Few words invoke fear in individuals faster than the word cancer. It is one of the greatest fears and a disease which does not discriminate. Cancer can affect any part of the body. Some types of cancers found are slow growing and have a better prognosis than others that are either difficult to detect until they have metastasized and spread throughout the body or are aggressive forms of cancer that spread quickly. When one hears that either they or a loved one has cancer, it can be overwhelming and emotional, to say the least. Either way, cancer is a scary diagnosis and almost always guarantees a long uphill battle.
Proactive Measures
Screening services can help detect cancers early before they become deadly or too invasive in the body. A screening package is based on the patient’s family medical history and the patient’s own medical history, as well as budget. Patients must fast at least eight hours prior to screening for the procedure to be most effective. Patients can expect that the entire screening process will take about half a day to complete. Patients will be contacted once results of the screening are available.
Types of Cancer Treatments
Let’s learn more about cancer treatment in Singapore. There are different options available. The particular cancer and patient will determine the appropriate treatment for that particular case. Surgery is a treatment in which some or all of the cancer is removed. The goal of surgery is to remove all of the cancer from the body and obtain clean margins. A lot of times surgery is coupled with another form of treatment to ensure that the cancer is eradicated or in situations where the surgery wasn’t able to remove the entire affected area.
Chemotherapy is what most people think of when they think of cancer treatment. This type of treatment is using medication that is toxic to cancer cells to kill them. Chemotherapy is either taken through the vein or through the mouth. The pathway depends on the type of cancer and the type of drugs used to treat it. There are negative effects such as nausea which can be counteracted with additional to drugs to help patients feel their best.
Radiation therapy is a commonly used method of treating cancer. It uses high-energy particle ways to destroy cancer cells. Although radiation can stand as a sole treatment against cancers, it is normally used in conjunction with chemotherapy, surgery or both.
Hormone therapy isn’t as common as the therapies mentioned above but it can be used in cancers which are sensitive to hormones. These cancers include breast, ovarian, prostate, and uterine cancer. This type of treatment slows or stops the growth of the invasive cancer. It is also normally used in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Targeted cell therapy works to target and destroy a specific set of cells which blocks the growth of the cancer cells. This is a newer type of therapy that takes into account the person’s medical and genetic history.
