What is cancer?

# The organism consists of number of different cell types. The cells grow normally and multiply; they produce new cells, but only when the organism needs them. This arranged process keeps the organism healthy. However, sometimes the cells continue with splitting, even when the new cells aren’t needed. This surplus of cells forms a mass called excrescence or tumor.

# The tumors can be benign or malignant. The benign tumors aren't called cancer. They can be removed surgically and after the operation they usually don't appear again. These tumors don't spread around the organism and they aren't dangerous to life. The malignant tumors are called cancer. The cells of this tumor split and multiply themselves without any order or control, spreading around the organism and reaching the other organs as well: the liver, the lungs, the bones and the brain.

# The cause of the cancer is still unknown, but there are some established factors that cause the cancer appearance: the heredity, hormones, life-style habits (smoking, alcohol, eating greasy food and food containing artificial colors and conservancies, a long-term exposing to the sun), and a polluted environment.

# The cancer is named by the organ in which he had appeared - the lung cancer, the breast cancer. The leukemia is the cancer developed from the blood cells.

# When the cancer is spreading, it seizes the nearby glands at first and then reaches the most important organs. The spreading of cancer is called metastasizing.

The cancer is a perfidious disease. It usually takes five years from the moment it starts until the appearing of first symptoms, and often even 15 to 20 years. Sometimes, the cancer can be detected even before the first symptoms emerge. Our goal is to detect a cancer as early as possible, when it is about 1cm large, because in that case the therapy is successful and the life is saved.
Some individuals are more sensitive to the factors that cause cancer than others.
In majority of the cancer patients, none of the known factors that cause cancer appearance could not be detected. On the other hand, most people with presence of these factors never get cancer.

Some of the symptoms of the cancer

# A bump in a breast or in some other part of a body
# Pulling in /the nipple/or some skin parts of the breast
# A rapid change in color or size of a birthmark
# A little wound that doesn't heal
# A persistent cough or hoarseness
# The changes regarding intestine or bladder empting
# A disorder of digestion or swallowing
# The inexplicable changes in corporal weight
# A prolonged bleeding

When these or similar symptoms appear they are NOT always caused by cancer; they can be caused by some infections, benign tumors or other diseases or conditions. It is important to contact a doctor, who will make a diagnosis.

Prof. dr Sladana Filipovic
President of the Association Against Cancer
in Niš in the period 1987-2001

The breast

The mammography is a special form of breast X-ray. This X-ray is necessary for every woman over the age of 45. This X-ray should be repeated every two years. For women, younger than 45 years of age, an examination of the doctor who treats breast diseases and an ultrasound test are recommended. These examinations decrease the fatal result of breast cancer for 30% to 40%.

The cervix of the uterus

In examinations for the early detection of the cervix of the uterus cancer, in addition to regular gynecological tests, Pap test is used. By painless smear taking, the taken cells are being examined under the microscope. The early detected cancer of the cervix of the uterus is 100 % curable.

Colon and rectum (intestine colon)

With people older than 50 years, in order of early detection of changes in intestine colon and as a part of the regular examination, the doctor recommends one of the following tests: the examination of bowel movement for presence of the blood, invisible with a naked eye and specialized colonoscopy examinations. The intestine colon cancer, when detected early is usually successfully treated.

Prostate gland

For each man older than 50 years it is recommended to do a prostate gland examination, an ultrasound test and a blood analysis once a year. By these examinations the prostate gland cancer is detected at the earliest stage and most successfully treated.