• Question: hi giovana i would like to know if cancer could controll parts of the body like if you had cancer in your arm for say that it could become stiff or could make it move on its own thank you!

    Asked by anon-326053 to D. Giovana on 2 Jun 2022.
    • Photo: D. Giovana Carrasco G.

      D. Giovana Carrasco G. answered on 2 Jun 2022:

      Hi Thomas,

      Good question. In simple terms, a tumor is formed by cells not functioning well that decide to grow at an abnormal rate. Once it grows, it might be palpable and cause discomfort but not necessarily control parts of the body. If it reaches a certain size, it may cause more obvious effects depending on the tissue it is in. Hope that is clease but happy to discuss it further.

Comments

  • Photo: Maria

    Maria commented on :

    Hi Thomas, that is a great question. As Giovana has said most of the times, when tumours are small in size they are not causing any symptoms. When they grow bigger though, and depending on the location, they can cause more severe discomforts. For example, if the tumour is in the lungs, it could obstruct the vessels the body use to breath air in and it could cause shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. If the tumour is in the brain it can cause severe symptoms: pain, loss of hearing, dizziness, etc