The celebration of World Cancer Day is on the 4th of February every year. Reducing the number of cancer patients and decreasing the rate of cancer deaths is the primary purpose of celebrating this day. There is also another aim of this occasion. That is to educate the general people about cancer and to remove the misconceptions about cancer from the minds of people. UICC began this celebration in order to support the World Cancer Declaration, which was written in 2008. In this context, let us discuss some facts about cancer. The term given to a group of diseases is called cancer. There is an uncontrollable growth of cells in these diseases. This ultimately leads to the growth of tumours. As per the opinion of a cancer specialist in Kolkata, these tumours are cancerous.
Causes
There are different types of cancer and the causes behind each type of cancer are also different. The following are a few causes:
- Overweight
- Smoking
- Unhealthy diet
- Chewing tobacco
- Consuming alcohol
- Physical inactivity
Symptoms
The symptoms of cancer include:
- Soreness in the throat
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Frequent coughing
- Growth of lump in the body
- Blood or watery discharge from a body part
- Changes in the size and colour of a mole
- Wound taking too long to recover
- Loss of appetite
- Sudden loss of weight
- Fatigue
It can be a lifesaver if you consult the best oncologist in Kolkata immediately after having any symptom.
Diagnosis
The tests for the diagnosis of cancer are the following:
Lab Tests
It may indicate the presence of cancer if there are low or high levels of certain substances in your body. The doctor suggests some diagnostic tests of your body fluids including blood and urine for measuring their levels. These tests also help to detect the presence of tumour markers in the tissue or blood samples.
Imaging Tests
A cancer doctor in Kolkata can detect any tumour in your body with the help of these tests. They create multiple pictures of the areas inside your body.
- CT Scan
- MRI
- Nuclear Scan
- Bone Scan
- PET Scan
- Ultrasound
- X-rays
Biopsy
An important way to diagnose cancer is a biopsy. There are different types of biopsy. The doctor removes a sample of tissue from your body and sends it for examination.
Treatment
While deciding the treatment option, the doctor will take into consideration some facts. These are the cancer type, its stage, its location in your body and how much it has spread. Some major treatment options are:
Surgery
There can be a need for surgery in most patients of cancer. The aim of cancer surgery is the removal of tumours, tissues, lymph nodes or areas with cancer cells.
Chemotherapy
There is the use of drugs in chemotherapy to kill cancer cells. The doctor injects chemotherapy medicines into your body in traditional chemotherapy whereas you have to take chemotherapy medicines in oral chemotherapy.
Radiation Therapy
The doctor uses high-energy particles or waves for destroying or damaging cancer cells. The goal of this procedure is to kill cancer cells, destroy the pathway of spread and prevent the recurrence.