Chemotherapy is a medicinal therapy that uses strong chemicals to kill your cancer cells. This treatment is used to treat many types of cancer. It targets the cancer cells that grow and multiply more quickly than other cells in the body. Many types of chemotherapy drugs are available on the market and are used either in combination or alone to treat different types of cancer. Although this is the most effective way to treat cancer, it also has side effects. That is why some people are worried before starting chemotherapy treatment. The side effects of chemotherapy are mild and treatable. Chemotherapy is basically used to cure cancer without using other types of treatments, to kill hidden cancer cells, to shrink a tumor, and also to relieve the symptoms of cancer. In this blog, you will read about the things that you should know before starting chemotherapy treatment.

Things to know before starting chemotherapy:

  1. It is normal to feel uneasy after chemo.

When you wake up for your first chemo session, you may be scared because you don't know what lies ahead. Each cancer patient responds differently to chemotherapy. The side effects of chemotherapy are different for different patients. Some people report having itchy skin rashes, nausea, a bad metallic taste in their mouth, and exhaustion. So, it’s normal to feel uneasy after the chemotherapy treatment. Because chemotherapy drugs are so powerful, they attack cancer cells, but they also attack other growing cells in the body, such as your hair roots, resulting in hair loss all over your body, not just on your scalp.

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  1. Don’t stick to any one test result.

With the passage of time, both cancer cases and the recommended course of therapy change, so you should not stick to any test results. After the first biopsy, you will receive an initial diagnosis, but with the passing of time, your doctor may learn more about your cancer, so it is possible that the prognosis and treatment may also change.

  1. Everyone's cancer-fighting journey is unique.

Always remember that everyone's journey to fight cancer is different. It is not necessary for one patient to experience nausea after chemo and the other patient to experience the same side effect. Everybody’s experiences with chemotherapy treatment are different. And also keep in mind that not every piece of information about chemotherapy will be applicable to you. You should always verify the details with your healthcare professional to make sure they apply to your condition or not.

  1. Know about the chemotherapy treatment schedule:

When you require chemotherapy treatment, your health care providers will inform you. Normally, chemotherapy treatments are given to patients in repeating cycles. The drugs you receive for your treatment will determine how long a cycle will last. Most cycles last between two and six weeks. Like on the first day, each cycle contains only one dose. Or, a cycle might have more than one dose that is given every week or every day. Normally, your doctor will check in with you after two cycles to ensure that the treatment is working properly. Most of the patients receive several chemotherapy cycles.

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  1. The chemotherapy effects get worse after every cycle:

Before treatment, doctors will inform you that you will face more difficulty after every session. After each session of chemotherapy, you will feel weaker. This is so because the medicines that are used in chemotherapy enter your body and prevent the spread of cancer cells.

  1. Food and medicine can affect chemotherapy.

Your doctor will let you know what to eat and drink during chemotherapy days so that your treatment works better. Always tell your doctor about any medications you're taking before starting chemotherapy. This will protect you from unwanted side effects. If the medicines are not good for your chemotherapy treatment, then your doctor will ask you to avoid them.

Chemotherapy treatment is the hardest process. But despite all the challenges, it is very necessary that you maintain your hope of living a cancer-free life. A proper understanding of the chemotherapy treatment will help you maintain a positive attitude. Oncoplus Hospital gives you the best cancer treatment in Delhi.

 

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the first form of breast cancer. It occurs when the abnormal cells present themselves inside a milk duct in the breast. Generally, these cells are non-invasive, meaning they do not spread out of the breast, but if left untreated, some DCIS cells can become invasive breast cancer that can spread. DCIS is frequently found during a mammogram for breast cancer screening. DCIS is also known as stage 0 breast cancer or intraductal carcinoma. DCIS is treatable, and the treatment options that are available for a woman are simple mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery (BCS). In this blog, you will read about the symptoms, causes, risk factors, and treatment of DICS.

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Symptoms of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS):

Generally, there are no specific symptoms of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). In the majority of cases, DICS is diagnosed through mammography, and it appears as a new calcium deposit and sometimes distortion of the breast tissue. But in a few cases, the symptoms are as follows:

  • Itchy skin.
  • Breast lump.
  • Nipple discharges (like blood) are found.

Causes of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS):

The reason for ductal carcinoma in situ is not clear. But it normally forms when the DNA of breast duct cells experiences genetic mutations. The cells appear abnormal when the genetic mutations occur, but they do not spread out of the milk duct. The major factors that contribute to DCIS are your living environment, the genes passed down from your parents, and your lifestyle.

Risk factors for DCIS:

The risk factors for ductal carcinoma in situ (DICS) are as follows:

  1. Having a first child after 30 years of age
  2. If menopause begins after the age of 55,
  3. You will never be pregnant in your life.
  4. Background history of breast cancer in the family.
  5. having a menstrual period before the age of 12
  6. If you have a family history of breast cancer, such as atypical hyperplasia,
  7. If you have previously received radiation therapy to your breasts or chest,
  8. If you have dense breast tissue,
  9. Growing age is also a risk factor for DICS.
  10. If you have a genetic mutation, this also raises your risk of breast cancer.

DICS Grade:

Generally, the DICS grade tells the doctors how much the cell appears like normal breast cells. It helps your doctor determine the best course of treatment for you and how the DCIS may behave. The DCIS grade is divided into three grades: low grade, which slowly grows; intermediate grade; and high grade, which quickly grows in your breast. Normally, high-grade DCIS comes back after treatment and spreads into the other breast tissue.

Treatment Options for DICS

  1. Mastectomy:

If the area of DCIS is very large, then a simple mastectomy is needed. In this treatment, the entire breast is removed. This treatment is required when the breast contains multiple areas of DCIS or if BCS cannot entirely eradicate the DCIS, meaning cancer cells are still present in or near the surgical margins. Many doctors perform a SLNB (sentinel lymph node biopsy) in addition to a mastectomy as there are chances of finding invasive cancer. The majority of DCIS patients who undergo mastectomy do not require radiation therapy and may opt for immediate breast reconstruction.

  1. Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy):

In BCS, the doctor removes the tumor and also a small portion of healthy breast tissue that surrounds it. With BCS, lymph node removal is not required. After BCS, radiation therapy is performed. This lessens the possibility of cancer returning in the same breast. The women, who are at an early stage of DCIS, can choose between mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery (BCS).

  1. Hormone Therapy:

Hormone therapy is used to block hormones from reaching cancer cells. If the DCIS is hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, this therapy is effective. It isn't a treatment for DCIS, but it is the therapy that is given after surgery or radiation in order to decrease the chances of developing DCIS. The treatment with tamoxifen for any woman or an aromatase inhibitor for women past menopause after the surgery can reduce the risk of DCIS or invasive cancer.

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The type of cancer that can be treated is ductal carcinoma in situ. The best cancer treatment in Delhi is available for patients. The available treatments for DISC will lower your chances of developing breast cancer. If you experience any side effects like breast swelling, breast soreness, skin irritation, etc., then immediately discuss them with your doctor.

 

Treatment of Cancer with Radiation Therapy:

Radiation therapy is also known as radiotherapy. It is a type of cancer treatment that uses high-energy radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells. This therapy is used to treat different types of cancer. A radiation oncologist specializes in giving radiation therapy to treat cancer. Many different forms of cancer can be treated with radiation treatment, which can also be used with chemotherapy or surgery. With the help of this therapy, cancer cells stop growing and are destroyed. There are basically two types of radiation therapy: external beam radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy. In this article, you will learn about how radiation therapy helps treat cancer.

How does radiation therapy help treat cancer?

Cancer develops in the body when healthy cells undergo changes and if there is uncontrolled growth of the cells. The cancer cells grow, divide, and multiply faster than normal cells. Radiation therapy damages the DNA of the cancer cells and stops them from growing and getting destroyed. Radiation therapy affects only the target area of the body, where the cancer cells are located, and not the whole body. During the treatment, some of the healthy cells also get damaged, but they heal when the treatment is completed. This therapy does not immediately kill cancer cells. This treatment takes weeks to kill cancer cells, and the cancer cells keep dying for months after the radiation therapy is completed.

The radiation therapy is given to the cancer patients according to the type of cancer they have or how much it has spread. This radiation therapy can be given along with other different treatments to treat cancer. This therapy depends on many factors, such as the type of cancer, size of the tumor, location of the tumor, closeness of the tumor to the other normal tissues, your medical history, your age, etc.

Types of radiation therapy:

  1. External Beam Radiation Therapy:

In external-beam radiation therapy, radiation is delivered from a machine outside the body. This machine sends radiation to the target area of the body from different directions. The therapy affects the tumor and avoids the surrounding healthy tissues, which are located nearby. This therapy is given to patients for several weeks. External therapy is of different types, such as:

  1. Internal Radiation Therapy:

Internal radiation therapy is also known as brachytherapy. In this radiation therapy, radioactive materials like seeds, ribbons, or capsules are kept in the cancer cells or the surrounding tissue. This is the permanent implant.

In systemic radiation therapy, this type of radiation therapy can be given through a vein via an IV line or through an injection. After this therapy, your body fluids give off radiation via urine, saliva, and sweat.

What are the side effects of radiation therapy?

The majority of cancer patients receive radiation therapy over a number of sessions, and they do not get the full dose at once. So, during sessions, your tissues get time to recover, which reduces side effects. However, patients report vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, headaches, skin irritation, hair loss, mouth sores, decreased appetite, and pain in the throat when swallowing.

Radiation therapy helps treat cancer in the body. But like other treatments, this therapy also causes side effects such as skin changes, discomfort, etc. There is a risk of developing a second cancer after undergoing this therapy. In the majority of cases, radiation therapy removes the existing cancer.

What Things Should You Know About Thyroid Cancer?

Thyroid cancer is a cancer that starts in the thyroid, which is a butterfly-shaped gland found at the base of the neck. It makes hormones that help control the body’s temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, weight, and blood flow. In the beginning, this cancer did not show any symptoms or causes. But when it grows slowly, it is very dangerous. Small thyroid cancer can be diagnosed through CT and MRI scans, and it can be cured with treatment. The thyroid cancer treatment is available in the cancer hospital. Treatment options for thyroid cancer are surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and radioiodine therapy. In this blog, you will learn about the symptoms and treatment options for thyroid cancer.

Thyroid Cancer Symptoms:

The symptoms of thyroid cancer include the following:

Risk Factors for Thyroid Cancer:

Generally, the risk factors for thyroid cancer are low iodine intake, obesity, an enlarged thyroid, if you have a family history of thyroid cancer or thyroiditis, if there is exposure to radioactive rays from nuclear weapons, gene mutations, which also cause endocrine diseases, and if you have had radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.

Thyroid Cancer Types:

The different types of cancer cells include:

  1. Papillary thyroid cancer

This type of thyroid cancer is also known as differentiated thyroid cancer. It can happen at any age, but it most commonly affects people between the ages of 30 and 50.This type of cancer is small, and it spreads to the lymph nodes in the neck. But it is curable and rarely fatal.

  1. Follicular Thyroid Cancer:

Follicular thyroid cancer is a type of cancer that affects people who are older than 50 years. It generally occurs in people who don’t get enough iodine in their diet. Generally, this cancer does not spread to lymph nodes, but it spreads to other parts of the body, such as the lungs or bones.

  1. Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer

This aggressive type of thyroid cancer grows quickly and is very hard to treat. It affects people over the age of 60 and causes severe symptoms such as neck swelling as well as difficulty breathing and swallowing.

  1. Medullary thyroid cancer

This type of cancer basically occurs in people who have a family history of thyroid disease. Genetic mutation is the major cause of this disease. It generally begins in the group of thyroid cells known as C cells. The C-cells produce calcitonin, and this hormone helps to control the level of calcium in the blood at an early stage.

Treatment Options for Thyroid Cancer:

The treatments for thyroid cancer include:

  1. Radioiodine Therapy:

In this therapy, the doctor gives the patient a pill or liquid to swallow that contains a higher dose of radioactive iodine. This radioiodine will destroy the thyroid cancer cells, and the thyroid gland will absorb all the radioiodine. This therapy is completely safe for the patient.

  1. Radiation Therapy:

In this therapy, a machine is used in external radiation therapy to deliver energy beams to the tumor spot. And placing the radioactive seeds in or around the tumor is known as “internal radiation therapy.” This radiation not only prevents cancer cell growth but also kills them.

  1. Chemotherapy:

In chemotherapy, intravenous or oral chemotherapy medicines helps to stop cancer growth as well as kill cancer cells.

  1. Hormone Therapy:

In this therapy, it blocks the release of hormones therapy that are causing cancer to spread in the body.

  1. Surgery:

In the surgery, the surgeon will either remove part of your thyroid gland or the entire gland. This treatment is determined by the size and location of the tumor.

The thyroid cancer is fully curable, and the treatment stops the cancer cells from growing and spreading in different parts of the body. If the treatment does not cure thyroid cancer, it will prevent the cancer cells from spreading.