Oncology or Cancer Treatment
Oncology is the branch of medicine dealing with tumors/ cancers.
It is basically made of two Greek words 'onkos', meaning
bulk, mass, or tumor, and 'logy', meaning "study of".
Thus oncology is the study of tumors and deals with the following:
- Diagnosis of patient with cancer/ tumor
- Treatment of cancer patient
- Palliative care for terminally ill cancer patients.
Diagnosis of Cancer:
The first and foremost tool for the diagnosis of cancer is
history of the patient. The presentation of a patient with
the following symptoms can be suggestive of cancer/ tumor:
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Unexplained anemia
- Fever of unknown origin
The various diagnostic tools for cancer are:
Indicure offers surgery and treatment for the following Urologic
procedures:
- Biopsy
- CT scan
- MRI
- Ultrasound
- Blood tests, including tumor markers
Treatment for cancer:
Cancer treatment is given in the form of combination of various
therapies. The oncologist, depending on the age, history and
lifestyle of the patient and the type of cancer, decide the
combination of therapies, best suited for the patient.
The different therapies used for Cancer treatment are:
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Surgical treatment
- Hormone therapy
- Adjuvant therapy
- Neoadjuvant therapy
Chemotherapy:
The term Chemotherapy refers to the medications used for
the treatment of cancer.
The underlying principle of chemotherapy is to kill the cancer
cells by treating them with chemicals that interfere with
the process of cell division. These medicines destroy the
rapidly developing tumor cells, which lack the 'stop mechanism'
and continually keep dividing.
The medications given in chemotherapy stop the cancer cell
growth by acting on the DNA and RNA of the tumor cells, which
are the agents that help the cells in dividing.
Different classes of chemotherapy drugs work by interfering
with different stages of cell division. For this reason, doctors
often prescribe the cancer drugs in 'combination therapy',
for their maximum effect. The oncologists combine specific
and non-specific chemotherapies so that they complement each
other and work together. The other name for this combination
of different medications is called a "regimen".
Chemotherapy is administered in one of the following ways:
- Orally
- Intravenously
- Intra- arterially
- Directly Into the body cavity
Radiotherapy:
Radiation therapy is basically divided into two main types:
- External radiation
- Internal radiation
External Radiation: External radiation also called x-ray
therapy, cobalt therapy, proton therapy, or intensity modulated
radiation therapy (IMRT), uses high energy x-rays to damage
the DNA of cells, thereby killing the cancer cells. In this
type of radiotherapy a beam of radiation is directed from outside
the body.
Radiation Production:
The radiations are produced through any of the following
methods:
- Radiations are produced in a special machine called linear
accelerator, where a metal element is heated to produce
electrons. These accelerate in an electric field towards
a piece of tungsten metal, which then emits high-energy
x-rays when they hit it.
- Some rare metals, for example radium, emit high-energy
gamma-rays naturally.
Internal radiation: This technique also called 'Brachytherapy',
involves implanting tiny beads or rods of radioactive metal
around the tumor. This delivers very intense radiation to a
small area of the body and limits the dose to normal tissue.
The radioactive substances that may be used are radium, cesium,
iodine, and phosphorus. The implant may be temporary or permanent,
depending on the substance used, although the effect wears off
over time in all cases.
Mode of action:
The radiation therapy works in a principle similar to Chemotherapy
and kills the cancer cells by damaging either the proteins involved,
or by damaging the DNA itself.
It uses precisely targeted high-energy rays. When a high-energy
ray hits a molecule, it can cause it to break up. This can form
free radicals, which can cause further damage to the inside
of the cell.
However, in contrast to chemotherapy, which is systemic, Radiation
therapy is a local therapy, and it treats a specific localized
area of the body.
Treatment regimen:
The oncologist determines a treatment protocol, best suited
for the patient. On the basis of this protocol, treatment
can be given once or twice a day. Usually, treatments are
given 5 days a week for several weeks, depending on the total
final dose of radiation that is planned.
