Cancer Treatment: Investigation of a Lymph Node

Biopsy Examination: Lymph nodes or glands may be present on the surface of the body, for example, in the neck, axilla—the armpit or groin. From these places, it is not difficult to take out a whole gland and examine it histologically and also by culture for bacteria such as tubercle bocilli. But if the enlarged glands are present inside the body such as in the thorax or abdomen, then the part has to be operated upon and the gland removed.

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Cancer Treatment by Radiation

Radiation involves the exposure of a selected area of the body to a source of ionising radiation or X-rays under carefully controlled conditions. Treatment planning involves accurate localization of the cancer and calculation of the total radiation dose to be given and dividing the same into daily fractions over a period of some days or weeks so that there is optimum response and minimum side-effects.

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Cancer Treatment: Hormonal Treatment of Certain Cancers

Cancers which develop in organs that are known to be under hormonal control, sometimes retain hormonal dependency. Withdrawing the source of the hormone in some such cases, lessens the growth of cancer. Cancers of the breast, prostate, uterus and thyroid are the ones amenable to hormonal treatment.

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Cancer Treatment: Side-effects of Chemotherapy

Side-effects vary from drug to drug. But there are some which are more commonly seen and these are as follows:

Weakness: This is one of the commonest side-effects with most of the anti-cancer drugs. If the patient shows improvement in cancer situation after treatment, this side-effect may be felt less and less as the treatment goes on.

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Cancer Treatment: Choice of Drug or Drug Combination

Some anti-cancer drugs are adequate in themselves to treat a particular cancer, but most of them are not. Since various drugs act differently, it was considered that a combination of them, each acting differently, would have a synergistic or increased effect. Dramatic results were produced by treating lymphomas or tumour of lymph node in this way.

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Cancer Treatment: Common Symptoms & Their Treatment – Part One

Cancer can cause many symptoms. These symptoms may be categorised as under:

· Common to any cancer
· Others that depend upon the site of cancer, and
· The type of cancer. Some symptoms are caused by the treatment by means of chemotherapy and radiation.

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