Cancer is different and more powerful than other diseases. Although the effects of stroke and heart attack can be more severe and immediate, cancer has its own set of aspects. It can be present in the body for a long time and be detected only at a later stage, making it difficult to contain and treat. There are no exact causes of this disease, but there are several risk factors and even if you refrain from them, there is no guarantee that it will not affect you. This is why it is considered one of the deadliest diseases. If you have to define it, it is a group of diseases in which there is an abnormal growth of cells that are not necessary in the body.
It is detected by finding out where it is located and what its extension is. All this is discovered in diagnostic tests. Some of the common diagnostic tests are as follows:
• Imaging tests
These tests take pictures of the inside of the body. They are done to find out the extent and see if the treatment is working. Different forms of energy such as X-rays, sound waves, radioactive particles, etc. are sent into your body. The energy patterns are changed to make an image. They are used in early stages and screening tests. The images that emerge from these tests are used to track changes during the course of treatment.
• Ultrasound
This procedure is used to check for tumors in the body that are not seen on x-rays. There is no need for special preparation and it is a quick procedure. The images created are known as sonograms. These waves bounce off organs and tissues and create echoes. Ultrasound is exceptional for imaging some soft tissue diseases. On average, it takes 15-20 minutes to complete.
• Endoscopy
It is a minimally invasive diagnostic test that is performed with the help of an endoscope. It is a thin, thin instrument with hollow tubes that is inserted to look inside the body. They have a small video camera on top that puts images on the computer screen. It is placed in the mouth, anus, or urethra. They are used to detect cancer in people who do not have symptoms or to find cancer early.
• Bone scan
This type of test looks for the presence of cancer in the bones. It may have started in the bones or it may have spread from different places. Bone tests also help determine how well cancer treatment is working. In this procedure, a very small amount of radioactive substance is injected into the vein. Areas that absorb much less tracer are susceptible to this disease.
• Mammography
It is a particular type that is done to detect breast cancer in women. The image that is produced is known as a mammogram. These images show tumors that cannot be felt with the hands. The entire procedure takes about 10 to 15 minutes. It can be done with the help of digital mammography or three-dimensional breast imaging.
The different treatment options are explained below:
1. Chemotherapy
It is the method of treatment in which drugs are used to destroy cancer cells. It prevents the affected cells from growing and producing new cells. Because the rate at which cells are destroyed is so fast, nearby normal cells are also damaged. There are different ways to use this treatment –
• It is used as the only treatment in some diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma.
• It is used before surgery called neoadjuvant chemotherapy and after surgery it is called adjuvant chemotherapy.
• For metastatic cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and recurs if the cancer comes back after treatment.
Chemotherapy is given over a specific period of time. It is given in cycles and usually lasts for 6 months or a year. There are different ways to impart this method of treatment. Some of them are intravenous, oral, injected, topical, etc.
2. Surgery
It is an operation to remove a tumor from the body. It is one of the most used and oldest forms of treatment. It can also be used for different purposes, such as diagnosing cancer, where the cancer is, and how far it has spread. It can be used alone or in combination with other techniques such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
In some cases, a surgeon cannot remove the entire tumor because it can harm the body. In these cases, cytoreduction is performed. Most of the tumor is removed from the body, and the rest of the tumor is removed with the help of other methods.
3. Radiotherapy
Cancer cells are destroyed with the help of high-energy X-rays and other particles. The main goal of this treatment is to slow the growth of cancer cells and kill them without damaging nearby healthy tissue. More than half of people with cancer receive radiation therapy at least once.
There are two ways to provide it. One is by external beam radiation in which the radiation is delivered from outside the machine. It can also treat large areas of the body. Another method is internal radiation therapy.