Understanding Cancer Stages and Treatment
How Does Cancer Begin?
Cancer is the outgrowth of normal cells, when the genetics of the normal cell changes and the cells continue to grow in large numbers without a halt is called cancer. The cancer cells grow excessively, occupying healthy cells.
The Broad Classification of Cancer
Solid Cancers –
- • Carcinomas – cancers of the epithelial cells
- • Sarcomas – cancers of the connective tissue
- • Tumors of the CNS – Tumors of the brain or spinal cord.
Blood Cancers – The cancer of the blood, bone marrow, or lymphatic fluid that includes –
- • Leukemia – cancer of the blood
- • Lymphoma- cancer of the lymphatic system
- • Multiple Myeloma – cancer of bone marrow plasma cells
Mixed Cancers – These affect multiple cell types, involve both solid tumors as well as cancer of the blood.
- • Carcinosarcomas – cancers that involve both epithelial tissue and the connective tissue.
- • Tretomas – cancer of hair, muscles, bone, teeth.
- • Mixed germ cell Cancer – it involves different types of germ cells, testes or ovaries
How Cancer Does Spread?
The spread of cancer is called metastasis.
Cancer invades the normal cells by 4 ways-
- • Local Invasion – it is the spread of the cancer to the neighboring organs.
- • Intravasation – it is the entry of the cancer into the neighboring blood vessels and lymphatic system.
- • Circulation – when the cancer cells get circulated in the blood, reaching different places.
- • Extravasation – when the cancer cells reach different organs and tissue.
- • Colonization and Growth – cancer cells start multiplying and rapidly growing in new organs and tissues.
Stages of Cancer
The stages of the cancer are defined by the TNM staging system.
- • T – The size of the tumor and its spread
- • N – The extent of spread to the lymph node
- • M – The extent of spread to other organs.
- • Stage 0 – curable stage, cancer cells haven’t spread to the neighboring organs.
- • Stage 1 – localized cancer, malignant tumors, which can be removed.
- • Stage II – the tumor is getting larger, with deeper invasion into the surrounding tissues.
- • Stage III – tumor spread to the nearby lymph nodes.
- • Stage III – Metastasis, cancer has spread to distant organs.
Which stage is preventable?
The preventable stage is always before the zero stage, when the tumor is undetected but still in the body.
- • Stage 0 and 1 are highly curable stages.
- • Stage 2 – not highly curable, where the cancer has spread into the nearby tissue or organ.
- • Stage 3 – the cure depends upon the type of cancer and the location and response of body to the drug.
- • Stage 4 – where the cancer has spread to other organs or tissues, and is not curable but is treatable.
Types of Cancer Treatments
- • Chemotherapy – Inhibits the growth of cancer cells and their multiplication and division.
- • Bleokey (Bleomycin) – Chemotherapeutic agent for Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
- • Targeted therapy – used to effectively kill only cancer cells, without affecting healthy cells.
- • Imatikast-400 (Imatinib) – used for myeloid and lymphoblastic leukemia.
- • Hormone Therapy – block hormone receptors or secretions, inhibit cancer that grows by hormones.
- • Abirakast (Abiraterone Acetate)/ Indenza (Enzalutamide) – used for castration resistant prostate cancer.
- • Radiation – it is the beam of radiation that is projected over cancer cells, which damages their DNA.
- • Surgery – it is the removal of a tumor through invasive medical procedures.
- • Immunotherapy – It is the way of enhancing the immune system to fight cancer cells.
- • Stem cell transplant – It is the bone marrow transplantation that produces new blood cells, eliminating the production of defective genes in blood.
Conclusion
The cancer is preventable when detected and screened timely. Intervention at early stages and adherence to treatments can reduce a significant number of casualties.
