What will happen if cancer is not treated?
The bottom line. Cancer can kill when tumors affect the function of major organs. Life threatening complications can also occur due to malnutrition, a weakened immune system, and lack of oxygen. Cancer treatments can prevent some of these complications, as well as disease progression.
Can you survive with cancer without treatment?
Doctor's Response. More than half of lung cancer patients will die within one year of diagnosis even with treatment. Without treatment, patients may die even sooner. For any hope of survival, medical or surgical treatment is necessary.
How long can cancer untreated?
If you're wondering how long you can have cancer without knowing it, there's no straight answer. Some cancers can be present for months or years before they're detected. Some commonly undetected cancers are slow-growing conditions, which gives doctors a better chance at successful treatment.
What does dying of cancer feel like?
The dying person will feel weak and sleep a lot. When death is very near, you might notice some physical changes such as changes in breathing, loss of bladder and bowel control and unconsciousness. It can be emotionally very difficult to watch someone go through these physical changes.
Is cancer painful without treatment?
The cancer itself often causes pain. The amount of pain you have depends on different factors, including the type of cancer, its stage (extent), other health problems you may have, and your pain threshold (tolerance for pain). People with advanced cancer are more likely to have pain.
What is the deadliest cancer?
According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer — and lung cancer caused by asbestos — is the number one killer, with 131,880 estimated deaths in 2022 alone, making it three times deadlier than breast cancer.
Can you feel cancer spreading?
Some common signs of metastatic cancer include: pain and fractures, when cancer has spread to the bone. headache, seizures, or dizziness, when cancer has spread to the brain. shortness of breath, when cancer has spread to the lung.
Is death from cancer painful?
Summary. End-of-life pain is quite common. In fact, most people living with cancer in its advanced stages will experience pain. While all people are different, they share is the need to accurately communicate pain to ensure it is properly managed.
Can you have cancer and feel fine?
Also, the idea itself of a single miracle cure is a myth, as dozens of different types of cancers each respond differently to treatment. 7. Cancer is always a painful disease, so if you feel fine, you don't have cancer. Many types of cancer cause little to no pain, especially in the early stages.
Do cancer patients know when they are dying?
Breathing may slow, sometimes with very long pauses between breaths. Noisy breathing, with congestion and gurgling or rattling sounds as the person becomes unable to clear fluids from the throat. These sounds may concern others, but the person who is dying is not aware of them.
Does a person know when they are dying?
A conscious dying person can know if they are on the verge of dying. Some feel immense pain for hours before dying, while others die in seconds. This awareness of approaching death is most pronounced in people with terminal conditions such as cancer.
What do the last hours of life look like?
In the last hours before dying a person may become very alert or active. This may be followed by a time of being unresponsive. You may see blotchiness and feel cooling of the arms and legs. Their eyes will often be open and not blinking.
How many chances of cancer disappearing without treatment?
The chances of cancer disappearing with no treatment, are about 1 in 80,000 to about 1 in 100,000. These are the best estimates we have at the moment. Surprisingly, those are better odds then getting hit by lightning which is about 1 in 700,000.
Is cancer disappearing a real thing?
While the exact cause is unknown, case reports at least prove cancer disappearing is in fact a real thing.
How rare is cancer?
While cancer can in fact just disappear for no explainable reason, it is extremely rare. The chances of cancer disappearing with no treatment, are about 1 in 80,000 to about 1 in 100,000. These are the best estimates we have at the moment. Surprisingly, those are better odds then getting hit by lightning which is about 1 in 700,000.
Can cancer regression be verified?
First, the assumption is that no treatment was used to produce the cancer regression in the first place. This in most cases can’t be verified. Cancer patients can change eating habits, life styles, supplements, etc, all of which can be possible causes of cancer regressions but can’t be properly linked.
Is it better to have cancer in the early stages?
With odds being worse for established or advanced cancers, the opposite is true for early cancer. Chances of cancer going away on its own in the early stages are most likely far better. And probably a significant amount better. But usually this is the cancer you are unaware of.
Does cancer go away on its own?
Chances of cancer going away on its own in the early stages are most likely far better. And probably a significant amount better. But usually this is the cancer you are unaware of. This is the cancer so small that it has began and disappeared without you even knowing. While this is something very rare for advanced cancer, ...
Can cancer patients change their eating habits?
Cancer patients can change eating habits, life styles, supplements, etc, all of which can be possible causes of cancer regressions but can’t be properly linked. And if these things caused the regression, these occurrences technically can’t be counted as true spontaneous regressions.
Can prostate cancer cause shortening of life?
In addition, we know that some cancers, such as prostate cancer, may not cause a person any serious harm or even shorten their lives if they are left untreated. The researchers in this study presented an imaginary scenario to volunteers using a web-based survey.
Why do people with slow growing tumors feel the need to act?
This is because the word “cancer” makes the diagnosis feel urgent, and it is hard to feel like one is "doing nothing.".
Why is it important to hear the word "cancer"?
This is important because cancer treatment poses many risks for individuals, not the least of which are treatment-related side effects and long-term effects.
Why is it important to know about prostate cancer?
This is important because cancer treatment poses many risks for individuals, not the least of which are treatment-related side effects and long-term effects. In addition, we know that some cancers, such as prostate cancer, may not cause a person any serious harm or even shorten their lives if they are left untreated.
Do cancers go away?
Of course, cancers do not routinely go away, and no one is suggesting that patients avoid treatment because of such occasional occurrences. “Biologically, it is a rare phenomenon to have an advanced cancer go into remission,” said Dr. Martin Gleave, a professor of urology at the University of British Columbia.
