Chemotherapy is a medical procedure to inhibit the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells (also referred to as malignant cells, tumour cells, and cancerous cells) anywhere in the body. Cancer can occur to anyone, irrespective of their age or gender. Prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers are usually

Chemotherapy is a medical procedure to inhibit the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells (also referred to as malignant cells, tumour cells, and cancerous cells) anywhere in the body. Cancer can occur to anyone, irrespective of their age or gender. Prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers are usually common in men while women typically experience colorectal, lung, and breast cancer, and children are usually affected by lymphoma, brain tumours, and leukaemia.

The type and incidence of cancer are influenced by a series of factors, including but not limited to gender, race, age, genetics, diet, and local environmental factors.

About the Treatment

1. What is the procedure?

A systematic procedure, Chemotherapy is generally used in conjunction with other forms of therapies, including but not limited to radiation, surgery, or hormone therapy. This depends on:

• the overall health

• the type and stage of cancer

• personal treatment preferences

• cancer treatments in the past

• the location of cancerous cells

Primarily, Chemotherapy is used to minimise the likelihood of cancer spreading, reduce current symptoms, shrink the total count of cancerous cells in the body, and reduce tumour size. The oncologist may recommend chemotherapy if you have already undergone surgery for the removal of a cancerous tumour, like a lumpectomy for breast cancer, so any lingering cancerous cells can be removed from the body as well. This medical procedure may be used to alleviate pain in the case of last-stage cancer.

Chemotherapy may also be recommended for treating immune system disorders and preparing people with bone marrow complications for a bone marrow stem cell procedure. Dosages much lower than those used for treating cancer can be used to alleviate pain related to disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Chemotherapy is administered to the patients in the following ways:

• Intra-arterial (IA): The drugs are administered directly into the artery feeding cancer, through a soft and thin tube (catheter) or a needle.

• Intrathecal (IT) chemotherapy: The medication is injected into the cerebrospinal fluid that is noticeable in the area surrounding the brain and the spinal cord.

• Topical: Drugs are rubbed in a cream form onto the skin.

• Oral: Liquid that has the drugs gets consumed or pills are swallowed.

• Intravenous (IV): The medication is administered directly into a vein.

• Injection: The drugs are delivered directly into muscle in the thigh, arm, hip, stomach, or in the fatty part of the arm, just beneath the skin.

• Intraperitoneal (IP): The medication is delivered to the peritoneal cavity that includes organs like the stomach, ovaries, liver, and intestines. 

2. What are the signs and symptoms?

The signs and symptoms of cancer are dependent on the type of cancer, where the cancer cells have spread, and/or where it is located. The following are some signs and symptoms of cancer:

• A lump or thickening in the testicles, breast, or elsewhere

• Difficulty swallowing food or chronic indigestion

• Change in bladder or bowel habits

• Hoarseness or nagging cough

• An obvious and noticeable change in the colour, shape, thickness, or size of a mole or wart

• Loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss

• Persistent nausea, vomiting, or fatigue 

3. How is it diagnosed?

Cancer's diagnostic procedures may include tumour biopsy, surgery, genetic testing, laboratory tests (including urinalysis, blood tests, complete blood count, and tumour marker tests), imaging (reflection imaging, transmission imaging, and emission imaging), or endoscopic examination.

4. What are the different stages involved?

The stages of cancer indicate how big a tumour is and the count of cells to which it has spread. An oncologist may use different methods to ascertain what stage cancer has reached.

Generally, oncologists use the following 0-5 scaling system:

• Stage 0: Abnormal cells are present in the body, but haven't spread to nearby cells.

• Stages 1, 2, and 3: Cancerous cells are present in the body. Larger tumours are indicated by higher stages and a more extensive spread of the complication into nearby tissues.

• Stage 4: Cancer has spread to other areas and organs of the body.

The stages of cancer may be described in the following ways:

• In situ: Abnormal cells are present in the body, but they haven't spread to nearby tissues.

• Localised: The disease hasn't spread beyond the area where it first developed.

• Regional: Cancer has spread to nearby organs, tissues, and lymph nodes.

• Distant: The disease has spread to the body's distant parts.