Some types of cancer release chemicals that make a person feel ill. These chemicals, called cytokines, may cause fevers, chills, sewats, fatigue, anorexia (loss of appetite), or even nausea and vomiting. These are the same chemicals that are released into the bloodstream when a person has the flu, which explains why the tumor necrosis factor, or TNF, used to be called cachexin, because its release from cancer cells was associated with cachexia, or wasting. These symptoms are, in fact, the ones that often bring a person with cancer to a doctor's attention in the first place. As a cancer continues to grow, these chemicals continue to be released. Treating the cancer should alleviate these symptoms.
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