In our life, probably, there is no worse disease than cancer. The tumor mercilessly mows down people, regardless of their gender, age, status. Every day more and more children end up in the hospital with a terrible diagnosis. At times like these, it seems like there is no hope left. However, chemotherapy for oncology is considered an effective way to fight. Timely diagnosis of a tumor increases the chances of recovery.
Cancer
Oncological diseases or cancer are malignant tumors. They are formed as a result of degeneration and rapid reproduction of epithelial cells. Cancer can affect the bone, muscle, brain tissue (sarcoma) and the circulatory system. The insidiousness of the disease lies in the fact that it develops gradually, without obvious signs. Tumors may go unnoticed for years. Often, signs of the disease appear already at the third or fourth stage, when treatment becomes difficult.
Stagescancer:
- Zero, when the tumor has not yet invaded the lymph nodes and other organs.
- First, second, third - the tumor gradually grows deeper, spreading to the lymph nodes and nearby organs.
- The fourth is a death sentence. The tumor spreads to all organs (metastasizes). At this stage, the cancer is no longer treatable. The only way out is supportive therapy, which prolongs life and reduces pain. Even chemotherapy for oncology remains powerless. Drugs used in treatment can not only harm, but also aggravate the patient's condition.
Causes and symptoms of tumors
Of course, it is very difficult to name all the causes of cancer. Malignant tumors can form both in a person with he alth problems and in completely he althy people.
Risk factors include:
- Bad habits (smoking, excessive drinking).
- Living in polluted and toxic areas.
- Hormonal failures and disorders.
- Injuries.
- Stress.
- UV radiation.
In order for cancer chemotherapy treatment to be successful, the disease must be recognized at the first or second stage. Later diagnosis is often inconclusive.
Common symptoms of malignant tumors:
- Sudden and inexplicable weight loss (from five kilograms or more), lack of appetite.
- Increased body temperature,fever, chills.
- General feeling is bad, the person gets tired quickly.
- Nervousness, insomnia.
- Pain in different locations.
- Skin changes - growths, rashes, darkening, redness, jaundice.
- Impaired urination and stool.
- Wounds that take a long time to heal.
- Bleeding, discharge from organs (ears, nose, etc.).
- Seals on the body, palpable.
Diagnosis and treatment
Tumors are of two types - benign (only one organ is affected, tissue growth is slow) and malignant (penetrate into all organs, affecting them with their cells). Early detection of cancer helps to prevent tumor reproduction and increases the chances of a normal and fulfilling life. You can determine the presence of a tumor using the following complex methods:
- Blood test.
- X-ray.
- Tomography (computer and magnetic resonance).
- Ultrasound.
- Cytological studies.
- Biopsy (examination of tumor particles).
The earlier cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat. Therefore, do not neglect any symptoms. After all, it could be your body's "cry for help."
Cancer Treatments:
- Surgical is one of the main ones. It is used in the early stages, when the tumor has not yet grown throughout the body.
- Radiation therapy. The principle of action is the irradiation of cancer cells and their DNA, as a resultwhich causes them to lose their ability to reproduce and die. Often this method is used in conjunction with surgery.
- Chemotherapy. Treatment of tumors with drugs. How chemotherapy is done for oncology is an individual question. It directly depends on the specific case and the patient.
- Supportive care. The goal is to support and prolong the life of the patient. At the same time, the main task is to reduce pain and suffering. Maintenance therapy is used in the last stages of cancer, when hope has completely died out, and the miracle will no longer happen.
How chemotherapy is performed for oncology
Radiation therapy, like chemotherapy, is in most cases used in combination with surgery. Sometimes it is not possible to remove the entire tumor at once, and only one part of it is cut out. The other is receiving radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy is always used in the treatment of cancer. Medicines can kill the tumor completely, or they can only stop its growth and reproduction.
Of course, chemotherapy in oncology has a variety of consequences. After all, the purpose of drugs is to damage tumor cells. But along with them, he althy cells of the body also suffer. Therefore, chemotherapy is carried out in courses, the break between which can be from weeks to several months. So, the body has time to recover a little. The duration of the courses depends on the stage of the tumor.
Two main types of drugs are used for treatment - cytostatics and cytotoxins. The task of the former is to destroy the cancer cell, and the latterare needed to trigger apoptosis (the so-called cell “suicide” process).
Side effects of chemotherapy in oncology
Like any medication, chemotherapy courses adversely affect the body. Medicines used to treat cancer have a variety of side effects. But if you have to choose between life and death, chemotherapy is the lesser of two evils.
Treatment is carried out in several ways:
- Injection directly into the tumor.
- Pills.
- Intravenous or intramuscular injections. This is how most chemotherapy drugs are administered.
- Topical preparations.
The main task of chemotherapy is to kill, reduce the size of tumor cells, and stop their reproduction. Therefore, it is not surprising that drugs are highly toxic.
Main side effects:
- Feeling worse, nausea, vomiting, weakness.
- Hair loss, baldness.
- Disruption of the digestive system.
- Hearing impairment, coordination of movements.
- Numbness of limbs.
Even when side effects are pronounced, this is not a reason to stop treatment. Of course, chemotherapy in oncology patients' reviews are very different. There are times when side effects are almost invisible to the patient. However, this rarely happens.
After the next course of drugs, the body partially recovers, and the negative reaction to the drugsdisappears completely.
Many cancer patients are interested in the topic "Chemotherapy and hair": why does hair loss occur, how long will it last, will new hair grow?
Baldness is the main side effect of chemotherapy. Hair does not begin to fall out immediately, but after several courses of medication. However, when there is a full recovery, new hair will grow back.
Most patients wear wigs or head coverings during treatment.
