Clinical manifestations of cancer

 The clinical manifestations of malignant tumors vary depending on the organ, location, and degree of development. However, malignant tumors often have no obvious symptoms in the early stage. Even if they have symptoms, they are often non-specific. When the patient has specific symptoms, the tumor often belongs to Late. Generally, the clinical manifestations of cancer are divided into two aspects: local manifestations and systemic symptoms.

1. Local manifestations of cancer

(1) Masses formed by the malignant proliferation of cancer cells, which can be touched on the body surface or deep with hands. Thyroid, parotid gland, or breast cancer can be felt in a shallower part of the skin. The metastasis of the tumor to the lymph nodes can lead to swelling of the lymph nodes. Some superficial lymph nodes, such as cervical lymph nodes and axillary lymph nodes, are easily palpable. As for gastric cancer and pancreatic cancer in deeper parts of the body, you must press hard to reach them.

(2) Pain The swelling growth or rupture of the tumor, infection, etc. cause peripheral nerves or nerve trunks to be stimulated or compressed, and local pain may occur. Pain often indicates that the cancer has entered the middle or advanced stage. The pain is mostly dull or dull at first, and it is obvious at night. Later, it gradually worsened and became unbearable, and it was non-stop day and night, especially at night. Generally, painkillers are not effective.

(3) Ulcers. Tumors on the body surface or gastrointestinal tract, if they grow too fast, may cause tissue necrosis due to insufficient blood supply or ulceration due to secondary infection. For example, some breast cancers may have crater-like or cauliflower-like ulcers on the breast, secrete bloody secretions, and may have a foul smell when complicated by infection.

(4) Bleeding: Cancer tissue invades blood vessels or caused by rupture of small blood vessels in cancer tissue. Such as lung cancer patients may have hemoptysis or blood in sputum; stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, colon cancer may vomit blood or blood in the stool, urinary tract tumors may have hematuria, cervical cancer may have vaginal bleeding, liver cancer rupture can cause intra-abdominal bleeding.

(5) Obstruction The rapid growth of cancer tissue causes obstruction of the hollow organs. Difficulty in breathing and atelectasis can occur when the obstruction is in the respiratory tract; esophageal cancer obstructs the esophagus and dysphagia; cancer in the biliary tract can block the common bile duct and cause jaundice; bladder cancer can block the urethra and cause dysuria; gastric cancer with pyloric obstruction can occur It can cause fullness and vomiting in the upper abdomen after a meal.

(6) Other intracranial tumors can cause vision disorders (optic nerve compression), facial paralysis (compression facial nerve) and other neurological symptoms; bone tumors invade the bones can lead to fractures; liver cancer causes a decrease in plasma albumin and ascites. Corresponding symptoms can occur with tumor metastasis, such as regional lymphadenopathy, cancerous pleural effusion caused by lung cancer pleural metastasis, etc.

2. Systemic symptoms

Most early malignant tumors have no obvious systemic symptoms. Some patients may experience weight loss, loss of appetite, cachexia, excessive sweating (night sweats), anemia, fatigue and other non-specific symptoms. In addition, about 10% to 20% of tumor patients will have systemic and systemic symptoms unrelated to metastasis and consumption before or at the onset of the disease, which is called paraneoplastic syndrome. It manifests as tumor fever, cachexia, hypercalcemia, syndrome of abnormal secretion of antidiuretic hormone, carcinoid syndrome, etc.

3. Tumor metastasis

Cancer cells can be transferred to nearby and distant tissues and organs through four methods: direct spread, lymphatic, blood flow and planting. ①Direct spread is caused by the invasive growth of cancer cells, continuous with the primary tumor, such as rectal cancer, cervical cancer invading the pelvic wall; ②Lymphatic metastasis is mostly regional lymph node metastasis, but skipping non-regional lymph nodes may also occur And metastases to distant places; ③Blood metastasis is tumor cells that spread to other tissues and organs through the systemic venous system, portal vein system, and paravertebral venous system; ④Implanted metastasis is tumor cells that shed tumor cells in the body cavity or hollow organs Metastasis, the most common is the implantation of gastric cancer into the pelvis.