Understanding Cancer

Cancer is a fatal disease in which the body's damaged cells grow uncontrollably and multiply speedily. This results in the formation of tumours and these can be observed in any organ of the body. The disease grows at a lightning pace which makes it difficult for an individual to identify the initial stages. Hence, many times, people cannot start their treatment.

Treatment for Cancer

Cancer treatment varies for each patient. The treatment usually depends on the form of cancer and the stage of the disease. If the fatal disease is identified in its initial stages, it might be treated with the help of one treatment. Still, if not identified at the right time, the procedure might require chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Today in this advanced technological world with emerging technologies, the medical world has found various innovative approaches to treat every possible disease. In the same way, various treatments are used to treat cancer. Let us have a look at some of the available cancer treatment options usually opted for:

Chemotherapy
Immunotherapy
Hyperthermia
Photodynamic Therapy
Radiation Therapy
Surgery

Role of Technology to Heal Cancer

With advancements in the field of medicine, availability of top-notch treatment options, and superior infrastructure, the chances of treating fatal diseases is high. Today emerging technologies have made it possible to save humankind from such fatal diseases. Hence, 80% of cancer treatments are successful today when identified in the initial stages. Moreover, innovative approaches to treat this disease have helped save many precious lives. Let us have a look at some of the innovative and advanced methods that have proved a blessing for mankind in treating cancer:

CRISPR

A blessing to mankind in the form of doctors Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier turned the tables for cancer treatment. These brilliant doctors gave birth to an unimaginable and unbelievable concept of a gene-editing tool called 'Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats- CRISPR.'

The main idea behind the concept of the tool is to edit the cancerous cells within a patient. The tool helps to cut and edit the damaging cells and cease the spread of the disease in the body. The gene-editing tool is still a question of debate for many. Researchers are still yet to make a lot of progress to declare the tool a perfect method to eliminate cancer successfully.

Robotic Surgery

The list of best and innovative approaches for cancer treatment also involves Robotic Surgery. Robotic surgery is not an alien term in today's tech-spaced medical world. Gone are the days when each surgery required huge incisions to operate on a patient. Instead, robotic surgery is a method in which the machine's robotic arms are inserted into the patient through small incisions.

It involves less pain, less blood loss, and fewer scar marks. In addition, the camera attached to the robotic arms provides a 3D vision of the surgical area hence a surgeon can have a detailed look at the problematic area. Hence, robotic surgery helps to remove cancerous tissues successfully to heal a patient.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Today's AI is not just limited to social media and tracing an individual's net surfing pattern. AI also plays a significant role in forming positive cancer treatment options. For example, researchers in massive cancer treatment centres today are working to make virtual twins of a cancer patient to find out the outcomes of the treatments given to a patient and how the cancerous cells of the patient will respond to the treatment.

It will not just help the doctors to find the suitable treatment for a patient but will also help to lower the time of the spread of the disease. Hence, such innovative approaches today are welcomed with open arms to serve humanity.

Telehealth

Technology today has indeed progressed way beyond our imaginations. Unfortunately, people in every corner of the world today are only exposed to some medical facilities.

People living in remote areas dealing with fatal diseases such as cancer can get the best medical services and opinions from the best doctors worldwide with the help of telehealth. Telehealth is one of the emerging technologies, and conversing with a doctor through mediums such as video conferencing, mobile health applications, and remote monitoring can touch innumerable lives.

Let us have a look at the valuable points of this cancer treatment:

Time-Saving
Cost Saving
Second Opinion
Flexible Scheduling
Biomarker Testing

Biomarker testing is again one of the innovative approaches to healing cancer. The method involves marking and identifying cancerous cells and proteins in the body. For example, proteins and genes are biomarkers. This test looks for markers to provide information on cancer. It allows patients and doctors to identify the disease at the right time and understand the best treatment method.

The method also helps to understand precision medicine for the patient. With the help of biomarker testing, doctors decide the best treatment for a patient along with suitable and required medications. It eases the treatment and enhances the favourable chances of a patient getting healed from cancer.

Photodynamic Therapy

This cancer treatment involves the absorption of photosensitisers by cells. The therapy exposes the cancer cells to photons. The therapy uses a drug activated by light, producing oxygen radicals in the cells and killing cancer from the root. The therapy helps treat specific parts of the body damaged due to cancer.

The therapy helps to damage the blood vessels in the tumours. It ceases the blood flow in the vessels, which helps cells grow. The therapy also activates the immune system to fight back the tumour cells.

Emerging technologies have their set of advantages and setbacks. Let us have a look at some of the pros and cons of photodynamic therapy:

Pros

Focused therapy
Less damage to healthy cells
Safer option
No scarring

Cons

Minor side-effects
Helpful for minor tumours and tumours under the skin

Targeted Therapy

As the name suggests, the therapy involves targeting the proteins of the cells and controlling their growth. Hence, the therapy is also inclusive of precision medicine.

Cancer cells hide from a patient's immune system and hence can multiply speedily. This cancer treatment involves strengthening the immune system and damaging them entirely before they multiply. Hence, the therapy helps to identify the cause in its initial stages and avoid further damage.

The angiogenesis process helps tumour cells form blood vessels and sends signals to cancerous cells to multiply themselves. During this process, targeted therapy intervenes with these signals and does not allow blood to flow into these tumours, which does not let them grow in size.

Innovative approaches are also prone to some drawbacks. Let us have a look at some of the setbacks of targeted therapy:

Interference with wound healing
Fatigue
Mouth sores
Faded hair colour
Rash or dry skin
High blood pressure

You can also get in touch with the expert doctors at Narayana Healthcare based in your city to get immediate attention and medical support during injuries, health disorders or any other health concern.

When to Consult a Doctor

Get in touch with the expert Oncology doctors at Narayana Healthcare based in your city to get immediate attention and medical support during injuries, health disorders or any other health concern.

To sum up

Today cancer treatment is not the end of the world. Today technology has advanced so much that even reaching the smallest cell and a blood vessel is not an unimaginable task.

Reference Links

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types
https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/nca50/stories/technologies-and-innovations
https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2022/pandemic-telehealth-surge-cancer-care
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/targeted-therapies