Surgery is the most important part of the cancer treatment. Surgery attempts to remove cancer cells from the body by cutting away the tumor and any tissues surrounding it which may contain cancer cells. It is a simple, safe and effective method when cancer is small and confined to the site of origin. It is best suited for certain type of cancers such as, breast cancer, head and neck cancers, early cancers of the cervix and lung, many skin cancers, soft tissue cancers and gastrointestinal cancers.

Radiation Oncology refers to the treatment of cancer patients using radiation, which could be X-ray, Gamma ray or high dose of radium. The hospitals that provide Radiation Oncology are equipped with state of the art Linear Accelerators, Simulator, High Dose Rate Remote after – loading Brachytherapy system, dedicated treatment planning computers, and Mould Room to fabricate lead shields and templates in house. Radiation is a special kind of energy carried by waves or a stream of particles originating from radioactive substances and delivered by special machines. These radioactive x-rays or gamma rays can penetrate the cell wall and damage the nucleus of the cell which prevents growth and division of cells. This also affects the normal cells but these cells recover more fully than cancer cells.

Normally, your cells grow and die in a controlled way. But cancer cells keep forming without control. Chemotherapy is a drug therapy that can stop these cells from multiplying.

During chemotherapy you may have no side effects or just a few. The kinds of side effects you have depend on the type and dose of chemotherapy you get. Side effects vary, but common ones are nausea, vomiting, tiredness, pain and hair loss. Healthy cells usually recover after chemotherapy, so most side effects gradually go away.

Your course of therapy will depend on the cancer type, the chemotherapy drugs used, the treatment goal and how your body responds. You may get treatment every day, every week or every month. You may have breaks between treatments so that your body has a chance to build new healthy cells. You might take the drugs by mouth, in a shot or intravenously. Chemotherapy uses drugs which interfere with the growth and division of malignant cells. Once the drugs are administered, they circulate throughout the body. It is advantageous over surgery & radiation for treating cancer that is systemic (spread throughout the body). Chemotherapy is very useful in treating cancers like leukemia, lymphomas, testicular cancer.

Chemotherapy can be given as the primary treatment or following surgery or along with radiotherapy to prevent reappearance of cancer.

One of the deadliest diseases of this century is cancer. But with the advancement of technology its cure has become possible provided the disease is diagnosed in its early phase. Today the use of modern technology has brought the cure rate of cancer to almost 70-80%.

Radiation Therapy

Chemotherapy

Cancer Surgery