Exhaustive list of various Cancers for which our Oncologists
provide treatment are:
A
- Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia
- Adrenocortical Carcinoma
- AIDS-Related Cancers
- AIDS-Related Lymphoma
- Anal Cancer
- Appendix Cancer
- Astrocytoma
B
- Basal Cell Carcinoma, see Skin Cancer (non-Melanoma)
- Bile Duct Cancer, Extrahepatic
- Bladder Cancer
- Bone Cancer, Osteosarcoma/Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma
- Brain Stem Glioma, Childhood
- Brain Tumor
- Brain Tumor, Brain Stem Glioma
- Brain Tumor, Cerebellar Astrocytoma
- Brain Tumor, Cerebral Astrocytoma/Malignant Glioma
- Brain Tumor, Ependymoma
- Brain Tumor, Medulloblastoma
- Brain Tumor, Supratentorial Primitive Neuroectodermal
Tumors
- Brain Tumor, Visual Pathway and Hypothalamic Glioma
- Brain Tumor
- Breast Cancer
- Breast Cancer, Male
- Bronchial Adenomas/Carcinoids
- Burkitt's Lymphoma
C
- Carcinoid Tumor,Gastrointestinal
- Carcinoma of Unknown Primary
- Central Nervous System Lymphoma
- Cerebral Astrocytoma
- Cervical Cancer
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
- Chronic Myeloproliferative Disorders
- Colon Cancer
- Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma
E
- Endometrial Cancer
- Ependymoma
- Esophageal Cancer
- Ewing's Family of Tumors
- Extracranial Germ Cell Tumor
- Extragonadal Germ Cell Tumor
- Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer
- Eye Cancer, Intraocular Melanoma
- Eye Cancer, Retinoblastoma
G
- Gallbladder Cancer
- Gastric (Stomach) Cancer
- Gastrointestinal Carcinoid Tumor
- Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST)
- Germ Cell Tumor, Extragonadal
- Germ Cell Tumor, Ovarian
- Gestational Trophoblastic Tumor
- Glioma
H
- Hairy Cell Leukemia
- Head and Neck Cancer
- Hepatocellular (Liver) Cancer
- Hepatocellular (Liver) Cancer, Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- Hodgkin's Lymphoma during Pregnancy
- Hypopharyngeal Cancer
- Hypothalamic and Visual Pathway
I
- Intraocular Melanoma
- Islet Cell Carcinoma (Endocrine Pancreas)
K
- Kaposi's Sarcoma
- Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer
L
- Laryngeal Cancer
- Leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic
- Leukemia, Acute Myeloid
- Leukemia, Chronic Lymphocytic
- Leukemia, Chronic Myelogenous
- Leukemia, Hairy Cell
- Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer
- Liver Cancer, Primary
- Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell
- Lung Cancer, Small Cell
- Lymphoma, AIDS-Related
- Lymphoma, Burkitt's
- Lymphoma, Cutaneous T-Cell
- Lymphoma, Hodgkin's
- Lymphoma, Hodgkin's During Pregnancy
- Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's
- Lymphoma, Primary Central Nervous System
M
- Macroglobulinemia, Waldenström's
- Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of Bone/Osteosarcoma
- Medulloblastoma
- Melanoma
- Melanoma, Intraocular (Eye)
- Merkel Cell Carcinoma
- Mesothelioma
- Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary
- Mouth Cancer
- Multiple Myeloma/Plasma Cell Neoplasm
- Mycosis Fungoides
- Myelodysplastic Syndromes
- Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Diseases
- Myelogenous Leukemia, Chronic
- Myeloid Leukemia, Adult Acute
- Myeloma, Multiple
- Myeloproliferative Disorders, Chronic
N
- Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinus Cancer
- Nasopharyngeal Cancer
- Nasopharyngeal Cancer, Childhood
- Neuroblastoma
- Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
O
- Oral Cavity Cancer
- Oropharyngeal Cancer
- Osteosarcoma/Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of Bone
- Ovarian Epithelial Cancer
- Ovarian Germ Cell Tumor
- Ovarian Low Malignant Potential Tumor
P
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer, Islet Cell
- Paranasal Sinus and Nasal Cavity Cancer
- Parathyroid Cancer
- Penile Cancer
- Pharyngeal Cancer
- Pheochromocytoma
- Pineoblastoma and Supratentorial Primitive Neuroectodermal
Tumors
- Pituitary Tumor
- Plasma Cell Neoplasm/Multiple Myeloma
- Pleuropulmonary Blastoma
- Pregnancy and Breast Cancer
- Pregnancy and Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- Pregnancy and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma
- Prostate Cancer
R
- Rectal Cancer
- Renal Cell (Kidney) Cancer
- Renal Pelvis and Ureter, Transitional Cell Cancer
- Retinoblastoma
- Rhabdomyosarcoma, Childhood
S
- Salivary Gland Cancer
- Sarcoma, Ewing's Family of Tumors
- Sarcoma, Kaposi's
- Sarcoma, Soft Tissue
- Sarcoma, Uterine
- Sézary Syndrome
- Skin Cancer (non-Melanoma)
- Skin Cancer (Melanoma)
- Skin Carcinoma, Merkel Cell
- Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Small Intestine Cancer
- Soft Tissue Sarcoma
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- Squamous Neck Cancer
- Supratentorial Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors
T
- T-Cell Lymphoma, Cutaneous, see Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary
Syndrome
- Testicular Cancer
- Throat Cancer
- Thymoma and Thymic Carcinoma
- Thyroid Cancer
- Transitional Cell Cancer of the Renal Pelvis and Ureter
- Trophoblastic Tumor, Gestational
U
- Unknown Primary Site, Carcinoma of, Adult
- Unusual Cancers of Childhood
- Ureter and Renal Pelvis, Transitional Cell Cancer
- Urethral Cancer
- Uterine Cancer, Endometrial
- Uterine Sarcoma
V
- Vaginal Cancer
- Visual Pathway and Hypothalamic Glioma, Childhood
- Vulvar Cancer
W
- Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia
- Wilms' Tumor
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