What is the approach required in treating Cancer -

The treatment of Cancer depends on various different factors. The growth of abnormal cells is first detected with the help of diagnostic tests. It is to be seen how big or severe the growth and what all treatment methods are there. These methods are then communicated to the patients and then it is up to the patient to decide which one he/she wants to undergo. One of the most important things while taking any step is to consider the stage in which the patient is in. Cancer treatment in India is given accordingly. There are four different stages. These are mentioned below –

Stage 1 – in this stage, cancer is very small and has not spread to other parts.

Stage 2 – The size of the tumor is large but it has not started to invade. In some particular cancers, it may have transferred to surrounding tissues.

Stage 3 – it has started to spread to surrounding tissues and cancer cells are present in the lymph nodes.

Stage 4 – In this stage, the cells are spreading to different parts of the body. It is also known as secondary or metastatic cancer.

In staging process, grading can also be done. It is done to see the similarity of the cancer cell to a normal cell. There is need of staging to see which treatment will be suited to you. The branch of medicine which deals with diagnosis and treatment of different forms of Cancer is known as oncology. Oncology hospitals in India have different treatment options. Some of them are given below –

·         Chemotherapy

It is a type of cancer treatment in India in which drugs are administered to destroy the affected cells. They stop the growth of cancer cells and prevent them from dividing. The main aim of this method is to kill all the cells that are growing rapidly. They are highly powerful and some of the healthy cells are also affected by it.

It can be imparted at different stages. If it is given before any other treatment, then it is known as neoadjuvant therapy. If it is given after the surgery, then it is known as adjuvant therapy. In some conditions like leukemia and lymphoma, it is the only treatment option. It is first seen how far the affected cells have reached.

The main goal of this treatment is to kill all the cancer but if that is not possible then it is given to slow the progress. It is also done to ease off symptoms in later stages.

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  Radiation therapy

Oncology hospitals in India use this method by imparting high energy x-rays and other related particles to destroy cancer cells. Radiation oncology hospitals in India use this treatment without harming nearby cells and slowing the growth of the tumor. It may be used as the only treatment or can be used before or after other procedures.

When it is not possible to destroy all of cancer, then it is given to relieve the symptoms. It is known as palliative radiation therapy. Quality of life is taken into consideration. More than 50 percent of people suffering from Cancer receive this treatment modality at least once. One of the most common forms of radiation therapy is external beam.

Large areas of the body are treated with this therapy by delivering radiation from a machine outside the body. Beam of high intensity is created with the help of a machine known as linear accelerator. The exact site of the tumor is targeted without harming the healthy tissue. Other options include IMRT, IGRT, 3D-CRT etc.

·         Surgery

It is the opening of the body with the help of operation. But there can be different aims of this particular cancer treatment in India. It may be done to diagnose cancer, remove some of the tumor, to find out the location of the cancer, if it is affecting the functions of the other parts, to relieve side effects etc.

In some cases, it is not possible to remove the whole tumor from the body. This can cause too much damage to the body. Surgery is done to remove as much tumor as possible. It is known as debulking. Surgery is also an option to restore the body’s function and appearance. It is known as reconstructive surgery. Some of the common examples are breast reconstruction, reconstruction of head and neck area etc.