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What are the symptoms of cancer?
At times cancer is detected while investigating for some other disease. But usually it is detected when symptoms gradually develop and become noticeable over a period of weeks or months. The symptoms of cancer are:
- A lump, which is often firm or painless, present beneath the skin
- Non-healing wounds.
- Blood in the urine, sputum or in the vomitus.
- Changes in bowel movements.
- Constant pain in the abdomen.
- Weight loss, which is significant in a short period of time.
- Fatigue.
- Loss of appetite.
- Long standing hoarseness of voice.
These are the most common symptoms of cancer and if you present with any of these symptoms, do consult your doctor immediately.
How are cancers diagnosed?
Cancers can be diagnosed in various ways. Emphasis should be laid on the detection of cancer at an early stage. Detection of late stage of cancers is no doubt easier, but it serves no purpose, as treatment of terminal stage cancers is difficult and survival rates are low.
Cancers can be detected by the following methods
Routine screening
This type of screening is improving the early diagnosis of cancer. Screening is a procedure to detect cancers before it presents with any symptoms. Cancers that can be diagnosed with this method are:
- Breast cancer, which is detected by a procedure called as mammography.
- Cancer of the large intestine, which is detected by colonoscopy, or a simple rectal examination.
- PAP smear, which is the screening-test for cancer of the cervix of the uterus.
Cancer Treatment
The three main techniques to treat cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Other treatments include hormonal and biological therapies.
Surgical treatment
Surgical treatment involves removal of the tumor. Usually some normal tissue surrounding the cancerous tissue is also removed. This ensures maximal removal of cancerous cells from the tumor site. The lymph nodes surrounding the tumor are also removed to prevent the tumor from spreading. Rarely surgery may be performed to remove tumor growth from remote sites where the cancer has spread. Cancer surgery is not useful if the tumor site is deep within the body and is inaccessible for surgery. It is also not advisable in old patients and in those in whom the cancer has spread extensively.
Chemotherapy
Treatment of cancers with anticancer drugs is called as chemotherapy. These drugs can be taken orally, but can be given as injection into a vein. This therapy is used when the cancer is widespread throughout the body, such as in leukemia. It can also be used to arrest the spread of cancers by metastasis. The drawback of chemotherapy is its side effects. These include nausea, vomiting, temporary hair loss, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, kidney damage and anemia. The duration of treatment depends on the type of cancer and the purpose of the treatment.
Radiation therapy
In this procedure, focused radioactive rays are used to destroy or slow the growth of cancerous tissue. This therapy can however have severe side effects. They include reddened or painful skin, loss of appetite, vomiting, nausea, and fatigue.
Hormone therapy
Therapy with hormones plays a major part in cancer treatment. For example, estrogens are responsible for stimulating growth of most breast cancers. They are also responsible for suppressing the growth of prostate cancer in men. Treatment with sex hormones plays a vital role in these types of cancers.
Biological therapy
These drugs involve the latest in the treatment of cancers. They are called as cancer vaccines. They are interferon like drugs. Interferon is a substance present in the body that offers resistant to foreign agents like viruses. These drugs produce an interferon like substance, which stimulates the white blood cells of the body to engulf abnormal cells.
The many treatment modalities of cancer treatment include surgery chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and gene therapy, are all directed towards killing tumor cells or preventing cell proliferation. Although conventional chemotherapies have traditionally been used to treat patients with various types of cancer, their side effects and damage to normal cells have been of monumental concern. Blood-forming bone marrow cells are the first cells to be adversely effected by chemotherapy, leading to a decline in the number of peripheral blood cells. It is therefore highly desirable to search for alternative chemical agents that can effectively destroy cancer cells but have minimal or no side effect on normal cells.
Complementary and Alternative cancer therapy
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) refers to a broad range of healing philosophies, approaches, and therapies that exist largely outside the institutions where conventional health care is taught and provided. However, some of these therapies are now making way to the mainstream medicine. Use of CAM is widespread among cancer patients. Throughout the world cancer patients try many forms of questionable or unproven treatment methods. The reasons for adopting these therapies most certainly are complex and are related to the social and cultural contexts. In case of severe illness, the hope to leave no stone unturned is a powerful motivator. In developing countries factors like ignorance, socioeconomics, and inadequate access to mainstream medical facilities are some major factors that play an important role for patients to opt alternative therapies that are replacement for, rather than adjunct to, mainstream therapy. Whereas in developed countries a significant proportion of cancer patients try complementary therapies viz. acupuncture, relaxation therapy and massage for anxiety as adjuncts to mainstream care for management of symptoms and to improve quality of life. Evidence from randomized trial supports the value of hypnosis for cancer pain and nausea.
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