Chemotherapy and proper nutrition
Fortified and balanced food, a he althy lifestyle is the best prevention of all diseases. Proper nutrition is especially important during chemotherapy. Oncology for any person is always a sharp weight loss and a decrease in appetite. Therefore, high-calorie and nutritious food is a way out of the situation. Useful products will help regulate body weight, as well as increase the body's defenses, which is so necessary for recovery.
There are a few simple rules regarding nutrition that are beneficial to the body during chemotherapy:
- Food should be taken often and in small portions.
- Wherever the patient is, there should always be snacks on hand.
- More liquid food.
- Preference should be given to high-calorie foods.
- Sauces, marinades and specific condiments should be avoided.
- Food for oncology is best steamed. So, they will retain more useful substances.
- It is necessary to exclude too fatty meat, fish, raw eggs, dairy products with high acidity, s alted and pickled vegetables. Fruits are best consumed in the form of purees, jelly, compotes, mousses.
- Avoid carbonated drinks, coffee, acidic juices.
- The diet should contain foods containing zinc, selenium, B vitamins. This is necessary for the renewal of hairline.
- Food rich in flavonoids, serotonin and endorphins (chocolate, seafood, dry red wine) has a beneficial effect on the body.
Thus, for any person with cancer, chemo nutrition should always come first. Oncology is not yet a sentence. The disease is curable if it is properly de alt with. And to fight, you will always need the strength and energy that he althy food contains.
Lung cancer: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Lung cancer is a common type of tumor. It affects men more than women. One of the main causes of tumor formation is the inhalation of carcinogens, in particular, smoking. The external environment, harmful working conditions (contact with nickel, radon, chromium, exposure) also have a considerable influence.
You can recognize lung cancer by the following symptoms:
- Protracted cough.
- Whistling breath.
- Sputum with blood.
- Weakness, fatigue, malaise.
- Decreased performance, fatigue.
- Fever.
- Chest pain.
When symptoms are ignored, diseaseenters an advanced stage, which is fraught with a fatal outcome.
Therefore, at the slightest indisposition, you should go to the hospital for examination. An accurate diagnosis of "cancer" can only be made after such tests:
- Sputum cytology.
- Bronchoscopy.
- Puncture biopsy.
- Computed tomography.
Chemotherapy for lung cancer is always an effective way of treatment. It is carried out both in combination with other methods, and independently. Under the influence of drugs, the growth of cancers stops.
Surgical intervention is possible only at the first - second stage, when the affected areas do not exceed six centimeters. Often the tumor is detected already at the third or fourth stage. Then the operation is simply impossible. In such cases, complex radiation therapy and "chemistry" are prescribed.
Of course, chemotherapy for oncology of the lungs, as well as other organs, is always side effects. The reaction of the body to drugs can be very different - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, baldness.
Unpleasant sensations will disappear immediately after stopping the course of drugs
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is not as common as lung cancer. However, it ranks seventh among tumors in women. In addition, the greatest mortality occurs precisely because of this disease.
The reason for this is the inability to diagnose the disease at an early stage. Symptoms of the disease are completely absent. the bestPrevention of ovarian cancer will be an annual examination by your gynecologist. Women who visit a specialist in a timely manner, perform ultrasound diagnostics, have a better chance of a full recovery if cancer is diagnosed early.
The risk group is made up of women without children who are over forty-five years old. And also those who have a predisposition to "female" tumors (there were already ovarian cancer, cancer of the uterus, appendages, breast cancer in the family).
Recognize ovarian cancer through ultrasound, biopsy and computed tomography. A relatively new diagnostic method is a blood test for tumor markers. In the early stages, they are found in the blood. Each tumor marker is responsible for a specific organ. For example, tumor markers CA 125 and AFP indicate ovarian cancer.
The surest way to treat ovarian cancer is surgery. During the operation, the affected areas are removed (often it is the complete or partial removal of the ovaries, tubes, sometimes the uterus).
After the operation, a course of medication is always prescribed. Chemotherapy for ovarian cancer will eliminate the remaining cancer cells.
The best prevention of ovarian cancer and other "female" tumors is pregnancy and childbirth, breastfeeding (at least a year), the use of oral contraceptives. An important role is also played by a scheduled examination by a doctor, which is carried out at least once a year.
Prevention of malignant tumors
If before the diagnosis of "cancer" sounded like a sentence, today this terrible disease can be defeated! Forit is enough to detect the disease in time and consult a doctor for help. Modern methods of treatment are able to restore a he althy life to the patient. Suspicious symptoms and signs of a disease should never be ignored. Sometimes even a simple flu can cause severe complications and the formation of tumor cells.
The best cancer prevention is a he althy lifestyle. Compliance with such simple rules will save you from many ailments:
- Proper and balanced nutrition (especially important when chemotherapy is used for oncology).
- Active lifestyle, exercise, walks.
- Rejection of bad habits, limited alcohol consumption.
- Vitamins every day.
- The sun is good, but not harmful. Prolonged sunbathing causes tumors.
- Use of personal protective equipment in hazardous working conditions.
- Regular sex.
- No stress! More positive emotions!
Of course, life doesn't always go the way you want it to. It is not always possible to follow certain rules. However, this should be strived for.
Conclusion
Our life is a game - and we are all actors. Someone got the main role, and someone is filmed only in episodes. You never know who will emerge victorious and who will leave this life forever.
Cancer is the "plague" of the twenty-first century. He does not look at age, gender and status. He "mows" everyone. And although people have found ways to deal with this terrible disease, however, they do not always bring results.
For example,chemotherapy for oncology in the fourth stages is just a delay of the inevitable. It is effective in the early stages of the disease. Therefore, you should take responsibility for your he alth and the he alth of your loved ones. Only timely diagnosis will save lives and give hope!
