Cancer is one of the most terrible diseases in both humans and animals that affect the whole body. This term has grown, becoming such a used term and yet difficult to define in plain language.
There is a lot of information about this disease, science constantly advancing, at the same time, being a very debated subject that leaves many things to be discovered. On a perhaps more literary level, it is one of the diseases whose study sometimes seems endless
- Avoid smoking in the house or near your pet. As in the case of humans, smoking is one of the risk factors, in the case of pets, they can become passive smokers by inhaling cigarette smoke.
- Always monitor their weight. Obesity or excess fat are risk factors for the development of cancer.
- eating. As in the case of humans, nutrition is very important in the pathological sphere, and oncology is no exception. Provide your pet with nutrition appropriate to the species, age and breed so that it meets all the nutritional values your pet needs. It is very important to have a nutritional balance in the animal’s diet.
- Meet the Race. Many predispositions are genetically correlated with the breed of the animal. Knowing and having the correct information about the breed gives us the opportunity to anticipate certain sensitivities and prevent them.
- Regular Exercises – Movement according to the needs of the species, breed and size. Exercise is essential in health, being a good prophylactic for a wide range of pathologies. Sedentary lifestyle is considered a risk factor in the development of cancer.
- Avoid exposing them to paint and solvents. Both paint and a category of chemical solvents fall into the category of risk factors. If we have to use such substances, it is advisable to keep the animal as far away from them as possible.
- Know your pet! Very often the behavioral changes of the animal hide expressions of some clinical signs. It is advisable to know our animal, to know what it likes and dislikes, its habits and personality, so we can easily notice any change in its routine.
- Periodic veterinary medical examination. As in the case of humans, regular medical consultation is always recommended. Your veterinarian can provide you with accurate and conclusive information on the clinical and paraclinical status of your pet.
What is cancer?
What is cancer? – is the enigmatic question, with a simple and at the same time complex answer.
Basically, cancer is a name given to a number of related diseases that can start anywhere in the body.
In the body, any structure is based on a tissue which in turn consists of cells. Basically, the cell is the functional, structural and reproductive unit of living organisms.
We can imagine for a moment the organism as a system per se – a society.
A society, in order to exist and function, will need certain well-defined structures with a well-defined role. These structures, in fact, will work together to have the functionality of a whole. It will be based on the human part – executive– specialized in the respective role to be fulfilled.
The same thing happens at the level of the body where each tissue represents a structure, and at the base are the cells – executive class.
Animal cells normally grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells age or deteriorate, they die and are replaced by new cells.
As the cancer develops, this whole orderly process suffers an imbalance. As the cells become more and more abnormal, old or damaged cells survive instead of dying. Meanwhile, new cellularity is formed only when needed.
These extra cells can divide non-stop and form growths called tumors – Not all cancers form solid tumors, which translate into tissue masses and here is a first difference in cancers:
Some cancers cause cells to grow rapidly while others cause cells to grow and divide at a slower rate.
Other cancers result in clinically-visible growths called tumors, while others, such as leukemia, do not.
Most cells in the body have specific functions and a fixed lifespan, so although the term “death” has a negative association, it is still a natural and beneficial phenomenon at the cellular level. In specialized language it is called apoptosis.
Basically, a cell is instructed to die so that the body can replace it with a newer cell that will function better.
Cancer cells do not have components to instruct them, they practically do not respond to anything, so they will be able to divide and exist anarchically. Thus, they can accumulate in the chorus using oxygen and nutrients that should normally feed other cells, causing changes that prevent the body from functioning.
In conclusion cancer is a term that describes the disease that results when cellular changes result in uncontrolled growth and division of cells.
Causes:
Cancer can be defined as a genetic disease caused by multiple factors.
The triggers are varied and have a different causal importance. There are a number of direct and indirect causal factors, including:
- Pollution,
- Viral,
- Food,
- Immune system status (immunosuppressed states)
- Genetics (predisposition and hereditary transmission)
- Hygiene and microclimate conditions, etc
- Radiation (certain types)
—- Is cancer genetic? —-
Perhaps the biggest impact is the question of the connection between cancer and genetics, especially when it comes to dogs and cats whose variety of breeds and genes come with a complexity on the inheritance of certain predispositions or sensitivities.
As in the case of humans, it can be said that genetic factors are the causes that can contribute to the development of cancer.
The fundamental working principle of the genetic code is similar as follows:
An individual’s genetic code can tell his cells when to divide and when to expire. So gene changes can lead to erroneous instructions that can result in the development of a form of cancer.
Genes also influence the protein production of others. This is important because of the role that proteins play at the cellular level, namely, they are the ones that carry the “instructions” for cell growth and division.
Some genes can change proteins that play a role in repairing damaged cells. If one of the parents has these genes that contain modified instructions, he can pass them on to their descendants.
This is one of the reasons why we meet both dog and cat breeds that have a predisposition to develop certain types and forms of cancer, bigger or smaller, compared to others.
Other genetic changes may occur at birth and may be influenced by potentiating factors such as sun exposure or active smoking in humans and passive in the case of the pet.
Other genetic-related changes that can lead to this disease can occur in chemical signals whose role is to determine how the body develops or expresses specific genes.