CANCER

What is Cancer?

Normally, human cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old or become damaged, they die, and new cells take their place.
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Cancer develops when the body’s normal control mechanism stops working. Old cells do not die and instead grow out of control, forming new, abnormal cells.
Many cancers form solid tumors, which are masses of tissue. Cancers of the blood, such as leukemias, generally do not form solid tumors.

 

Stages of Cancer

Staging is a way of describing the size of the tumor and how far it’s spread. When doctors first diagnose a cancer, they carry out tests to check how big the cancer is and whether it has spread into surrounding tissues. They also check to see whether it has spread to other parts of the body
Most cancers that involve a tumor are staged in five broad groups. Below is an example of one common method of staging:
Stage 0 indicates that the cancer located in the place they started and have not spread to nearby tissues.
Stage I. usually means that a cancer is relatively small and hasn’t spread anywhere else. This is also called early-stage cancer.
Stage II It means tumour is larger than in stage 1, but still has not spread.
Stage III Shows that the tumor is larger and it may have started to spread into surrounding tissues and there are cancer cells in the lymph nodes in the area
Stage IV means the cancer has spread from where it occurred to another body organ. It’s also called advanced or metastatic cancer.

 

What Causes Cancer?

Some cancers are caused by habits or expose themselves to radiation treatment for one type of cancer may cause another cancer to occur many years later. This is why doctors and dentists use much lower doses of radiation for x-rays and scan than used for cancer treatment. Tobacco use can cause cancer of the lungs, mouth, throat, bladder, kidneys, and many other organs. Of course, not everyone who uses tobacco will get cancer, but it widely increases a person’s risk.
And the other factors are age, gender, inherited genetic defects and skin type, environmental exposure, for instance UV radiation and fine particulate matter can cause cancer.

 

What Are The Symptoms?

Cancer symptoms and signs depend on the specific kind and stage of cancer; although general signs and symptoms are not very specific the following may seen in patients with different cancers: fatigue, weight loss, pain, skin changes, change in bowel or bladder function, unusual bleeding, persistent cough or voice change, fever, lumps, or tissue masses.

 

Cancer Diagnosis

Diagnosing cancer at its earliest stages often provides the best chance for a cure. Many tests are needed to determine whether a person has cancer, or if another condition (such as an infection) is mimicking the symptoms of cancer. Bear this in mind, talk with your doctor about what types of cancer screening may be appropriate for you.

 

Cancer diagnosis methods are:

Physical exam: Cancer diagnosis begins with a thorough physical exam. Surgeons check to skin, lymph nodes, lungs, breasts, abdomen, and testes in physical exams. However, prostate, rectal, and vaginal examinations are also important. Findings help direct further testing, including x-rays and biopsies.

 

Lab exam: Doctors may use a variety of laboratory tests if cancer is suspected. Laboratory studies of blood, urine, and stool can detect abnormalities that may indicate cancer . Lab tests may also used to screen high-risk patients, pinpoint the stage of cancer, identify cure options and check whether the cancer is responding to treatment.

Imagine test: Imaging tests create pictures of areas inside your body that help the doctor see whether a tumor is present. These pictures can be made in several ways plain x-rays, ultrasonography, CT, PET, and MRI. , create pictures of the inside of your body.

Biopsy: A biopsy includes the process to remove a sample of tissue or a tumour from the body to see if it contains cancer cells. The sample gets examined under a microscope.

 

 

Intratumoral chemotherapy Recovery and Aftercare

Intratumoral chemotherapy does not require hospitalization or any particular immediate follow-up care. Patients treated under local anesthesia and conscious sedation can return their home on the same day. Clinic Center registered in the UK is the only medical tourism company offering, physical consultation and aftercare services in UK. Book your face-to-face consultation in London right now!

 

 

Radiofrequency Ablation FAQ

 

Is Radiofrequency Ablation painful?

Radiofrequency ablation is generally well-tolerated, and does not typically cause any serious pain after the treatment. There is a very low risk of bleeding or infection after the treatment as well as a low risk of injury to the gallbladder or bile ducts.

 

How long is the treatment period for Radiofrequency Ablation?

Patient quickly recover from this procedure. You may feel some discomfort at the insertion area for some time. It is normal to feel some fatigue, muscle pain and even slight fever for the following a couple of days.

 

What should I expect coming to the hospital?

Depending on your overall situation and health condition, you will be admitted to the hospital, either one day before the procedure or on the same day. Most of the time, ablation is performed under general anesthesia. But for some cases it can also be performed under conscious sedation or light sleep. After the procedure, you will go to an anesthesia recovery room to be waken up and then you will be taken to your hospital room. You will be under observation in your room.

 

For how many days should I stay in the hospital?

Most patients will remain in the hospital for 24 or 48 hours following the procedure.

 

Am I a good candidate for tumor ablation?

In most instances this treatment is more suitable for patients with four or fewer tumors and tumor sizes should be less than two and one half inches in diameter. Being mostly liver, several types of cancer can be treated with tumor ablation including liver, kidney, and lung cancer. Oncologist, surgical oncologist and interventional radiologist consult to each other before deciding what is more suitable for the patient.

 

Who will interpret my results?

Your results will be reviewed with a CT or MR scan one month after the ablation. Success of the treatment will be evaluated according to whether the tumor is destroyed or shrink in size.

 

If the operation is unsuccessful, can I have another session of RFA?

Sometimes tumors adjacent to flowing blood prevents sufficient temperatures to be generated required to destroy the entire tumor. If the first application fails to destroy all of the tumor, the procedure may be repeated. Since the procedure destroys very little normal liver, it is safe to repeat the procedure until the desired result is obtained.

 

 

Disclaimer
The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only. It is not advice on your specific needs and circumstances. It does not replace the need for you to have a thorough consultation, so you should get advice from a suitably qualified doctor or surgeon. Please bear in mind that as with all operations, there are risks involved in having cancer treatment surgery.