Cancer and Chemotherapy

โรคมะเร็ง

What is cancer?

Cancer cells are cells which have changed from normal cells to unusual cells cause the body being unable to control. Which the cells can occur in almost the parts of the body.

Main characteristic of cancer

1. Cell growth cannot be controlled.

2. It can grow and threaten the organs within the body by spreading.

Therefore, when there is a tumor occur within an area that does not always mean you actually have a malignancy or cancer. Meaning that the tumor could a benign tumor and cancer. Which requires a pathologist to help diagnosis the disease.

What types of cancer are usually found? 

According to the  data collected by the National Cancer Institute in 2012, found that the top 3 most common cancers in Thailand were considered as below

Male:     lung cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, and cholangiocarcinoma .

Female:  Breast cancer, cervical cancer, and colon cancer.

What is chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy means a use of the drug to destroy or constrain the growth of cancer cells. The chemotherapy action is based on cell division of organism.However, if a procedure can inhibit cell division meaning that it can destroy cancer cells as well.

However, chemotherapy does not only provide a specific effect to the cancer cells. But also normal cells in the body. For that reason it may cause some side effects.

At present, the development of new chemotherapy has been constantly increasing nowadays. Which makes it can be used to treat certain cancers known as Targeted specific chemotherapy. Which this type of therapy can help reduce side effects.

Including improving the quality of patient’s life. For example remedy of leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer, etc.

Why we need chemotherapy

The purpose of using chemotherapy are as follows.

• To treat cancer patients and prevent recurrence, especially in early stage of cancer.

• Control the size of malignancy, inhibit both growing and spreading of cancer to other organs.

• Relieve symptoms. For patients with the metastatic stage of cancer. In order to provide a better quality of life to patients.

However, before  the chemotherapy starts, doctor must assess the physical condition of patients as well as the organ function in order to select an appropriate chemotherapy which has benefits and  less side effects.

Why there is a remedy for metastatic cancer? 

Metastatic cancer cannot be cured. The goal of treatment is to control the symptoms with palliative. And relieve the symptoms of the disease. Accordingly, the treatment is mainly based on the condition and symptoms. Such as, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or a combination of treatments. At present, the development of new chemotherapy consists of high performance. Which can control more diseases.Including side effects from chemotherapy.

MDT Cancer (Multidisciplinary Team For Cancer Treatment) to cure a cancer is difficult and complex. Each patient requires many specialists for treatment. For example, cancer physician, chemotherapist, surgeon, radiologic technologists, and pathologist, etc. Accordingly, if there is only one doctor who set a plan for a cure. Sometimes, patients may receive a treatment inaccurately. Therefore, when there is MDT Cancer, where medical specialists from different fields come to discuss about patient’s symptoms. Due to the best providing for every patient with the highest efficiency. Which help preventing a chance of complications and disability.

Cancer and Chemotherapy Internal medicine clinic

Phyathai1 Hospital

Phyathai Call Center 1772