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Jiang Nan, a 27-year-old Nantong girl, has always had a smooth life, a happy family, and her children are obedient. But we always say that the plan can't keep up with the change, and in 2018, her life was completely disrupted because of a sudden change.
It was early spring, and the weather was not very warm, and I didn't know if I was suffering from the cold or what's going on, and suddenly I started to cough and run my nose frequently. I thought it was just a common cold, but with the experience accumulated during years of living alone, Jiang Nan didn't worry too much, and just bought some medicine at the pharmacy for self-treatment.
However, as time passed, not only did the symptoms show no signs of improvement, but they also intensified. This couldn't help but make Jiang Nan, who was originally calm and calm, feel a little uneasy. Even so, with her usual optimism, she hopes that by adjusting her rest and diet, these uninvited discomforts will dissipate on their own. But the reality is far more cruel than she imagined, a month has passed, and the abnormality of the body has not been alleviated by the passage of time.
In the end, under the persuasion of relatives and friends, Jiang Nan had to go to the hospital for a detailed examination. That day, the sun was shining, but it was in stark contrast to the haze in Jiang Nan's heart. In the corridors of the hospital, people come and go, as if everyone has their own sorrows. And Jiang Nan's heart became heavier and heavier because of the unknown.
Finally, the results of the examination came out. The doctor's words seemed to come from the distant sky, but every word fell heavily on Jiang Nan's heart - cancer!
When she clearly knew that she was suffering from cancer, she couldn't help but start crying bitterly, and she also had mixed feelings in her heart, how could it be? It's just a cough and runny nose, isn't this the body's inflammatory response? Why is it related to cancer, perhaps because it is a misdiagnosis?
Inflammation is the body's defensive response to irritants such as injury or infection to remove the stimulus and promote the repair process of damaged tissue. It is a manifestation of the normal function of the immune system and involves the interaction of various components such as immune cells, blood vessels, molecular mediators, etc.
When an area of the body is infected, injured, or attacked by another foreign body, redness, warmth, pain, and possible loss of function can occur in that area, which are typical external manifestations of inflammation. Broadly speaking, inflammation can be divided into acute inflammation and chronic inflammation.
Acute inflammation usually occurs shortly after damage or infection and is characterized by a large number of white blood cells that rapidly accumulate to the affected area, with vasodilation and increased blood flow to the area, resulting in redness, swelling, and fever.
This process is accompanied by the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which help regulate the migration and activity of immune cells. Acute inflammation is a self-limiting state in which the aim is to quickly clear the irritant and begin the repair process of damaged tissue.
In contrast, chronic inflammation is a long-term inflammatory state that can last for weeks, months, or even years. It can be either transformed from acute inflammation that has not been completely eliminated or caused by persistent, low-intensity stimulation. Chronic inflammation is characterized by the continued activity of immune cells and the ongoing process of tissue damage and repair, which may lead to alterations in tissue structure and long-term loss of function.
Inflammation is not just a local phenomenon, it can affect the entire system in a variety of ways, especially in chronic inflammatory states. For example, chronic inflammation is closely linked to the development of a variety of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, etc. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms and regulatory modalities of inflammation is critical for the prevention and treatment of these diseases.
The complexity of inflammation makes it a focus area for medical research. With a deeper understanding of the inflammatory process, more precise disease treatment options may be developed in the future to modulate the inflammatory response and reduce its damaging effects while preserving its protective effect on the body. Although significant progress has been made in the study of inflammation, further research is needed to reveal more unknown details to develop more effective therapies.
Although she knew that the probability of such a misdiagnosis was slim, she still couldn't help but ask the confusion in her heart, and said: "Doctor, are you really sure, isn't this an inflammation of mine, where will it be related to cancer?" ”
Hearing this, the doctor told her the point of a study that had been studied. The once famous German pathologist Rudolf. Vilshaw, in "Cytopathology", once expressed that inflammation is the origin and "bane" of cancer. In daily life, you should be careful if these three types of inflammation occur.
1. Chronic gastritis
Chronic gastritis is a pathological state in which the gastric mucosa is chronically inflamed, often caused by Helicobacter pylori infection. Long-term gastritis will not only cause damage to the gastric mucosa, but also change the gastric environment and induce abnormal proliferation of gastric mucosal cells, thereby increasing the risk of gastric cancer.
According to research, Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the most common causes of gastric cancer worldwide, and about 50% of gastric cancers are related to it. In addition, chronic gastritis can also cause other complications such as stomach ulcers, further exacerbating the risk of stomach cancer.
2. Chronic hepatitis
Chronic hepatitis is mainly caused by viral infections, and a persistent inflammatory response can lead to liver damage, triggering liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. This ongoing process of liver damage and repair can lead to mutations in hepatocellular DNA and increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus is the leading cause of the majority of liver cancer cases worldwide. In addition, chronic hepatitis can also affect liver function, reducing the liver's ability to remove toxins from the body, which indirectly promotes the development of cancer.
3. Chronic colitis
Chronic colitis, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, is a group of long-term inflammatory bowel diseases that affect the colon. These diseases cause persistent inflammation and damage to intestinal cells, which may increase the risk of colon cancer in the long term. Inflammation prompts the intestinal mucosa cells to repair and proliferate, increasing the chance of cell mutation, thereby increasing the likelihood of cancer. According to studies, people with ulcerative colitis have a higher risk of developing colon cancer than the general population.
While inflammation itself is a defense mechanism, when it gets out of balance and becomes chronic, it can contribute to the development of cancer. Cancer formation due to chronic inflammation is a complex process involving the involvement of multiple cytokines, growth factors, and signaling pathways.
Therefore, understanding and controlling chronic inflammation is of great significance to prevent the occurrence and progression of cancer. This includes good lifestyle habits such as eating a healthy diet, exercising, avoiding alcohol and smoking, and regular check-ups, especially for people with pre-existing chronic inflammatory conditions, with a focus on inflammation management and early cancer screening.