Therefore, patients with malignant tumors are not necessarily thin, and many cancer patients are normal in weight, even overweight and obese. If you go to the oncology department of the hospital, you will find that there are not many cancer patients who are particularly thin.
Why do people think that malignant tumors will definitely make people thin? I think a large part of the reason comes from those TV dramas. Many TV dramas will deliberately shape it. After cancer, people will continue to lose weight. Actually, not necessarily.
If the tumor reaches the advanced stage and the tumor is widely metastasized, the patient may lose weight and be emaciated. The main reasons are as follows:
(1) Cancer cells consume a lot of energy.
Cancer cells have strong reproductive ability, which is faster than normal cells. Cell division and replication require a lot of energy. Cancer cells plunder nutrition, which leads to insufficient energy of normal cells and emaciation.
(2) Patients should eat less.
Many cancer patients, with advanced cancer, eat less, especially digestive system tumors, such as gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer. Because the tumor causes digestive tract obstruction, or the tumor affects the digestion and absorption ability of patients. If you eat less, you will lose weight.
(3) Side effects of treatment
Whether it is surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, there will be some side effects. Patients may have digestive and absorption disorders, abdominal distension, diarrhea, etc. Patients may reduce food intake and lose weight.
In short, many cancer patients will not lose weight, but some patients, especially those with advanced cancer, will lose weight or lose weight, which is related to the consumption of nutrients, the reduction of food intake and the side effects caused by tumors.
I'm Dr. Xiaoying. Why do malignant tumors make people thin? Having a malignant tumor may not cause any discomfort, but some people will lose weight for unknown reasons. In the past six months, I have lost weight 10 kg. I must check the situation. Because this may be the only signal that cancer gives us.
Why do malignant tumors make people thin? Many people have malignant tumors, even if they are fat at first, they will gradually lose weight. Seeing many terminal friends can basically be described as skinny.
Cancer is a chronic wasting disease. The crazy growth of cancer cells needs human nutrition, and fat people will become thinner. So what people see is that thin people have cancer. One of the most important symptoms of cancer is progressive or unexplained wasting. When a person does not lose weight, but loses more than 5 kilograms in one month or half a year, he must be alert to whether he has cancer.
1. The terrible growth ability of cancer
The terrible thing about cancer is that it can constantly replicate, grow and metastasize, not only destroying the organs at the primary site, but also cancer cells will appear in the blood. With the flow of blood, no matter where it flows, new lesions (metastases) will grow.
Why does cancer have such strong vitality and grow so fast is because cancer cells constantly absorb nutrients from the human body and grow wildly. Cancer is a chronic wasting disease.
2. Psychologically, I can't eat or sleep.
Cancer has metastasized, and people's body and mind have been greatly hit. They are psychologically afraid, unable to eat or sleep well, and their nutrition is constantly being consumed. So even a fat man will eventually become a thin man.
3. Therapeutic effect
The treatment of cancer is mainly surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. No matter which treatment is a blow to cancer, it is actually a major blow to people themselves. People can't eat the trauma of surgery. There will be various adverse reactions during chemotherapy, affecting appetite and not wanting to eat.
So the above factors will lead to thinner and thinner people getting cancer. During the treatment, the food intake was reduced, but after that, the body slowly recovered, so it was necessary to supplement nutrition properly and have a balanced diet. In the follow-up process, the increase of weight is a good trend.
The emaciation caused by malignant tumor generally refers to advanced patients.
There are many reasons for wasting caused by advanced malignant tumors. With the gradual aggravation of the disease, emaciation is more obvious, and even severe emaciation and multiple organ failure appear, which is called cachexia in medicine.
First, the tumor itself is related.
Malignant tumor itself belongs to wasting disease. With the aggravation of the disease, the nutritional status will be gradually lost with the progress of the tumor, especially in patients with malignant hydrothorax and ascites, and a large amount of albumin will enter the thorax and abdomen, which will further worsen the nutritional status of the human body.
Second, endocrine activity of tumor
Malignant tumor itself can secrete an active substance, which leads to endocrine dysfunction and organ dysfunction, affects the absorption of nutrients and is also a factor leading to weight loss.
Malignant tumor of digestive system
Malignant tumors of digestive system, especially patients with gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer and liver cancer, directly affect the gastrointestinal function of human body, which is more likely to lead to loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, thus aggravating malnutrition.
Fourth, reduce the discomfort caused by eating.
