Cancer is a condition of the body where the cells begin to continuously divide and spread to the neighbouring tissues. It can happen almost anywhere in a human body. The unwanted division of cells leads to the formation of tumours.
In India about ten lakh people get this disease every year. There is no known method to completely cure these diseases. However, various treatments can be given based on the stages of cancer cells.
A leading doctor in a cancer hospital in Bangalore talks about the types of cancers and treatments:
Types of Tumours:
A tumour is caused due to rapid development of cells. They are of 3 types:
a. Malignant tumours: These types of tumours have the potential to spread to other parts of the body and cause cancer.
b. Benign: They do not spread or grow too much. Once it is removed from the body, it may not return. So they are not cancerous either. However benign brain tumours are life threatening. There are different types of Benign tumour.
They are:
- Adenomas- They are formed in glandular epithelial tissue, a thin membrane that protects glands, organs, and other structures in the body. Some of them are fibroadenomas, hepatic adenoma in the liver and polyps in the colon.
- Fibroids- They are non-cancerous abnormal growths in the uterus of a woman. Even though they are not cancerous, fibroids can cause severe pain and painful periods.
- Haemangioma- In this case blood vessels grow excessively. The red strawberry marks on skin are caused due to this especially in new born babies.
c. Premalignant: These cells have the capacity to become cancerous.
Stages in Cancer
a) Stage 0: A person diagnosed at this stage is lucky as the cancer has just started. They would not have spread to the neighbouring tissues. In stage one, the cancer cells can be removed in most cases through surgery.
b) Stage I: It is also known as early stage cancer. In this stage the tumour may not have speed greatly to the other tissues.
c) Stage II and Stage III. The cancer cells would have spread to the neighbouring tissues. There are also chances of getting into lymph nodes.
d) Stage IV. This is also known as advanced or metastatic stages where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The patient’s life is under threat in this stage.
Common Types Of Cancer
There are various types of cancer invented every year. The most common in them are:
Thyroid cancer
This is most common in women. A lump in the neck region due to enlarged lymph nodes is the most common symptom. They are different types of thyroid cancer and in this papillary and follicular are the most curable.
Breast cancer
They occur in women and rarely in men. The common symptoms are lumps, fluid discharges form nipples and changes in shape of the breast. The treatment varies according to the stages it is diagnosed in. Some of the common treatments are chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy and surgery.
Skin Cancer
There are two types of skin cancer. Melanoma occurs in pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes and they are cancerous. Non melanoma is a treatable cancer that develops in the upper layers of the skin.
Lung Cancer
This cancer occurs in lungs and occurs mostly in people who smoke. There are two different types of lung cancer. Small cell lung which is more serious and cancerous. They are also known as oat cell cancer, and small cell undifferentiated carcinoma.
Non cell lung cancer behaves like squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.
Treatment
Although a complete cure for cancer is not available, there are treatments available. The purpose of most of them is to bring the disease under control, or to prevent the recurrence. Some of the treatments for cancer include.
1. Combination therapy
It is the combination of various forms of treatment like surgery, radiotherapy and drugs. This therapy has increased scope of recovery in the patient.
- Supportive therapy
It improves the patient’s well being. Chemotherapy and cancer pain treatment are some forms of supportive treatment.
3. Adjuvant therapy
This treatment is to support the surgeries done to treat cancer. Radiotherapy or chemotherapy followed with surgeries are the forms of adjuvant therapy. Here the cancer cells are destroyed and the patient’s condition is improving.
4. Palliative Care
A lot of mental strength and courage is required to overcome cancer. Palliative care offers a series of physical and psychological sessions to improve the condition of the patient. Various symptoms like nausea, constipation and fatigue are also treated.
CONCLUSION
A lot of research and studies are going on to find a complete cure for cancer. The exact cause for cancer is not yet known. However, certain food habits and organic lifestyle can help a lot to avoid this disease, says a doctor in a cancer hospital in Bangalore.
