The human body suffers from various health conditions but, the most common and serious health condition nowadays is CANCER. Yes, the word itself sounds scary but due to rapid medical technologies now, thankfully many kinds of treatments that exist for curing cancer.
WHAT IS “CANCER”?
According to World Health Organization (WHO), Cancer is a large group of diseases that can start in almost any organ or tissue of the body when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably, go beyond their usual boundaries to invade adjoining parts of the body, and spread to other organs. The latter process is called metastasizing and is a major cause of death from cancer. A neoplasm and malignant tumor are other common names for cancer.
SYMPTOMS OF CANCER:
Symptoms of early cancer include:
- Unaccounted weight loss
- Persistent pain and swelling
- A fever that typically appears at night
- Skin changes, especially moles that grow or change in size or appearance.
If left untreated then the other signs may include:
- Bumpy or lumpy areas under your skin that persist.
- Having difficulty in breathing
- Having problems in swallowing
STAGES OF CANCER :
Stage I: Cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes or other tissues; it is limited to a small place.
Stage II: Despite growing, cancer has not yet spread.
Stage III: The cancer is now more advanced and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes or other tissues.
Stage IV: Your body’s organs or other regions have been infected by cancer. Additionally, this stage is known as metastatic or advanced cancer.
AVAILABLE APPROACHES TO TREAT CANCER:
- Chemotherapy: This therapy uses medications to kill the cancerous cells by quickly dividing cells. These medications also help in reducing the tumors but there is a risk of serious adverse effects involved.
- Hormone Therapy: Taking drugs that alter the actions of specific hormones or prevent the body from producing them is known as hormone treatment. This is a usual strategy when hormones play a large role, as in the cases of prostate and breast cancers.
- Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy works to strengthen the immune system and boost it toward battling cancerous cells. Adoptive cell transfer and checkpoint inhibitors are two examples of these therapies.
- Personalized Medicine: Personalized medicine is a more recent, evolving strategy. It entails employing genetic testing to identify the most effective treatments for a person’s specific cancer presentation. However, it has not yet been demonstrated by researchers that it can successfully treat all forms of cancer.
- Radiation Therapy: High-dose radiation is used in radiation therapy to eliminate cancerous cells. Additionally, a doctor could advise radiation treatment to minimize a tumor before surgery or lessen tumor-related symptoms.
- Stem Cell: Leukemia and lymphoma sufferers and those with blood-related cancers may benefit most from stem cell transplants. It includes eliminating cells that chemotherapy or radiation has killed, such as red or white blood cells. The cells are then strengthened and reinserted into the body by lab personnel.
- Surgery: When a patient has a cancerous tumor, surgery is frequently a component of the therapy regimen. A surgeon may also remove lymph nodes to slow or stop the spread of the illness.
- Targeted Therapies: Targeted therapies work inside cancerous cells to stop them from multiplying. They can strengthen the immune system as well. Monoclonal antibodies and small-molecule medications are two examples of these treatments.
Reference: