Cancer is an uncontrolled division of a particular type of cell/ cells in the body. It is a slow growing pandemic of drastic proportions, and nobody is exempt from the risk of getting it. An average Indian has a 10% risk of developing cancer over his/ her lifetime and this risk is only going to increase over the coming years. In Goa, around 1500 people get diagnosed with cancer every year; the commonest being cancers of breast, cervix/uterus, oral cavity and lung.
Cancer is curable if identified in stage I and II, usually treatable in stage III, and sometimes treatable in stage IV. Awareness and timely treatment is the key in beating cancer.
Cancer education and screening, available for many of the cancers, helps in early detection and cure. Genetic testing and treatment, even before the cancer develops, is possible for most of the cancers which are familial in nature and is the best form of treatment in such cases.
Treatment of cancer has now shifted from radical surgeries done in the past to more organ preserving and lifestyle-oriented approach with the help of modern surgical techniques, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other adjuvant therapies. For optimum treatment of cancer, consult an oncologist at the earliest.