Cancer is a malignant tumor, (including sarcoma and car*cinoma), which may surface in any part of body. It is of two kinds viz, benign and malignant – the former remains confined to its place of manifestation and neither spreads nor is here any discharge of blood or pus and is considered to be almost harmless, though there may be felt some knot or hard surface (as in case of breast can*cer), but the latter type spreads its tentacles to surrounding areas and/or organs and damages the tissues. There is oozing of pus or/ and blood, with unbearable pain, general emacination and wast*ing away ofthe involved and surrounding organs, tissue damage and, if not detected at the inception stage, may prove fatal.
It is said that cancer at the third stage is incurable due to vast damage to the involved tissues and organs. It is manageable at the second stage and fully controllable at the first or initial stage. The main problem lies in its late detection which is detected acci*dentally during the course of some examination. There is hardly any patient who approaches his doctor for a straightaway treat*ment of cancer. The situation is almost analogous to diabetes in which case also the patient does not visit his doctor for treatment of diabetes but the malady is detected, per chance, on the basis of some urine tests – certainly not carried out to confirm or otherwise presence of sugar in the urine.
The reason for non-earlier detec*tion of cancer can be attributed to lack of knowledge and (Vague) symptom. General masses are not educated about such abnormal growth, hence their ignorance of basics about cancer, helps the disease to assume serious proportions, and finally to an incurable and irreversible stage.
In the urinary passage cancer may occur in the kidneys, urinary bladder, urethra, prostate gland. Cancer in the kidney can be attributed to lodging of big stones which damage vital portions ofthe kidney and in almost all cases, affected kidney is to be re*moved and replaced by another person’s healthy kidney. In the similar manner, cancer may occur in other urinary organs also. Surgical interference will depend on the kind, extent of damage already caused, present symptoms and complications. It is not easy to replace/transplant a bladder nor can prostate be replaced. Medi*cines also do not play any significant role.
Line of treatment can be decided by a doctor on the basis of requisite investigations but chances of recovery, especially at the advanced stage, are rather bleak and nothing much can, possi*bly, be done to cure a patient, except giving analgesics to tone down agony of pain. In majority of cases, if the area involved is larger and malignant stage has already set in, removal of larger portion of organs involved may have to be resorted to. It is main*tained that a surgeon can only know about the extent of damage during the course of operation only. ‘Chemotherapy’ is generally resorted to but the side-effects of this therapy are too many to men*tion.
The only viable way out is a periodical check up of whole body which should be a regular feature of health care but, unfortu*nately, there is hardly any initiative or state-managed support in this direction. Moreover, our general approach is a sheer callous and indifferent one, as far as health care and consciousness are concerned. I am not entering into any exercises on causes, onset, development or finality of the cancerous diseases, as it is an area of a specialist only who could decide ably as to what best can be done in this regard. Anyway, mass education on health care is of utmost necessity.