Being a carer for a cancer patient, it is difficult to know what to expect at times. As the tumour starts to break down, things start to change and if you have not seen it before then it is difficult to know if they are good signs or bad. I therefore thought I would share some personal observations about what happens when a tumour breaks down, things that nobody told me.
Firstly though, I emphasis that I have no professional medical qualifications and that as there are many types of cancer (as well as different types of treatment) they may not all respond the same way. This is strictly my own observation of tumours breaking down after busting through the skin on the breast and the lymph node under the arm.
As the tumour grows it is quite hard and solid and a dark fierce look red in colour. The first sign of breakdown is a thick yellowish discharge. This is very sticky and hard to get off, especially as the patient will likely be in pain and you cannot wipe hard to remove it.
Shortly afterwards the outer surface of the tumour starts to appear to be very raw and bleeds easily, especially when changing the dressing which tend to stick more to the tumour at this stage. Wet the old dressing to minimise bleeding on removal. The bleeding is usually only slight and stops without too much difficulty. However, I have known blood to come out in a fine jet.
I believe that the reason for this is that the blood vessels in the tumour are very near to the surface. As the tumour recedes, the blood vessels come nearer to the surface and are more exposed. Waiting for the bleeding to stop can cause some duress to the patient, especially if they are undressed and in pain.
After a while however as the blood supply may dry up altogether so the problem of bleeding is lessened. Having lost the blood supply the tumour dies all together. However, it then starts to rot inside the body turning to a foul grey/green colour.
The tumour also leaks a lot of what appears to be lymphatic fluid. I believe that this is the bodies attempt to “wash out” bacteria that will be growing in the dead and decaying tumour.
Tumours are a haven for bacteria and viruses, which means that they are therefore released as the tumour breaks down/decays. This can lead to a strong sickly sweet smell that is unpleasant and embarrassing to the patient. I clean the tumour/wound with filtered water (saline is OK too) with a few drops on Lugol’s Iodine applied with a syringe as per the Dr Clark protocol. Lugol’s is an especially pure brand of iodine, so don’t be tempted to get any old iodine from the local chemist as this could be harmful. After gently drying off the wound, I spray it with the advanced colloidal silver.
The whole process of the tumour breaking down can also be very painful to the patient, so be prepared for that too.
As mentioned above this is not intended as medical advice, it is only to share some experience that others may find useful.
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