38. What is metastasis?
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This article is from the Stop Smoking FAQ, by 70424.57@compuserve.com with numerous contributions by others.
38. What is metastasis?
By Barry Pekilis:
"'Metastasis' is defined as the transfer of a disease-producing agency from
the site of the disease to another part of the body. One of the mortal
threats of cancer is metastasis. Early detection of cancer can be the
difference between life and death. Most cancers can be detected at an early
stage mainly because of physical symptoms such as lumps, bleeding, or some
other clue.
"Unfortunately there are two types of cancer in which early detection is
highly unlikely: lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. By a dint of bad luck,
if an individual has one of these two cancers, they will probably not know
it until the disease has invaded other vital organs and parts of their
body. By this time is may be too late for any meaningful treatment or cure.
"The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 5% and for lung
cancer, 10 percent. This compares to a survival rate of 50 80% for most
other cancers.
"This information is being supplied in this FAQ to help provide motivation
for those of you who have either quit or are trying to quit. Cigarette
smoking appears to be a major cause of both of these two malignant cancers."
[For more on lung cancer in particular, including a GIF of a diseased lung,
try http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/LungCancer/
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