Years? Monthes?..... and..... how would someone eventually find out. if they never had symptims.. would they just die?
2007-01-21 15:09:24 · 7 answers · asked by Chris L 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
I think you can have it for years without knowing. Toward the end, I think they would eventually be diagnosed. They would probably go to the doctor with a complaint of some sort: not feeling right, coughing, blood in urine or stool, etc.
2007-01-21 15:18:10 · answer #1 · answered by kelsey 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are over 200 different types of cancer and sub types of cancer. There are also different types of tumors within those groups . . tumors can be classified as low, medium, or high grade depending on how deformed they look under a microscope. Tumors can also be described as being slow growing which may take years to detect . . to extremely aggressive and can grow and double within weeks.
My son has an aggressive, high grade, and very rare sarcoma. It predominately strikes boys and young adults and presents as multiple masses within the abdominal cavity. His type of tumor is known to grow and double within 28 days. However, he was completely asymptomatic until the tumors had spred and created a condition called ascites (fluid built up in abdomen). He is still pretty much asymptomatic, which is fortunate for him. He is still fighting the disease after 22 months, but has made tremendous strides from where he started. We remain hopeful.
As for you question, my son never had symptoms of cancer but he did develop a secondary condition called hypothyroidism and his doctor thought something else was going on besides the thyroid problem(due to the ascites). So, often the cancer is asymptomatic, but another condition may send the patient to a doctor or the ER and they'll be diagnosed from there. (Often sports injuries will seem to occur and during the routine examine the cancer will be found, leading some to believe that the injury caused the cancer.)
2007-01-22 05:05:40 · answer #2 · answered by Panda 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, depending on the type of cancer, where it is, and how agressive it is, sometimes for quite a long time. And sometimes they way you find out that you have cancer if it's very slow-growing and asymptomatic is on autopsy after a death from some other cause (one reason why we tend not to treat very elderly men agressively for prostate cancer, because it's very unlikely to become a problem for them during their lifetime). Just because you have cancer doesn't mean that it's going to kill you, there are lots of other variables to consider, and sometimes even if we do find something it's not worth it to treat because the treatment will cause more harm than the cancer itself.
Bottom line, any cancer that's going to cause a problem will become asymptomatic at some point (when is very variable) and if someone has a very slow-growing, non-agressive form of cancer, it may never become a problem at all.
2007-01-21 15:44:41 · answer #3 · answered by The Doc 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It always depend on the type of carcinoma. A person can live with leucoplekia for 30 yrs or more. Symptom of cancer is not very remarkable unless it has reached very advanced stage.
2007-01-21 15:16:36 · answer #4 · answered by Dr. Arun 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I probably had prostate cancer for at least three years not being detected with no symptoms. But its no excuse for regular check ups I am now cancer free for six years I was a lucky individual. So if you have any doubts see your doctor.
2007-01-21 19:23:01 · answer #5 · answered by ronald c 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When you catch a cancerous tumor the size of a pea, that is early detection. But that means that it has been growing for 10 years! See site below for more on this.
http://www.graviolaleaves.com
2007-01-21 15:27:44 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
My Ovarain cancer hid itself well until I was stage 3.... cancer is like a devil..........
2007-01-22 09:48:42 · answer #7 · answered by zarem 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