There are several ways in which cancer affects the human body but this might not result in death. There are some cancers with survival rates of up to 90% or above. Emphasis should be put on early detection and treatment of cancer to avoid serious complications. Approximately 50% of people diagnosed with cancer end up living with it for up to 5 years.
Cancer can cause death in various ways and pinpointing the exact cause has raised more questions than answers. However, this depends on the body part affected by the cancer and the kind of cancer that one is affected by. Some cancers are known to spread and affect important body parts. For instance, cancer of the digestive system can spread and hamper food absorption by blocking food from reaching the intestines. Since there is no food passing through, food nutrients cannot be absorbed.
A distortion in the chemical balance of the body is one way in cancer affects the human body especially when the cancer spreads to the bones or the liver. The body functions well if there is a balance in chemicals and body salts. For instance, there is a specific amount of calcium that has to be in the blood and any increase or decrease in this, will distort the chemical balance. The presence of cancer cells in the blood leads to an increase in the amount of calcium released in the blood stream.
The body has a system that can regulate this imbalance but when the body is overwhelmed, the system shuts down necessitating the use of drugs to control the calcium levels. When the drugs fail to work, calcium will continue to increase causing the person to die.
The liver is a crucial organ in the regulation and maintenance of body chemicals and body salts. When cancer affects and destroys the liver, the remaining part of the healthy liver becomes overwhelmed in maintaining the chemical balance. This causes the accumulation of chemicals and salts in the blood which makes the patient unconscious and eventually leads to death.
The other way in which cancer affects the human body is through distressing the bone marrow. When the bone marrow is affected, it does not produce enough blood cells, which results in anemia. As a result, low oxygen will be supplied to the body. The other effect is a reduction in the number of white blood cells which compromises the immune system; this makes it difficult for the body to fight off viruses and bacteria. A reduction in platelets makes it difficult for the body to stop abnormal bleeding. This might lead to a fatal stroke if a blood vessel in the brain is punctured since there are no mechanisms to control the bleeding. The above are some of the ways in which cancer affects the human body.