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Oncology

Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with tumors (cancer) developed in the human body. Cancer describes the uncontrollable abnormal division of cells that are able to invade other tissues, through blood and lymph systems. There are more than 100 cancer types known today. “The main categories of cancer include:

1. Carcinoma - cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs.
2. Sarcoma - cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue.
3. Leukemia - cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood.
4. Lymphoma and myeloma - cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system.
5. Central nervous system cancers - cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.”
Source: National Cancer Institute, USA

Some cancers do not form tumors. For example, leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood. And not all tumors are cancers. Tumors can be benign or malignant: benign tumors aren’t cancerous and can often be removed; malignant tumors are cancerous and can spread through tissues to other parts of the body. The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another is known as metastatis.

Cancer can be diagnosed by cancer screening programs, which are meant for people who have the early signs of cancer. However, not all cancer types have early screening protocols and there are, at times, specialized tests for specific cancer type. Screening tests are well established for breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer. In addition, screenings methods are still under research for lung cancer, prostate cancer and other types of cancer.

Typically the cancer can be treated using three methods:

1. Chemotherapy: To kill the cancer cells with the help of medicines

2. Radiation Therapy: To shrink and kill the cancer cells with the help of high-energy radiation

3. Surgery: To remove the organs / body parts infected by cancerous growth of cells

Some of the advancements in the field of cancer treatment include:

1. Proton Therapy: It is an FDA approved treatment that helps in reducing the long term side effects caused by the traditional radiation therapy. In the traditional radiation, due to the lack of charge, the x-rays, fired at the tumor, transfer the energy at an evenly decreasing rate to the healthy tissues between the body and the target site. Whereas, the proton beams, having a positive charge, deliver most of its energy at a defined path and delivered to the calculated destination. The healthy tissues are largely spared from the radiation and are prevented from side effects. For more details, kindly click on the following publication: ‘Proton Therapy for Cancer: A New Technology Brief’, Brittany Moya del Pino, National Cancer Institute, US

2. Brachytherapy: It is kind of internal radiation therapy for destroying cancer cells and shrinking tumors. In this procedure, a catheter is inserted in the human body and tiny implants, in the form of seeds, ribbons, and wires are put in the body. These implants are the source of radiation to kill the cancer cells. For more details, kindly click on the following publication: ‘About Brachytherapy (A Type of Internal Radiation Therapy)’, National Cancer Institute, US

3. Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy: It is an advanced to the traditional external beam radiation treatment with increased control over radiation intensity and custom designed optimum radiation dose distribution for higher tumor control. It leaves lesser side effects as compared with the traditional radiation therapy.

4. Cryosurgery: It is a technique to freeze and kill the infected cells, primarily in the cases of external tumors, especially those pertaining to the skin. It is also used in cases of internal tumors, such as liver, cervical and prostate cancers. It has fewer side effects than other types of treatments. It is less expensive and the ambulatory time is significantly low. The process is still under research for other indications and long term effectiveness is still not known. For more details, kindly click on the following publication: ‘Cryosurgery in Cancer Treatment: Questions and Answers’, National Cancer Institute, US

Other treatment methods include inhibitors therapy, biologics, bone marrow transplantation, gene therapy, lasers, hyperthermia, photodynamic therapy and targeted cancer therapies.

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