The Cancer Battle
Article contributed by:
Raffles Medical Group
Modern day living is a
double-edged sword.
On one edge it allows us
convenience and
accessibility, on the
other a growing
population is at risk of
infections and diseases,
amongst which cancer is
the top killer.
There are over 100 types
of cancer known to
mankind, of which many
are a direct consequence
of negative lifestyle
habits, such as smoking
to lung cancer, and poor
dietary intake to colon
cancer. While
leading a healthy
lifestyle may reduce the
risk of getting cancer,
it is essential to
understand the basics,
such as how cancer
symptoms develop.
Read on to find out
more.
Cancer is ultimately the
result of cells that
uncontrollably grow and
do not die. Normal
cells in the body follow
an orderly path of
growth, division, and
death. Programmed
cell death is called
apoptosis, and when this
process breaks down,
cancer begins to form.
Dr Toh Chee Keong,
Specialist in Oncology
at Raffles Cancer Centre
says, “Unlike regular
cells, cancer cells do
not experience
programmatic death and
instead continue to grow
and divide. This
leads to a mass of
abnormal cells that
grows out of control.”
He cautioned that these
abnormal cells could
grow and interfere with
the digestive, nervous
and circulatory systems,
and release hormones
that alter body
function. “Tumours
that stay in one spot
and demonstrate limited
growth are generally
considered to be
benign.”
General Symptoms of
Cancer
There are more than 100
different types of
cancer, with each
classified by the
affected cell.
A broad spectrum of
symptoms may include:
Persistent fatigue
Fatigue is one of the
most commonly
experienced symptoms.
It is usually
experienced by patients
suffering from advanced
stages of the illness,
but still occurs in the
early stages of some
cancers. Anemia is
commonly the culprit.
Unintentional weight
loss
Losing 5kg or more
unintentionally in body
weight warrants a visit
to the doctor.
This type of weight loss
can occur with or
without the loss of
appetite. It can
be a red flag for many
illnesses, including
cancer.
Pain
Pain is usually not an
early symptom of cancer,
but when cancer spreads
and begins to affect
organs and nerves,
patients will start to
feel discomfort.
Dr Toh says that lower
abdominal pain can be
associated with ovarian
cancer and colon cancer.
Shoulder pain can be a
symptom of lung cancer,
and headaches may spell
trouble in the form of
brain tumours.
While serious stomach
pains can be a result of
stomach and pancreatic
cancers, they could be
symptoms of many other
illnesses too.
Bowel changes
If one experiences
constipation, diarrhoea,
blood in stools, thinner
stools, or just an
overall change in bowel
behaviour, its best to
seek a doctor’s opinion
immediately. These
symptoms are usually
linked to colon and
other bowel cancers.
Chronic cough
A persistent new cough
or prolonged cough that
worsens needs to be
evaluated by a doctor
immediately. Blood
and/or mucus may
accompany the cough and
this can be caused by
many conditions,
including lung cancer.
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Types of Treatment
Cancer can be treated by
surgery, chemotherapy,
radiation therapy,
immunotherapy,
monoclonal antibody
therapy or other
methods. The
choice of therapy
depends upon the
location and grade of
the tumour and the stage
of the disease, as well
as the general state of
the patient. A
number of experimental
cancer treatments are
also under development.
Dr Toh explains that
complete removal of the
cancer without damage to
the rest of the body is
the goal of treatment.
“Sometimes this can be
accomplished by surgery,
but the propensity of
cancers to invade
adjacent tissue or to
spread to distant sites
by microscopic
metastasis often limits
its effectiveness.”
The effectiveness of
chemotherapy is often
limited by toxicity to
other tissues in the
body but this can
usually be overcome with
medications. Radiation
can also cause damage to
normal tissue.
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Cancer Pain Management
About one third of
cancer patients
experience dull, aching
or sharp pain, which is
caused by cancer cells
growing into or
destroying tissue near
the affected area.
Two-thirds of patients
with advanced malignant
disease will experience
pain.
Cancer pain can come
from the primary cancer
itself - where the
cancer started - or from
other areas in the body
where the cancer has
spread (metastases).
As a tumour grows, it
may put pressure or
invade into nerves,
bones or other organs,
causing pain.
Other than surgery and
chemotherapy,
medications that can
also be used as
treatment include:
|
►
|
Analgesics, such as
aspirin or
acetaminophen |
|
► |
Nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs), such
as ibuprofen and
naproxen |
|
► |
Weak opioid (derived
from opium)
medications, such as
codeine |
|
► |
Strong opioid, such
as morphine,
oxycodone,
hydromorphone,
fentanyl or
methadone |
Patients with unrelieved
cancer pain despite
medications or patients
who develop intolerable
side effects such as
drowsiness, nausea,
vomiting etc. with
medications will benefit
from interventional pain
therapies.
Dr Ho Kok Yuen,
Specialist in
Anaesthesiology and Pain
Management in Raffles
Hospital, recommends
pain therapies such as
neurolytic nerveblocks
or intrathecal infusion
of pain medications.
“Nerve blocks involve
injection of local
anaesthetic or other
drugs around or into a
nerve, to prevent pain
messages from traveling
along that nerve pathway
from reaching the brain.
Putting a tiny catheter
into the spine to infuse
local anesthetics and
opioids continuously can
also effectively treat
metastatic cancer pain
from many areas of the
body.”
Other therapies such as
acupuncture,
acupressure, massage,
physical therapy,
relaxation and
meditation may also
help.
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Article contributed by:
Raffles Medical Group
Dated: December 2011
|
Raffles
Medical
Group is
a leading
medical
group and
the largest
private
group
practice in
Singapore.
As a fully
integrated
healthcare
organisation,
the Group
owns and
operates a
network of
family
medicine
clinics, a
tertiary
care private
hospital,
insurance
services and
a consumer
healthcare
division.
Patients of
the Group
enjoy a
continuum of
care, from
having their
most basic
healthcare
needs met
through the
Group’s
islandwide
network of
Raffles
Medical
clinics, to
specialist
and tertiary
care at
Raffles
Hospital. |
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