Cancer Treatment

  • Cancer
    Cancer is a group of diseases characterised by out-of-control cell growth. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. The cancer is named after the area of the body or organ where it originates.
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 15 October 2015

The options depend on the type of cancer, how far it has spread, age, lifestyle and the health status of the patient. There is no single treatment for cancer and doctors often combine different types of treatment.

Surgery
Surgery is the oldest known method of treating cancer. Surgery is quite effective if the cancer has not spread or metastasised. Surgery is often combined with other forms of therapy, like radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is generally used when the cancer has spread (metastasised) to other parts of the body. The aim of chemotherapy is to kill the cancer cells or stop them from growing. To do this, the cancer cells are treated with drugs (either pills or intravenous drugs) that interfere with the cell division process. The problem is that these drugs can harm normally rapid growing cells also. Chemotherapy is undertaken in cycles so that the body gets recovery time between cycles. Chemotherapy has lots of side effects, like nausea, vomiting, appetite change, pain, hair loss, anaemia and fatigue.

Radiation therapy
High-energy rays and other charged particles are used to kill cancer cells by damaging their DNA. Radiotherapy can cure cancer if the cancer is localised. Radiation therapy can be used in combination with other cancer treatments to prevent recurrence of the primary malignant tumour (as in early stages of breast cancer). Side effects include skin changes like dryness, peeling or blistering, fatigue, plus other side effects depending on the part of the body being treated. 

Targeted Therapy
Drugs are used to target cancer-specific genes or proteins without harming normal cells.

Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy aims to get the body’s immune system to fight the tumour. It works by pumping up the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells or by injecting a man-made immune system protein. 

Gene Therapy
This is still a new therapy. The goal of gene therapy is to repair or replace damaged genes in cancer cells.

Changed
03/Oct/2018
Community
Cancer
Condition
Cancer

Stories

  • The Jonathan Dimbleby doctrine: You don’t beat cancer by not talking about it
    Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby – son of a BBC legend – tells Charlie Cooper how his father’s candour informed the family’s attitude to coping with illness Britain in 1965 was not a country that talked about cancer. So when one of the most recognisable men in Britain, the veteran broadcaster Richard Dimbleby, decided in October 1965 to go public with the fact that he was suffering from it, the announcement stunned the country. “The newspapers, when he said: ‘I have got cancer’, responded…
  • Don't Believe the Hype - 10 Persistent Cancer Myths Debunked
    Driven by the evidence, not by rhetoric or anecdote, we describe what the reality of research actually shows to be true. Myth 1: Cancer is a man-made, modern disease While it’s certainly true that global lifestyle-related diseases like cancer are on the rise, the biggest risk factor for cancer is age. Myth 2: Superfoods prevent cancer Blueberries, beetroot, broccoli, garlic, green tea… the list goes on. Despite thousands of websites claiming otherwise, there’s no such thing…
  • FDA approves Opdivo for advanced melanoma (skin cancer)
    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today(December 22, 2014) granted accelerated approval to Opdivo (nivolumab), a new treatment for patients with unresectable (cannot be removed by surgery) or metastatic (advanced) melanoma who no longer respond to other drugs. Melanoma is often diagnosed late in people with darker skin and hence has higher malignancy.  Opdivo works by inhibiting the PD-1 protein on cells, which blocks the body’s immune system from attacking melanoma tumors.…
  • Goodbye Year of Cancer. Hello Hope!
    Death stared at me up close this year, says cancer survivor Minakshi Ray. What did that teach her about life? As I sit back and take stock of how 2014 treated me, I would say, it was a mixed bag. There have been losses and gains. I don't mean material losses or gains, rather I will remember the year in terms of the emotional journey. Following my battle of survival against breast cancer, my perspective on life has changed completely. The biggest realisation that has dawned…
  • Cancer survival rate in India among the lowest in the world
    Michael Coleman, professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and one of the lead authors of the study told TOI that one reason for the low survival rates in India could be that equitable access to early diagnosis and optimal treatment is not yet available for all people in India. "Some of the most advanced medical facilities in the world can be found in Mumbai (for example), but they are out of reach of the vast majority of the Indian population," he said. "The inequality…
  • How the promise of Immunotherapy is transforming Oncology
    Nine years later, against all odds, Mr. Telford is still alive. What saved him was an experimental immunotherapy drug—a medication that unleashes the body’s own immune system to attack cancer. His remarkable survival caught the attention of researchers, who began to realize that the way immunotherapy drugs were affecting tumors was unlike almost anything seen with conventional treatments. Today Mr. Telford is among a growing group of super-survivors who are transforming the world of…
  • 43% of Heart Attack Patients Had Anaemia
    India and South-east Asia has high incidence of anaemia. Family practitioner Dr Gita Mathai tells you all you need to know about this often-silent threat that can pose many complications.  What is anaemia? Anaemia (or Anemia) is a generic term for low haemoglobin in the blood from any cause. It is not a disease by itself. It can occur in different forms and be caused by many factors.  Anaemia is diagnosed when the haemoglobin value checked in the laboratory is…
  • Ananda Shankar Jayant : I want to be known not as a cancer survivor, but as a cancer conqueror
    Ananda Shankar Jayant talks of what inspired and gaver her strength to deal with Breast Cancer, its treatment, its aftermath "I realized then that I, who thought I had complete control of my life, had control of only three things: My thought, my mind -- the images that these thoughts created -- and the action that derived from it.  And I found that in my dance, my dance, my strength, my energy, my passion, my very life breath. But it wasn't easy. Believe me, it definitely wasn't easy…
  • Foods that fight cancer
    By nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju Being overweight has been linked with the increased risk of breast cancer, endometrial (uterus), and colorectal cancer. So keep your BMI at 25 or less with these foods that reduce your waist and your cancer risk: Fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and pulses are rich in vitamins and minerals, boosting your immune system. Go for dark coloured beans (rajma, brown beans, green beans, black-eyed beans) and brightly coloured vegetables and…
  • CYRAMZA now approved both as a single-agent treatment and in combination with chemotherapy
    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved CYRAMZA® (ramucirumab) in combination with paclitaxel (a type of chemotherapy) as a treatment for people with advanced or metastatic gastric (stomach) or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma whose cancer has progressed on or after prior fluoropyrimidine- or platinum-containing chemotherapy. CYRAMZA now has two FDA approvals for these patients. Today's announcement follows the April approval of CYRAMZA as a…