An Introduction About Cancer and its Treatment

Some of our body’s cells grow without control, to form masses and spread to nearby structures. Normally, our body has mechanisms to kill a diseased cell. When these normal mechanisms fail, cells grow uncontrollably. One cell becomes two cells, and then divides to form 4, 8, 16, 32 cells, and so on, to create several billion cells, ultimately forming a mass called cancer.

Cancer has the tendency to spread to the surrounding structures and also to the distant organs. When the cancer is small and stays in one organ, it is called early cancer. When it has spread to a distant organ, it is called advanced or metastatic cancer.

Symptoms are dependent on the site of the cancer. Breast cancer can present as a painless lump in the breast. Cervical cancer presents asabnormal vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge or lower abdomen(pelvis)pain. Oral cancer presents as a growth or an ulcer in the mouth with pain. Sometimes there are no symptoms, and it is rarely diagnosed during a master health check-up.

How to Diagnose Cancer?

Cancer diagnosis is based on patient symptoms, clinical examination, blood test(basic blood tests and tumour markers), and Biopsy.

Biopsy may be done by endoscopy of the stomach or large bowel in gastrointestinal cancers. In breast cancer, a core needle biopsy of the breast lump is done. Biopsy material is studied under the microscope, and this study is called histopathology to confirm the diagnosis of cancer.

Whole-body PET CT / CT scan / MRI scan gives the information whether the cancer has spread to other organs or not.

What are the Treatment Options for Cancer?

The treatment of cancer is not done by one specialist but comprises a team of doctors called the ‘Tumour Board’. The tumours board comprises a Surgical Oncologist, Medical Oncologist, Radiation Oncologist, Palliative care specialist, Pathologist, and Radiologist.

Surgery

Based on the location and stage of the disease, if surgery is possible, it is the primary treatment. The aim of surgery is to remove cancer completely with adequate margins. Cancer surgery is done by cancer surgeons called surgical oncologists.

Following surgery we assess based on size of the tumour and biopsy studies and immuno- histochemistry whether cancer has tendency to come back(recur). When the recurrence possibility is significant, we consider chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is chemical treatment given through an intravenous drip. Chemotherapy works by blocking cell growth. Some chemotherapies are given at a specific interval, i.e., once in every 1, 2, or 3 weeks. Common side effects of chemotherapy are nausea, vomiting, tiredness, infection, and hair loss. Most of the symptoms are temporary and manageable.

Targeted Agents

Targeted cancer drugs are like missiles that specifically attack certain proteins, hormones, or genes. For example, in chronic myeloid leukaemia, there is a bcr-abl gene which causes the leukaemia. Imatinib is a drug that acts on the bcr-abl gene and treats chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Radiation Therapy

Radiotherapy delivers high-energy particles to cause small breaks in the cancer DNA(deoxyribonucleic acid) structure, thereby killing the cancer cells. It is useful in both early and advanced cancers. In several cancers, like cervical cancer, throat cancer, etc., it is the single main modality. In some cancers, like Breast cancer, Mouth cancer, endometrial cancer, etc., it is used after surgery to prevent a recurrence. In some cancers, such as Esophageal cancer, rectal cancer, etc., it is used before surgery to reduce the size of the cancer and make it easily operable. In advanced cancers, it controls symptoms such as pain, bleeding, fits, etc.

With modern radiotherapy machines like TrueBeam, it only takes a few minutes to give radiotherapy. It is given daily for 4 to 5 weeks in early cancers and for 1 to 2 weeks in advanced cancers.

Palliative Medicine

Palliative medicine is a specialised medical care for serious illnesses like Cancer. In end-stage cancer, good symptom control and improving patient quality of life are the aims of palliative care. Our terminal cancer patients are comfortable and at peace till the end.

We use subcutaneous infusion of morphine in selected patients to achieve good pain management without affecting the conscious level.

Services Offered

Rela Hospital is a 450-bedded multi-speciality hospital offering comprehensive cancer care through a specialized oncology team and advanced medical infrastructure. The hospital provides a full spectrum of services to diagnose, treat, and support patients with all types of cancer, ensuring personalized and holistic care at every stage. The services offered include:

• Surgical oncology
• Medical oncology
• Radiation oncology
• Palliative medicine

Cancer Diagnostic Services

Diagnostic facilities like haematology, biochemistry, and histopathology labs are available with up-to-date facilities. Radiology services include CT scan, MRI, and PET-CT scan. Cancer counselling for the patient and family.Cancer nutrition and dietary services. Cancer physiotherapy.Molecular biology, Cancer genomics (assessing which drugs will be effective in a particular cancer).

Why Choose Rela Hospital for Cancer Care?

• Excellent International standards for cancer care
• Well-experienced oncology team
• We provide hope
• We treat patients with empathy
• We have a tumour board which includes all oncology specialists, pathologists, and radiologists to decide patient treatment.
• Our treatment is both scientifically based and wisdom-driven.