Final answer:
Cancer-related symptoms that are not explained by tumor presence or spread often fall under paraneoplastic phenomena, which include systemic effects like weight loss, anemia, and hormonal changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
When patients with cancer exhibit symptoms that cannot be directly linked to the local effect of a tumor, the distant spread known as metastasis, or specific symptoms caused by a tumor, these are often referred to as paraneoplastic phenomena. Such conditions are the result of the complex biological interactions between the cancer and the patient’s immune response, hormonal balance, or coagulation pathways. For example, a cancer patient may experience deep vein thrombosis, not because of a tumor in the leg, but as a paraneoplastic effect of the cancer. Similarly, other hormonal changes unrelated to the direct location of the cancer can also be evidence of such phenomena. These systemic symptoms and effects include weight loss, poor appetite, fatigue, cachexia, excessive sweating (especially night sweats), and anemia. The identification of such symptoms, while not directly pointing to the presence of cancer, should nonetheless prompt further medical investigation to understand the underlying causes