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Cancer diagnosis and treatment review
Detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
This article offers an overview of the following aspects of cancer:
- causes,
- detection and diagnosis,
- and treatment.
Key terms
Term | Meaning |
---|---|
Cancer | Disease caused by uncontrolled cell growth and division |
Tumor | Mass of tissue caused by abnormal cell growth |
Carcinogen | Agent that causes cancer |
Benign | Relatively harmless tumor that does not spread |
Malignant | Tumor that grows and can spread to other parts |
Chemotherapy | Use of drugs to treat cancer |
Radiotherapy | Use of radiation to treat cancer |
Immunotherapy | Treatment that activates the immune system to fight cancer |
What is cancer?
Cancer is a term used to describe diseases caused by uncontrolled growth of cells in the body. Normally, cells stop growing when they come into contact with each other - a property known as contact inhibition. Cancer cells, however, seem to lose this property, and keep multiplying to form masses called tumors. These tumors can be relatively harmless (benign), or can rapidly grow, invade other tissues, and spread (malignant).
Carcinogens, or agents that cause cancer, can be physical, chemical, or biological. For example, certain types of radiation, substances like nicotine, and some viruses can all cause cancer.
Detection and diagnosis
Early detection of cancer can increase chances of curing the disease. Regular health checkups are a good way to keep an eye out for any potential problems. Some of the tools doctors use to detect and diagnose cancer are listed below.
- Physical examinations : The doctor will physically check for lumps or other abnormalities that might point towards the presence of cancer.
- Biopsy : A small amount of tissue is taken from the body, and checked under the microscope for signs of cancer.
- Genetic screening : This method checks if an individual has inherited genes that are known to cause cancer, or if they carry any mutations that might increase their chances of developing the disease.
- Imaging : Images of the body and organs inside it can be obtained using different techniques like CT, MRI, ultrasound, and nuclear scans. This lets doctors check for the presence of hidden tumors.
- Lab tests : Blood and urine tests can be used to detect and measure levels of substances, including blood cells, antigens, antibodies, and tumor markers.
Treatment
Treatment can vary depending on the type and stage of cancer, as well as the patient's age and health. The next few points detail some common types of treatments.
- Surgery : Surgeons try to extract the cancer from the body by removing tumors and surrounding tissue.
- Radiation therapy : High-energy beams are targeted towards specific region to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
- Chemotherapy : Anti-cancer drugs are used to kill rapidly growing cancer cells and shrink tumors.
- Immunotherapy/Biological response therapy : The immune system is given a boost to help it fight cancer cells. Substances like
-interferon, called biological response modifiers (BRM), are used to prevent tumor cells from multiplying.
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