Clinical Diagnosis and the Pathophysiology of Cancer

Diagnostic Methods in Medicine

Clinical diagnosis is the determination of the disease or condition that causes a symptom. Various methods are used to diagnose, including:

• Physical examination: Palpation and observation of body parts, examinations of the heart and respiratory system, etc.
• Analysis: Usually involving blood or urine samples.
• Imaging methods: Radiography, ultrasound, and other diagnostic imaging.
• Biopsies: The extraction and analysis of body tissue or organs.

Understanding Leukemia and Its Effects

Leukemia causes fatigue by reducing the number of red blood cells, leading to a loss of the ability to transport oxygen. It also causes vulnerability to infections, the loss of function in most leukocytes, and alterations in blood clotting due to a decreased platelet count. Leukemia can be acute (developing rapidly) or chronic (developing over years), depending on whether the affected cells are myeloid or lymphoid.

Leukemia is initially manifested through imprecise symptoms such as intermittent fever, lack of appetite, and fatigue. The disease can cause bone pain as a result of the proliferation of leukemic cells in the bone marrow. Leukemia disrupts the formation of leukocytes and decreases the number of platelets and red blood cells. As a consequence of the decreased platelet count, purpura (spots on the skin) may occur. Leukemia does not generate solid tumors, and its treatment is based on chemotherapy; in many cases, a bone marrow transplantation is necessary.

The Nature and Progression of Cancer

Cancer is a disease that causes many deaths. It is characterized by the uncontrolled reproduction of certain cells in the body. This occurs due to an alteration of the genetic information of the cell, resulting in a malfunction of some genes. It is rarely a disease that is inherited from generation to generation, although there are cases of inherited predisposition to suffering it. The likelihood of developing cancer increases with age because this disease is caused by an accumulation of errors in the genetic material.

When a cell loses control of reproduction, it can generate a tumor, which is an undifferentiated mass formed by a set of proliferating cells. When the tumor does not invade surrounding tissues or affect the function of the organ where it is growing, it is called a benign tumor. However, if the tumor cells have the capacity to invade surrounding tissues and spread to other parts of the body, it is called a malignant tumor.

A tumor can severely alter the function of the organ in which it has grown and can spread through cancer cells in the lymphatic system and blood flow. This flow can send cells to other organs and form new tumors called metastases.