No matter what kind of malignant tumor, in the late stage, because of the combination of physical discomfort symptoms, whether it is pain or bloating, or severe cough, nausea, discomfort, the first thing that affects is eating, which reduces people's appetite and food intake, which is also a reason for insufficient nutrition intake.
Five, treatment related
Whether radiotherapy or chemotherapy, including some targeted therapies, may cause gastrointestinal reactions, leading to loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and objectively lead to malnutrition.
Sixth, mental factors.
For advanced patients, many people will lose their appetite and feel sick because of excessive mental stress, and malnutrition caused by reduced intake is also a very common reason.
In a word, emaciation in advanced patients is the result of many factors, so it is necessary to make real-time nutritional assessment and supplement necessary nutrients, which is also an important measure to ensure the therapeutic effect and control the progress of the disease.
Emaciation is a very common manifestation in patients with malignant tumors. It can even be said that emaciation is one of the signs that malignant tumor diseases enter the advanced stage. Of course, emaciation is not only a manifestation of malignant tumor diseases, but also can occur in other non-tumor consumptive diseases or diseases with obstacles in nutrient absorption and utilization. But generally speaking, emaciation is the most common among patients with malignant tumors.
What is emaciation? Weight loss refers to a state that the weight is lower than the normal lower limit for various reasons. At present, body mass index (BMI) is used to judge emaciation at home and abroad. When the body mass index is less than 18.5 kg /M2, it is called emaciation. Generally speaking, there are two main reasons for thinness. One is that the body's intake of nutrients decreases or the body's consumption of nutrients increases, forming a negative nitrogen balance will cause emaciation. The same is true for patients with malignant tumors, but the situation is more serious than that of general non-tumor patients.
The most common causes of weight loss caused by malignant tumors are as follows: First, the body's intake of nutrients is insufficient. Our nutrients come from all kinds of nutrients in food, among which sugar, protein and fat are the most needed nutrients, so their lack will make the human body lose weight more easily. Malignant tumor can lead to insufficient nutrition intake. First, all kinds of malignant tumor cells themselves may secrete some substances that can suppress appetite, resulting in patients not wanting to eat, thus resulting in insufficient eating. Second, the nutritional intake caused by malignant tumors in the digestive tract itself is insufficient. For example, the disorder of eating channels caused by esophageal cancer and laryngeal cancer will directly lead to insufficient nutritional eating for patients. Gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer and liver cancer will have adverse effects on nutrient intake due to insufficient digestive function.
The second is the digestion and absorption of nutrients. The problem of this kind of people is that nutrients can be ingested normally, but due to malignant tumor lesions in digestive organs, such as gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, intestinal cancer, etc., various digestive enzymes and other substances will be insufficient or organ dysfunction will lead to digestive absorption disorders, which will lead to weight loss. Clinically, it can be divided into stomach, intestine, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and other types according to the disorder degree of digestion and absorption.
The third is the obstacle to the utilization of nutrients. The patient's material intake and digestion and absorption are all good, but he can't make good use of the nutrients in his body. For example, in patients with pancreatic cancer and diabetes, after sugar is absorbed by the body, it cannot be used by cells in the body because of insulin deficiency, and sugar is excreted from the urine, resulting in emaciation.
The most common patients with advanced liver cancer, due to poor liver function, can't convert the absorbed sugar into glycogen, and the amino acids absorbed into the body can't fully synthesize protein and other amino acids needed by the human body in the liver, and can't effectively convert and remove the toxic substance ammonia produced by human metabolism. Of course, at the same time, all kinds of lipids and vitamins that the human body needs normally cannot be obtained because of the corresponding metabolic disorder. As a result, the human body is emaciated due to malnutrition.
Fourth, the consumption of nutrients has increased. As we all know, malignant tumor cells have infinite possibility of proliferation, and their growth is not controlled by human body. Of course, the growth of these cells is also inseparable from the supply of nutrients. When the normal intake, digestion and absorption of substances cannot meet this abnormal demand, that is, when the nutrients are consumed excessively, the human body will lose weight.
Fifth, there is the problem of emaciation of patients with malignant tumors caused by human factors. For example, patients with malignant tumors, due to taking some drugs, lead to obstacles in the intake, digestion, absorption and utilization of nutrients, or improper diet after cancer, resulting in uneven supply of nutrients and other factors, which will further aggravate the symptoms of emaciation.
