Cancer may spread to any part of the body. One of the most prevalent cancers that strike women is breast cancer. Prostate cancer affects males. Both men and women are affected by lung and colorectal cancer at a significant rate.
Cancer is classified into five major categories:
Typically, cancer begins in the cells that coat the inside of the organs, but it may also develop in the skin.
As the name implies, sarcomas are cancerous tumours that originate in the connective tissues such as the skeleton or cartilage.
There are two types of leukaemia.
The immune system is the primary source of lymphomas.
The brain and spinal cord are the primary sites of central nervous system malignancies.
Exactly how is cancer treated?
Type of cancer, stage, whether or not it’s spread, and your overall health all play a role in the treatment choices you have. As many cancer cells as possible must be killed while minimising harm to healthy cells nearby. As technology improves, it is now conceivable.
There are three primary methods of treatment:
Removal of the tumour by surgery
In chemotherapy, cancer cells are killed with the use of chemicals.
the use of X-rays to destroy cancerous cells
A person’s experience with the same form of cancer is very different from that of another person. Researchers are uncovering new subtypes of the same malignancy, such as breast cancer, that each need a distinct treatment strategy.
What is the field of oncology?
Oncology is the specialty of medicine that focuses on cancer diagnosis, treatment, and research, and an oncologist is a doctor who practises in that field. There are certain oncologists who specialise on a single cancer type or therapy. If a patient has a cancer of any form, stage or location, a number of oncologists may be involved in their treatment plan. Medical, surgical, and radiation oncology each have their own sub-specialties.
A medical oncologist is a doctor who specialises in cancer diagnosis, staging, and treatment. On top of all of that, he or she coordinates with other oncology experts and doctors who may be involved in the patient’s care in order to design a treatment plan that may include surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, or hormone therapy. After completing treatment, a cancer patient will continue to see a medical oncologist for follow-up visits.
As a surgeon, a surgical oncologist performs biopsies and tumour and surrounding tissue removal, as well as other cancer-related surgeries, such as chemotherapy.
In the field of radiation oncology, a doctor who specialises in the treatment of cancer using radiation therapy is known as a radiation oncologist.
A subspecialty in oncology treats a wide range of cancers. Malignancies of the female reproductive system, such as those of the uterus, cervix, and ovaries, are treated by gynecologic oncologists, whereas blood cancers are treated by hematologic oncologists (leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma). Cancers of the brain, spine, and peripheral nerves are the focus of a neuro-practice. oncologist’s
Treatment-related side effects: what are your options?
Therapy for side effects and maintaining health is the focus of supportive care services. Treating cancer needs more than just concentrating on the illness itself; it must take into account all of the side symptoms that accompany it.
There are a variety of options for assistance:
to avoid malnutrition and minimise the negative effects of treatment
To increase energy and decrease adverse effects, naturopathic medicine advocates the use of natural medicines.
Recovery from the side effects of cancer therapy via oncology rehabilitation
Counseling, stress management strategies, and support groups may be used to promote emotional well-being via mind-body medicine.
What are the possibilities for cancer therapy in the years to come?
In the future, cancer therapy will be even more personalised for each patient. Doctors are now offering therapeutic choices based on the tumor’s genetic alterations.
Using cutting-edge genomic tumour assessment technology, a patient’s tumour is examined genetically in order to determine the process that resulted in their cancer. A more individualised approach to cancer therapy may be possible as a consequence of genomic tumour evaluation.