An oncologist dispelled the most common myths about cancer

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Candidate of medical sciences, oncologist Mykhailo Laskov answered the most common questions about cancer .

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As he said, a healthy lifestyle does not guarantee “immunity from cancer”. According to the doctor, the exact cause of the appearance of tumors has not been established: there are many factors for this, and some of them are quite individual.

“Not all of them are related to lifestyle. Yes, inherited genetic mutations are associated with certain types of cancer (for example, some forms of breast cancer are hereditary),” explained the interlocutor of the publication.

At the same time, he stressed that in any case one should develop healthy habits and take care of the body in order not to fall into the risk group.

Laskov noted that, contrary to popular opinion, when diagnosing oncological diseases, one cannot rely only on a general analysis of urine and blood. These studies show the general state of the body and cannot signal dangerous processes. In addition, pain may not be a sign of a tumor, since many types of cancer in the early stages are asymptomatic.

“The same applies to other warning signs: sudden weight loss, nausea and fever can accompany oncological diseases, but it is impossible to make a diagnosis based on these symptoms alone,” said the doctor.

The oncologist said, that different types of malignant tumors develop at different rates. That is why some patients detect these diseases in the late stages, when doctors can no longer help them. However, he emphasized that regular check-ups are necessary for prevention.

“Among such studies are the PAR test to detect cervical cancer, stool analysis for occult blood, colonoscopy or sigmoscopy to detect intestinal cancer,” Laskov listed.

He noted that many calls cancer a disease of the elderly, which is partly true. With age, various malfunctions accumulate in the body, which can provoke the appearance of tumors, he explained. Despite this, oncological diseases occur in children even in the stage of embryonic development.

The specialist emphasized that people have always suffered from cancer. Therefore, the assumption that the number of malignant tumors has increased due to the development of modern technologies is incorrect.

“It is another matter that with the development of medicine, human life expectancy is constantly increasing, and diagnostic tools are becoming more perfect, that is why more and more cases of malignant tumors are recorded,” the publication quotes the words of an oncologist.

He added that previously many people simply did not live to the age of tumor development, and doctors could not always detect them.

“The most common types of cancer in the world are lung cancer, cancer intestines, skin cancer, breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men,” Laskov said.

According to him, the highest mortality rates are in lung cancer, and the lowest in basal- cellular skin cancer. So far, brain tumors and pancreatic cancer are very poorly treated.

The oncologist emphasized that the success in getting rid of cancer depends on many factors, including the stage of the disease. There are no single statistics on relapses, he said.

“Often after treatment comes complete recovery. The probability of recurrence depends on the type of cancer and the correct treatment. <…> For example, in the case of leukemia, the absence of relapses within three to five years indicates that the probability of the disease returning is no higher than the risk of developing cancer in a healthy person,” said the doctor.