Weight loss and the appearance of accompanying symptoms will let us find out what kind of cancer our body is suffering from. For example, when emaciation is accompanied by irritating cough and hemoptysis, it is basically lung cancer.
For example, emaciation with hematuria, pain and swelling in the kidney area, or emaciation with high blood pressure and fever will remind us that it is kidney cancer. Thin to intermittent painless, bloody eyes, will make us think it is bladder cancer.
For example, emaciation with dysphagia, we will think of esophageal cancer disease. If emaciation is accompanied by upper abdominal pain and discomfort, the possibility of gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, gallbladder cancer and liver cancer will be considered. If jaundice is added, it can generally be diagnosed as hepatobiliary and pancreatic tumor. If emaciation is accompanied by pain and discomfort in the middle and lower abdomen, constipation and diarrhea, there is a great possibility of colorectal cancer.
Because malignant tumor cells are characterized by infinite proliferation, which is different from normal cells. Tumor cells need a lot of nutrition to grow wildly. Tumor cells will compete with normal cells to consume a lot of energy and nutrition. As a result, tumors proliferate or metastasize rapidly, and the human body becomes thinner and thinner.
When the malignant tumor just happened, the patient's weight was not affected. Some obese patients are prone to malignant tumors. Such as colon cancer and breast cancer.
With the gradual growth of malignant tumor lesions, patients will indeed gradually lose weight, and patients with advanced malignant tumors will be weak, anaemic and emaciated, and some even have cachexia.
So how does malignant tumor cause patients to lose weight?
First of all, tumors consume the nutrition of patients.
Tumors grow rapidly, and patients need to compete for nutrition to maintain their unlimited growth. Include protein, heat and blood supply. Thereby cause that patient to lose weight.
Second, the patient's appetite decreased and his food intake decreased.
Some substances secreted or necrotic by the cancer focus of malignant tumor will lead to patients' loss of appetite, especially digestive tract tumors, which will affect eating. Reduced intake will inevitably lead to malnutrition and emaciation.
Third, digestive tract tumors lead to obstruction.
The particularity of digestive tract determines that tumor will lead to intestinal obstruction, that is, gastrointestinal obstruction is easy to occur. For example, cardia obstruction and pyloric obstruction caused by gastric cancer; Small intestinal obstruction caused by small intestinal tumor; Obstruction, such as large intestinal obstruction caused by colorectal cancer, will of course seriously affect patients' eating. Inadequate nutrition can lead to emaciation.
Fourth, chronic blood loss caused by tumor.
Tumor tissue grows rapidly, but the growth rate of its blood vessels can't keep up with the growth rate of tumor tissue, and tumor tissue will die, so that blood vessels will rupture, leading to invisible (most) or visible bleeding. Over time, chronic bleeding will cause anemia in patients, and of course it will cause emaciation.
5. emaciation caused by tumor surgery
Patients who have undergone radical resection of malignant tumors, especially those of gastrointestinal tract, liver, gallbladder and pancreas, are bound to have a part of stomach or intestine removed for the need of radical surgery. These operations will inevitably affect the absorption area of the digestive tract or the secretion of digestive enzymes. As a result, the digestion and absorption of nutrients will be affected, and patients will lose weight.
To sum up, the occurrence and development of malignant tumors are often hidden, and some are manifested as emaciation. Therefore, we should be highly alert to "unexplained emaciation" and go to the hospital for a series of examinations in time to eliminate malignant tumors.
Viewpoint: Malignant tumor makes people thin, which mainly includes three reasons.
Due to the appearance of malignant tumor, people's mental state is not good and their mood is not good. At the same time, mental stress leads to loss of appetite, which leads people to take the initiative to diet! Naturally, it is easy to cause people to lose weight!
Due to the appearance of malignant tumors, such as esophageal cancer, oral cancer, gastric cancer and so on. Patients even have problems eating. Obviously, can't people lose weight if they can't eat? !
Because malignant cells are aggressive and active in reproduction, in this way, they will deprive the surrounding organs of the energy they need, so that the cells responsible for different functional tissues and organs in the human body can not get the corresponding energy, just as you ask ten workers to work for you. In this way, your prodigal son has almost eaten all his meals, and the workers basically work on an empty stomach every day, so the natural efficiency is not as good as normal, and the nutrients absorbed, transformed and stored from outside the body are greatly reduced. !
Why do malignant tumors make people thin? The doctor answered and found that it was like this.
