer. Today, the man most threatening disease, most often in elderly and old age, and one of these diseases is cancer.
The problem of cancer is multifaceted in its decision to participate physicians of various specialties and representatives of other sciences: biology, genetics, biochemists, pharmacologists, sociologists, psychologists, ethnographers, and many others.
Tumor called excessive abnormal growths of tissue consisting of qualitatively changed, loss of the differentiation of body cells. From medically accepted term, denoting the neoplastic process, most often used are as follows: tumor, neoplasm, blastoma, – the latter most fully displays the essence of the process. Blastoma is derived from the Greek verb means to grow. According to the character and growth of tumors can be divided into benign and malignant.
Benign tumors grow slowly and may exist for years without increases. They are surrounded by own shell. With the growth, increasing the tumor pushes the surrounding tissue, without destroying them. Histological structure of the tumor is slightly different from the tissue in which it evolved. Hence benign tumors are named after their own tissues from which they evolved. For example, a tumor of adipose wove – lipoma of the connective – fibroma of muscle – myomata of bone tissue – osteoma, etc. Removal of a benign tumor from her shell leads to a complete recovery of patients.
Malignant tumors grow much faster. Shells are not. Tumor cells and strands them penetrate into the surrounding tissue (infiltrative growth), damaging them. They bloodstream or lymphatic system can be transported to the lymph nodes or distant organs and form there is a secondary focus of tumor growth – metastasis. The histological picture of malignant tumors is significantly different from the tissue from which it evolved. Cells are atypical, polymorphic, with many mitoses. Characteristic feature of tumor tissue is anaplasia – return to a more primitive type. Morphologically, it appears the loss of differentiation and functional – the loss of specific functions.
Distinguish between malignant tumors of epithelial nature – the crabs, and arising from the derivatives of mesenchyme – sarcoma. Up to 90% of all malignant tumors are cancers. Therefore, all malignant tumors are called cancer, and measures to combat malignant tumors – anticancer activities.
The term “cancer” came to us from ancient times, probably due to the fact when you do not know the substance of the disease; mark them on some significant ground most accessible forms of the disease. The Latin word cancer, the Greek karkinos – crab. This ancient term in our time are well known to all and scares everyone. Medical workers tend not to use it when communicating with patients. Relatives of patients should also not forget that.
The problem of cancer is one of the most important for modern society. WHO predicts morbidity and mortality of cancer worldwide will increase 2-fold between 1999 and 2020: from 10 to 20 million new cases and from 6 to 12 million registered deaths.
Currently, is accumulated a large scientific and statistical material on various issues relating to the causes, incidence and mortality from malignant tumors. Over the past decade, medicine has been enriched with new knowledge and experience in treating this disease.