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Are Flu-like Symptoms Consistent With An Aggressive Cancer?
Question: Academic question.
I had flu-like symptoms, especially fever, cold limbs, spontaneous sweating, headache, sore throat, vomiting and nausea when I had oesophageal cancer. I realize now that the conditions were consistent with an aggressive cancer. I was wondering how does the medical community explain the flu-like symptoms?
is this not a suitable question for a gastroenterologist?
I had flu-like symptoms, especially fever, cold limbs, spontaneous sweating, headache, sore throat, vomiting and nausea when I had oesophageal cancer. I realize now that the conditions were consistent with an aggressive cancer. I was wondering how does the medical community explain the flu-like symptoms?
is this not a suitable question for a gastroenterologist?
Brief Answer:
with the help of basic medical sciences.
Detailed Answer:
Hi.
Thanks for your academic question.
Noted your history of flu-like symptoms, especially fever, cold limbs, spontaneous sweating, headache, sore throat, vomiting and nausea when you had oesophageal cancer, realized now that the conditions were consistent with an aggressive cancer.
You are wondering how does the medical community explain the flu-like symptoms?
Considering the very basic knowledge of anatomy, physiology and obviously correlated with pathology I would explain as under to start with:
flu-like symptoms > This is variety of symptoms and can occur as explained bellow.
especially fever > Fever is a response of the body to anything which increases the basal metabolic rate (BMR), it can be anything including cancer, allergy, disease and so on. Since Cancer has the highest BMR it may show up as fever.
cold limbs > The peripheral circulation responds in a different way, as a response to the disease process, the peripheral circulation in the limbs is brought to minimum and is felt by the patient as cold limbs.
spontaneous sweating > This again is response of the body through over-active sympathetic (this is autonomous) nervous system.
headache > All the responses change the vasculature of the scalp and the brains in such a way that one gets headache.
sore throat > due to reduced immunity recurrent sore throat can occur.
vomiting and nausea > this again is a reflex mechanism of the body and can occur with any disease, in case of cancer esophagus this is more natural to occur.
I hope this answers your query and is based on basic medical science.
Please feel free to ask for any further relevant queries if you need to or if you feel that there is a gap-of-communication.
with the help of basic medical sciences.
Detailed Answer:
Hi.
Thanks for your academic question.
Noted your history of flu-like symptoms, especially fever, cold limbs, spontaneous sweating, headache, sore throat, vomiting and nausea when you had oesophageal cancer, realized now that the conditions were consistent with an aggressive cancer.
You are wondering how does the medical community explain the flu-like symptoms?
Considering the very basic knowledge of anatomy, physiology and obviously correlated with pathology I would explain as under to start with:
flu-like symptoms > This is variety of symptoms and can occur as explained bellow.
especially fever > Fever is a response of the body to anything which increases the basal metabolic rate (BMR), it can be anything including cancer, allergy, disease and so on. Since Cancer has the highest BMR it may show up as fever.
cold limbs > The peripheral circulation responds in a different way, as a response to the disease process, the peripheral circulation in the limbs is brought to minimum and is felt by the patient as cold limbs.
spontaneous sweating > This again is response of the body through over-active sympathetic (this is autonomous) nervous system.
headache > All the responses change the vasculature of the scalp and the brains in such a way that one gets headache.
sore throat > due to reduced immunity recurrent sore throat can occur.
vomiting and nausea > this again is a reflex mechanism of the body and can occur with any disease, in case of cancer esophagus this is more natural to occur.
I hope this answers your query and is based on basic medical science.
Please feel free to ask for any further relevant queries if you need to or if you feel that there is a gap-of-communication.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Thank for your answer.
With respect to the sore throat (and really it could be felt further down the esophagus) wouldn't it be true to say that there is inflammation?. I found none of the symptoms were alleviated by antibiotics or Chinese herbs that have worked on every other occasion.
XXXX
With respect to the sore throat (and really it could be felt further down the esophagus) wouldn't it be true to say that there is inflammation?. I found none of the symptoms were alleviated by antibiotics or Chinese herbs that have worked on every other occasion.
XXXX
Brief Answer:
Agreed
Detailed Answer:
You are absolutely correct.
The inflammation lingers on in spite of any treatment and may in fact be correlated to the inflammation most probably as a response of the body telling the person/Doctor that there is something wrong and go for further investigations to find the basic cause. This may in addition be related to the deficiency of many of the vitamins, mineral, trace elements that is caused by the complexity of the problem.
Agreed
Detailed Answer:
You are absolutely correct.
The inflammation lingers on in spite of any treatment and may in fact be correlated to the inflammation most probably as a response of the body telling the person/Doctor that there is something wrong and go for further investigations to find the basic cause. This may in addition be related to the deficiency of many of the vitamins, mineral, trace elements that is caused by the complexity of the problem.
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
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