There are two main reasons why patients with malignant tumors are getting thinner. First of all, malignant tumor is a high-consumption disease. The growth of tumor needs a lot of energy, so it will absorb nutrients from the human body and lead to weight loss. Secondly, some substances secreted by it cause anorexia to the human body, and the nutritional intake is not comprehensive enough.
How to prevent recurrence and metastasis of cancer cells? Let cancer patients live longer?
10 years' research results show that daily supplementation of cereal selenium can reduce cancer mortality by 50% and prevent recurrence, metastasis and further spread of cancer cells.
German scholars have found that the selenium content of cancer patients is lower than that of normal people. The lower the selenium content, the greater the risk of recurrence, metastasis and recurrence. Wocun selenium is a kind of selenium supplement suitable for cancer patients, which is very helpful to prolong the survival time of patients.
Why do malignant tumors make people thin? With the improvement of people's quality of life and eating more and more food, obesity has gradually become a problem that plagues modern people. Many people want to stay healthy and lose weight. However, it should be reminded that it is not a happy thing to lose weight suddenly. When a person suddenly loses weight, anorexia and fatigue, it is necessary to ask why this weight loss is caused. Need to be alert to some diseases, such as indigestion, nutrient malabsorption, diabetes and so on. In addition to these diseases, you need to be alert to whether you have a tumor.
Malnutrition and weight loss are common complications in patients with malignant tumors, and some patients even have obvious cachexia, such as loss of appetite, weight loss, insulin resistance, fatigue, edema, etc., accompanied by muscle or fat tissue consumption.
The possible reason of emaciation in tumor patients is 1. The intake of energy substances by normal cells is reduced.
First of all, the energy metabolism characteristics of tumor cells determine that they can plunder a large amount of glucose, which leads to a relative decrease in the amount of glucose ingested by normal cells in the body, and the dense blood supply of the tumor itself provides convenience for them to ingest glucose; Secondly, loss of appetite or eating difficulties, such as progressive dysphagia in patients with esophageal cancer and intestinal obstruction in patients with advanced ovarian cancer, lead to a significant reduction in nutritional intake. The main causes of anorexia are complications caused by tumor, adverse reactions caused by anti-tumor radiotherapy and chemotherapy, anxiety and reasonable phobia of patients. At the same time, animal studies have proved that the decline of appetite and food intake may also be closely related to the dysfunction of peripheral and central nervous hormone secretion; Finally, gastrointestinal dysfunction leads to a significant reduction in the absorption of nutrients by patients, especially adjuvant treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy during the perioperative period of tumors, which have obvious toxic effects on gastrointestinal epithelial cells. Some patients will also have lactose intolerance and diarrhea symptoms after drinking dairy products.
2. The human body's nutritional metabolism is disordered and consumption is increased.
In the process of aerobic glycolysis, tumor cells will produce a lot of lactic acid and excrete it. Although it can provide an acidic environment for the growth of tumor cells in the middle of the month, which is conducive to their own proliferation and metastasis, it will have a toxic effect on the surrounding normal cells, leading to the disorder of nutritional metabolism and malnutrition of the surrounding normal cells. In addition, the process of lactic acid production by tumor cells itself requires energy, and the generated lactic acid also needs energy when it is transported outside the cell and converted into glucose by the liver again, which leads to a doubling of the basic energy consumption of patients. The inefficient utilization of glucose by tumor cells is one of the main causes of cachexia. Cachexia patients are often accompanied by a large consumption of muscle tissue or adipose tissue, which further aggravates the weight loss of patients.
3. Other aspects
Perioperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy and the operation itself will affect the nutritional intake and absorption of patients. Psychological and mental factors of cancer patients may also be an important reason for their weight loss.
Moreover, after the advanced stage of malignant tumor, it will obviously affect the normal eating of patients. In this case, it will also cause the patient to lose weight.
In many cases, once a malignant tumor occurs, it is not only a problem of one hand, but also a problem of one organ, sometimes involving multiple organs and multiple parts. Then in this case, the whole body is covered with parasites, absorbing the nutrition of the host without rhythm, and finally the nutrition consumption will increase greatly.
It is also very important that most people can't eat normally and smoothly under the erosion of malignant tumors. Most people will be accompanied by pain, nausea and vomiting. Therefore, in this case, the food intake will be very small and it is impossible to maintain a normal nutritional state.
Over time, with the gradual extension of time, eating less and drinking more will eventually make people lose weight to the last step, and all the nutrients in the body will be exhausted, reaching the brink of death.
I wish you all good health!