Cancer is the uncontrolled and uncoordinated growth of body cells which invade surrounding normal tissues and might spread to distant organs if not checked in time.
Cancer in general occurs due to substance abuse, main constituent of which is tobacco in any form; alcohol gives a synergistic action to the effects of tobacco if consumed together. All these cause certain bad changes in the human DNA (genetic material) due to which there are changes in the properties of the cell (for example cells may acquire the ability to grow and divide rapidly). Accumulated DNA damage can lead to cancer.
Cancer per-say is not an infection, but long-standing infections may lead to cancer. For example, certain infections of Hepatitis B and C can cause liver cancer, HPV infections can cause cervical cancer, etc.
It is exceedingly difficult to identify cancer symptoms in its incredibly early stages. What is important is to maintain a healthy lifestyle free of any addiction and go for regular health checkups and be disease free holistically. Any symptom, be it ulceration in the oral cavity, or complains of acidity or any vague pain or swelling anywhere in the body if it persists for more than 3 weeks even after qualified medical intervention it should be thoroughly investigated. This is the only way one can detect cancer early.
Cancer in no way is contagious or infectious hence it cannot spread from person to person.
It is estimated that only 5-10% of all cancers are passed on from parents to children (hereditary cancers).
Cancer if detected and treated early has the benefit of being cured completely without any morbidity and lesser chances of recurrence (relapse of cancer) and a better quality of life.
Biopsy or tissue diagnosis is the primary most tool in the diagnosis of cancer, in which tissue sample or fluid sample (FNAC) is collected from the suspected lesion/site and sent for pathological analysis by the pathologist for diagnosis.
NO. In fact, biopsy is the single most important tool for cancer diagnosis in almost all cancer provided it is done by qualified personnel at a qualified setup.
Cancer treatment is dealt by the oncology department, just as eye problems are dealt by ophthalmologist or bone problems are dealt by orthopaedics. Hence cancer needs to be treated by an oncologist. Your neighbourhood doctor can help diagnose the cancer but he will refer you to any higher medical facility which has oncology services for management of cancer.
Cancer treatment has three branches: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In most cases if cancer is early surgery is the best modality of treatment and in some cases, radiation is the best modality. In certain cases when cancer is diagnosed at advanced stages chemotherapy is the choicest treatment choice available.
Imagine cancer as terrorist, sometimes we need the Army, Navy and Air Force to deal with them and sometimes only army will get the job done and sometimes we need any two of them. All of these depend on how strong and stubborn the terrorist is. Similarly, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are like the armed forces of oncology, which modality needs to be used to fight cancer depends on the stage and nature of the cancer. Let your oncologist decide for you what modality of treatment you will need, he is best qualified to decide and be rest assured he will keep your best in mind.
Oncology deals in the science of cancer and its treatment in a scientific manner which is evidence based, based on long term researches in scientific environment. It is of prime importance that you must develop a scientific temperament and look for evidence of people cured by the baba and his medicines. If that satisfies you, you are free to try him out and if you are not you know where to head back to
Contrary to popular belief, surgery in cancer is the best modality for cure in most early cancer cases when the cancer has not spread and is a small entity. When the cancer mass is taken out en-bloc by surgery, the chances of relapse are less and hence it improves the quality of disease-free life. If the cancer is at a later stage your oncologist himself will not give you opinion for surgery. To get the best help it is important to get opinion from qualified facilities.
Chemotherapy causes hair loss, as the medicine is used to kill cancer cells (fast multiplying cells), hair follicles also multiply fast, so chemo medicines kill them too resulting in hair loss. Also, chemotherapy can cause irritation in the throat as chemo medicines kill cells in the mucous lining too as they are also fast multiplying cells.
It depends on the staging of the disease. Chances are if diagnosed early it is completely curable. If diagnosed at intermediate stage it can be controlled and if diagnosed at advanced stage intent of treatment will be to improve the quality of life of the patient. In any case treatment is possible and patients must seek proper medical assistance.
One needs to understand the magnanimity of the disease cancer. If it can be cured by surgery it has to be operated and one need not think of cosmesis. Cancer surgery is not cosmetic surgery and focus should be on the disease. Rehabilitation surgeries can be done later after the cancer treatment is complete.
It is advisable to be under regular follow-up with your doctor even after cancer treatment is completed. Cancer by nature is a disease which has chances of relapse, the signs and symptoms of which can be early diagnosed by your doctor when you are under regular follow-up. Ideally it is advised to remain under follow-up for a minimum of 5 years as chances of relapse become much lesser after 5 years.
The whole intent of cancer treatment after curability is focused on the quality of life. Cancer is one of the diseases associated with a lot of social stigma. Functionality of the body part or a particular organ involved after treatment depends a lot on the staging of the disease and its severity. But with advancements in prosthesis and rehabilitation surgeries functionality can be achieved to near normal conditions with a lot of help from your will power. It is important for you to connect to your local cancer survivor networks to gel with people having been through similar situations to ease out your concerns.
It is very simple. You need to live a healthy addiction free lifestyle. Any symptom which persists for more than 3 weeks needs to be investigated. If you have an ulcer in your mouth which is not healing for long time, go visit your dentist. If you are having acidity persisting for days get it checked by your physician. If you feel lump in your breast get a mammography done and consult your gynaecologist. If you have blood in your stools or urine go, get it checked. Persistent fever, hoarseness in voice, weight loss needs to be thoroughly checked. In short never ignore the signs your body throws at you.
Now that you are aware about cancer, the onus lies on you to propagate it further and make others aware about it too. According to estimates by the year 2030 India is about to become the cancer capital of the world and only your help can bring a change to this scenario. Make people aware about the seriousness of the disease; ask them not to be addicted to tobacco products and alcohol. Encourage people to not have a sedentary lifestyle and eat healthy. Keep checks on food adulteration, keep away from quacks. Ask your local representatives for better health facilities in your area.