Tumour

What is a tumour?

A tumour is uncontrolled cell growth that forms a mass. Tumours are divided into benign and malignant. Benign tumours are not cancerous — they grow slowly and do not spread to other parts of the body. Malignant tumours are cancerous: they can invade surrounding tissue and, through the blood or lymph, reach other sites in the body. This process is called metastasis.

What is cancer?

Cancer is a disease driven by the uncontrolled multiplication and spread of altered cells. There are many kinds of cancer: breast, lung, colon, prostate, skin and many more. The type of cancer is defined by the original source of the altered cells. For example, if breast-cancer cells reach the lungs, the secondary tumour is still considered breast cancer, not lung cancer.

The challenge of metastatic cancer

Metastatic cancer is one of the hardest treatment challenges, because the disease has already spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms depend on the type of the primary tumour and the location of the metastases, but most often they include fatigue, weight loss and pain. Some forms of cancer, such as skin cancer, are diagnosed more easily; others — such as bone cancer — are rarer and harder to manage. This is precisely why supporting the immune system matters so much: a strong immune system can help recognise altered cells before they spread. Proper nutrition, reducing inflammation in the body, and supporting mitochondrial function are factors we can control ourselves.

How cancer spreads through metastasis

Metastasis is the process in which cancer cells leave the primary tumour, travel to another part of the body, and create a secondary tumour there. The cells spread through the circulatory or the lymphatic system. It is for this very reason that early diagnosis and constant support of the immune system are so important.

Treating a tumour

Treating a tumour depends on many factors, including the type of cancer, its location, its size and the stage of its spread. The methods of treatment may include:

Surgery: Depending on the type of cancer, a carcinoma may be removed by operation, taking out the cancerous cells and the surrounding areas of tissue. Minimally invasive surgical methods help shorten recovery time and reduce the risk of complications.

Radiotherapy (radiation treatment): Radiotherapy may be used together with surgical or chemotherapeutic treatment. Advanced technologies in this treatment make it possible to keep watch on tumour growth even after therapy. This therapy uses X-rays and gamma rays, and radioactive substances delivered intravenously may also be used. Radiotherapy can raise the risk of cancer recurring [1]. The side effects of this therapy depend on the dose and may appear soon afterwards or later, from a few months to a few years [2]. The most common side effect is weakness, though side effects differ depending on the type of cancer [3]. Even so, the side effects of radiotherapy are usually less intense than those of chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy: This is one of the most common ways to treat cancer. These are anti-cancer drugs that act on rapidly multiplying cells throughout the whole body or in a particular area.

Fighting tumours: additional measures

It is worth knowing that alcohol can be a negative factor in the fight against tumours, because it is toxic to cells. Drinking alcohol can deepen existing damage and have an unwanted effect. It is therefore advisable to avoid drinking alcohol [6].

It has long been known that mushrooms hold an unrivalled variety of pharmacological properties and can be used as medicine. Lentinan is held in especially high regard — a substance widely studied and known for its anti-cancer properties. Lentinan, acting through the immune system, can stimulate immune cells such as cytokines, macrophages and natural killer cells, which may help the body fight cancer cells [7].

Scientific reviews show that mushroom polysaccharides activate NK cells, macrophages and T-lymphocytes — the key immune cells responsible for recognising and destroying altered cells [4][5]. Lentinan AXT from Zenius Labs™ is a concentrated formula of several mushroom-polysaccharide extracts, designed for this purpose.