Can cancer disappear on its own?
It was a view that was hard for some cancer doctors and researchers to accept. But some of the skeptics have changed their minds and decided that, contrary as it seems to everything they had thought, cancers can disappear on their own .
Is cancer a dynamic process?
Cancer, Dr. Kramer said, is a dynamic process. It was a view that was hard for some cancer doctors and researchers to accept. But some of the skeptics have changed their ...
Does testicular cancer go away?
Testicular cancer is unusual; most others do not disappear. But there is growing evidence that cancers can go backward or stop, and researchers are being forced to reassess their notions of what cancer is and how it develops. Of course, cancers do not routinely go away, and no one is suggesting that patients avoid treatment because ...
Is cancer common in middle age?
Image. Credit... Dana Neely/Corbis. Cancer cells and precancerous cells are so common that nearly everyone by middle age or old age is riddled with them, said Thea Tlsty, a professor of pathology at the University of California, San Francisco.
How long does it take for cervical cancer to revert to normal?
One study found that 60 percent of precancerous cervical cells, found with Pap tests, revert to normal within a year; 90 percent revert within three years. And the dynamic process of cancer development appears to be the reason that screening for breast cancer or prostate cancer finds huge numbers of early cancers without a corresponding decline in ...
How do doctors treat cancer?
At this point, a doctor may success an alternative to traditional cancer treatments, including: 1 A clinical trial: Researchers may provide experimental treatments for the cancer, all of which may present higher risks than traditional treatments. 2 Palliative care: Doctors may suggest stopping treatment and working to relieve the symptoms of the cancer for the remainder of life. 3 Entering hospice: This type of palliative care focuses on end-of-life preparation.
Can a doctor talk to a patient about stage 4 cancer?
Sometimes, doctors do not speak in straightforward terms with patients about the limited chances of success in curing stage 4 cancer. Patients need to ask questions of doctors about the actual chances of recovery when facing stage 4 cancer.
How long can you live with stage 4 cancer?
Stage 4 cancer usually has spread to multiple places in the body, meaning you can live only a few weeks or a few months. In rare cases, some people may survive for several months or even a year with stage 4 cancer, with or without treatment. Some studies have found that attempting to aggressively treat cancer that has reached stage 4 can actually ...
What is the most advanced stage of cancer?
Stage 4 is the most advanced and most serious cancer diagnosis. Stage 0: a small cancerous tumor that is easy to remove and has little to no chance of spreading. Stage 1: an early-stage cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes, resulting in a good chance of a cure.
What is the difference between stage 1 and stage 2 cancer?
Stage 1: an early-stage cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes, resulting in a good chance of a cure. Stage 2: often consists of large tumors that are affecting nearby tissues. Stage 3: consists of large tumors that likely have spread into the lymph nodes. Stage 4: advanced or metastatic cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, ...
Can stage 4 cancer be treated with chemotherapy?
A recent national study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the majority of people who choose to undergo chemotherapy or other aggressive treatments for stage 4 cancer do not understand the limitations of this treatment.
What happens if you have stage 4 lung cancer?
If you have stage 4 lung cancer and another party exposed you to the toxins that led to your diagnosis of cancer, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your medical costs, pain, and suffering.
Do you have to do chemo right away?
I promise you, an oncologist will tell you that you have to do chemo right away and that natural cancer cures do not work. Cancer took years to grow to the point where it can be detected by modern medicine, and in most cases, it can wait a few days more while you figure out your strategy.
Does cancer eat sugar?
Cancer eats sugar, so the cancerous areas light up like a road map from space. Turns out I had a huge tumor in my left lung 8cm long (!) and metabolically active lymph nodes on both sides of my neck. Lung cancer usually moves upwards through the lymph nodes then onto the brain.
Can cancer be treated with radiation?
Cancers metastatic to bone are often painful but in some cases the discomfort is mild or more severe pain can be relieved with radiation therapy. There are specialists who assist in managing ...
Can you get chemotherapy if you are weak?
Almost everyone is willing to try chemotherapy if there is a meaningful chance for cure. Many patients decline chemotherapy for low odds of benefit especially if they have gotten very weak or have other symptoms that make their quality of life very poor.
Is pancreatic cancer bad for you?
Some cancers are more associated with pain than others. Pancreatic cancer can be particularly bad when it grows into nerves near the back of the pancreas. But I’ve had many patients with pancreatic cancer where pain wasn’t a problem. Instead, like many other patients with advanced cancers, they became weaker and more frail as their cancer worsened, ...
Is pancreatic cancer pain a problem?
But I’ve had many patients with pancreatic cancer where pain wasn’t a problem. Instead, like many other patients with advanced cancers, they became weaker and more frail as their cancer worsened, then became wheelchair and then bed bound. Cancers metastatic to bone are often painful but in some cases the discomfort is mild or more severe pain can ...
What happens when you die from cancer?
The most frequent outcome when cancer patients die is that whatever pain they have is controlled with narcotics and or sedatives. There often comes a point in poorly treatable cancer situations that the treatment is as bad or worse than the disease.
What happens when cancer patients die?
The most frequent outcome when cancer patients die is that whatever pain they have is controlled with narcotics and or sedatives. There often comes a point in poorly treatable cancer situations that the treatment is as bad or worse than the disease.
Why do people decline chemotherapy?
Many patients decline chemotherapy for low odds of benefit especially if they have gotten very weak or have other symptoms that make their quality of life very poor. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
