Cancer can also cause restless legs. Or something similar.
Cancer is a debilitating disease. Cancer treatments are aggressive and in turn cause damage to your body. This causes additional complaints.
In this blog I look at what cancer is and what the consequences of cancer treatment are. Of course I pay attention to restless legs.
What is cancer
Cancer is an uncontrolled division of cells in the body. There are over a hundred types of cancer.
The human body keeps making new cells through cell division. Damaged and old cells are replaced, repaired or cleaned up. A normal body cell has a certain function and stops dividing at a certain point.
Cancer is caused by changes (mutations) in the DNA. Cancer cells have undergone several mutations. These cells often have no function and therefore continue to divide incessantly. They can also bypass the immune system.
There is a difference between solid and non-solid cancer.
Solid cancer is in a tissue or in an organ. A growth (tumor) develops in this area. Solid cancer can be benign or malignant.
Non-solid cancer is not in a fixed place but as individual cancer cells spread throughout the body. This is, for example, in your blood, bone marrow or in the lymphatic system. Non-solid cancer is always malignant.
The elderly are especially affected by cancer. In this group, the ability to repair errors in cell division decreases.
Treatments
Because there are so many different types of cancer, there are also many different treatments. Often a person will receive a combination of these treatments.
A treatment can be used for different purposes. For some, this one is for healing. Another is trying to prolong someone’s life. A third is treated to reduce or prevent complaints.
The most common treatments are surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, targeted drug therapy, and hormone therapy.
The risk of cancer is significantly reduced by a healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet, no smoking, the prevention of obesity and sufficient physical activity are among the general recommendations.
Cancer drugs often have side effects. One is peripheral neuropathy. You may also experience restless legs.
Restless legs
I am mentioning both neuropathy and restless legs here, because the symptoms of neuropathy can be very similar to those of restless legs. I wrote a blog about this before.
Restless legs and neuropathy are different conditions. They can occur at the same time in the same person.
Peripheral neuropathy is a common side effect of cancer drugs. Neuropathy is a type of nerve pain. It is caused by nerve endings being damaged. Peripheral neuropathy involves the hands, feet, legs or arms.
Chemotherapy in particular causes peripheral neuropathy. Sometimes it is also due to targeted drug therapy or immunotherapy. Symptoms include tingling, hypersensitivity to stimuli, a burning feeling or numbness, or shooting pains. You may also experience muscle and joint pain.
Ordinary painkillers do not help. Sometimes anticonvulsants or antidepressants relieve the symptoms. Relaxation exercises, yoga, meditation, or mindfulness can help you better manage neuropathy.
