Oral cancer

  The treatment algorithm is usually framed and discussed with the patient once the diagnosis of cancer is confirmed. It often includes multiple sessions of  chemotherapy  and periodic assessment of the treatment response during the visits to daycare. The first cycle of chemotherapy may require hospitalization for more than a day as some medications need to be administered slowly with adequate precautions and monitoring, whereas the subsequent cycles can be safely given in the daycare at a predetermined date and the patient can return home the same day within 24 hours of their hospital visit.  On arrival at the daycare, the patient is seen by the doctor and nurses. Any concerns will be addressed, followed by a brief clinical assessment. Following this, the blood tests will be sent, and these reports might take about two to three hours during which the patient will have to wait in the daycare. During each visit, care is taken to check the medication dose and regimen, ...

  Importance of IMRT  In our body thousands of cells break down every day and get replaced by new cells, to keep the body optimum. All effective medicines damage or kill some more cells in the body which are effectively replaced. Radiation therapy, when it came into existence, was primitive. It would hurt the normal cells, more than the body could replenish, and side effects would affect the quality of life in cured patients. However, radiation was here to stay by the year 1934; as one of the scientific forms of therapy in cancer with its ability to disrupt the DNA of cancer cells far more than the normal cells with a significant cure rate. Before the turn of this century, we were able to modify the way radiation was delivered conforming to the general shape of cancer (3 Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy - 3DCRT). With the improvement in computers by leaps and bounds, in this century we can modulate the radiation delivered into any irregular shape within the body. This revolu...

    Cancer Screening Cancer screening means doing specific tests to check for cancer before they start to cause any symptoms. It is used to identify cancers at an early stage when most of them are curable. Occasionally screening can discover pre-cancerous lesions and appropriate actions can be taken before they become cancers. Not all cancers can be screened as not all cancers have effective screening methods. Breast cancer, Cervical cancer, Colon cancer and Lung cancers are commonly screened for early diagnosis. Breast cancer screening: A mammogram (X-Ray) of the breast is one of the most effective ways of screening for breast cancer. It is generally recommended having regular mammograms from the age of 40 years onwards. Cervical cancer screening: Pap smear testing:  Pap smear test is done by collecting a few cells from the cervix and evaluating them under the microscope to look for pre-cancerous cells. This test enables the doctors to identify cancer at a precancerous s...

  1. Change in bowel or bladder habits Any significant change in your bowel habits such as constipation, diarrhoea or change in the number of your stools that is persistent may be a  symptom of colon cancer . Any persistent change in bladder function such as an increase in the number of passing urine, delay in passing of urine, urinary retention, blood in urine or pain etc. whilst passing urine may be a symptom of prostate or urinary bladder cancer. 2. A sore that does not heal Any sores on the skin, mouth, vagina or penis that does not heal may be a sign of cancer and need evaluation. 3. Unusual bleeding or discharge Any unusual bleeding can be a symptom of cancer. Coughing up blood can be associated with lung or throat cancer, vomiting of blood with stomach or oesophagus cancer, blood in stools with colon or rectal cancer, bleeding in urine with kidney or bladder cancer and bleeding from the vagina with uterine or cervical cancer. Pap smears if done regularly, can help ident...