Causes of Death from Cancer

This chapter discusses the specific molecular events, poor prognosis, and causes of death, a consequence of interactions between genetic and environmental factors that define malignant phenotypes of individual cancer types in patients. Metastasis is the crucial stage in the development of the lethal cancer trait that is accountable for more than 90% of deaths in cancer patients. Immune cells like mononuclear cells, dendritic cells, mast cells, and lymphocytes try to stifle the survival of cancer cells early on but eventually assist them in proliferating in later stages. Similarly, cells in stroma communicate with tumor cells by secreting cytokines like transforming growth factor, interleukins, and vascular endothelial growth factor, which it then induces a cluster of transcription factors. Matrix metalloproteinases dissolve the extracellular matrix and overexpress in most cancers, allowing tumor cells to invade and metastasize more easily. Patients with cancer may also die due to the symptoms they experience from various clinical syndromes. Organ failure and systemic inflammation have been linked to these diseases. The highest relative index-cancer mortality is seen in liver, pancreatic, colorectal, pulmonary, breast, and central nervous system tumors. Heart disease, including thromboembolism, is the leading cause of death among non-cancerous causes and occupy 40% of death. Cachexia and progressive weight loss, anorexia, anemia, fatigue, a clogged esophagus, a compressed spinal cord, septicemia, or infectious diseases are additional causes. Death can also be brought on by the toxicity of chemotherapy, including stuff like pulmonary and cardiac fibrosis.