Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : February 4, 2020 2:51 PM IST
The earlier the disease is diagnosed and treated, the greater the chance of its being cured. © Shutterstock
Cancer is an umbrella term for a large group of diseases caused by abnormal growth of cells anywhere in the body. There are more than 200 types of cancer. However, the symptoms may vary depending on the type of the disease. Common types of cancer include breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, colon cancer, Colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and Melanoma.
The earlier the disease is diagnosed and treated, the greater the chance of its being cured. No single test can accurately diagnose cancer. Cancer diagnosis methods include imaging, laboratory tests (including tests for tumour markers), tumour biopsy, endoscopic examination, surgery, or genetic testing.
There are many types of cancer treatment. Depending on the type and stage of your cancer, you may receive one treatment or a combination of treatments. Treatments may include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, medications to remove cancer, shrink a cancer or stop the progression of a cancer.
It is a procedure in which a surgeon removes cancer from your body.
Radiation Therapy This type of treatment uses high-powered energy beams, such as X-rays or protons, to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours.
It involves using drugs to kill cancer cells.
Also known as biological therapy, it uses your body's immune system to fight cancer.
This treatment targets the specific changes in cancer cells that allow them grow, divide, and spread.
Some types of cancer such as breast and prostate cancer - use hormones to grow. Hormone therapy slows or stops the growth of such cancers by removing those hormones from the body or blocking their effects.
High doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy may destroy blood-forming stem cells in cancer patients. Stem cell transplants are procedures that restore these cells. Stem cell transplant is also used to replace diseased bone marrow.
It helps doctors identify genetic changes in a person's cancer and select treatments that are most likely to help the patient.
This treatment uses electrical energy to kill cancer cells.
This treatment uses extreme cold to destroy cancer cells. It is performed using hollow needles (cryoprobes) through which cooled, thermally conductive, fluids are pumped to freeze the tissue.
