When do you need to consult an oncology hospital

by Saim Singh Medical Tourism for Uganda

If diagnosed on time, Cancer can be completely eradicated from the body. It can return later in life but there are chances that you will lead a cancer free life. This condition occurs when there is increase in quantity of abnormal cells in the body. They have the potential to spread to different parts of the body. It can hit any part of the body and the symptoms vary according to the extent. There are many risk factors associated but no exact cause which means that even if we keep away from these factors, there is still a possibility that we can be diagnosed of this disease. Generally, the symptoms are observed at later stage in life when it has spread to a large area and it becomes very difficult to control it. This is why so many lives are lost. The branch of medicine which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer is known as oncology. Best oncology hospitals in India have three main components –

· Prevention – Prevention is done by keeping away from risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol etc.

· Early diagnosis – If you engage in risk factors or if you have someone in your blood who is suffering from this condition, then it is important for you to screen for common cancers which includes comprehensive diagnosis and staging.

· Treatment – this is the final step when there is detection in the body. Doctors and surgeon consult with each other to see the treatment option that will suit you the best.

Top cancer hospitals in India have medical, surgical and radiation oncologists in their team to treat this disease.

· Medical oncology

Chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy are three main treatment options in this.

1. Chemotherapy

It is the treatment option in which tumor cells are destroyed with the help of drugs. They stop the division of cells and don’t let them divide. As the affected cells grow more rapidly, it destroys them quickly than the normal cells. They are very powerful and have the potential to destroy some normal cells too.

2. Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy is also given with the help of drugs but instead they target specific genes and proteins which are found in the affected cells or in cells which are related to cancer growth like blood vessel cells. It is used to cancer of breast, colorectal, lung etc.

3. Immunotherapy

As the name suggests, this therapy option boosts the natural defenses to fight and ward off the cancer. They help the immune system to work in a better way. Whenever the body’s immune system detects something that is dangerous to the body, it produces antibodies which fight the irregularity.

· Surgical oncology

When cancer specialists doctor in India remove the rumor with the help of an operation, then surgical oncology is mentioned. It is used in diagnosis and removal of some parts or all of the cancer. For most types of cancer, biopsy is the only treatment option. During this procedure, doctor removes a small amount of tissue for the purpose of examination under a microscope. It is the only option to make a diagnosis.

· Radiation oncology

Cancer is killed with the help of high energy which moves through waves or particles. Cancer specialists in India destroy cells or slow the growth of tumor without affecting the surrounding normal cells. It is either used as primary treatment or it can be used before or after surgery and chemotherapy. More than half of people suffering from this condition receive this treatment at one point or other.