Cancer can be treated by surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy etc.

SURGERY:

The affected tissue is surgically removed. This procedure is very effective in the early stages but not very effective if the malignant cells have already metastasized. Example-Mammectomy-for breast cancer.

RADIOTHERAPY:

Radiotherapy is the use of ionizing radiation to kill and to shrink tumors. Radiation is done externally or internally. Parts of the body are exposed to ionizing radiation such as X-rays that kill cancerous cells. It is employed in about 80% of cancer patients. Normal cells may also be destroyed. This is very effective against almost all kinds of solid tumours, cancers of the brain, larynx, lungs etc.

CHEMOTHERAPY:

This involves treatment using anticancer drugs that can destroy cancer. These drugs generally interfere with DNA duplication. They also affect healthy tissues to some extent.

IMMUNOTHERAPY:

This is the latest methodology of cancer treatment. This technique includes the patient’s own immune system to fight the tumors. Vaccines against specific types of cancers are under research.

HORMONAL THERAPY:

Some hormone sensitive cancers like breast cancers and prostate cancer can be treated by using another hormone which neutralizes the effect of the carcinogenic hormone on cancer cells. Examples: breast cancer and prostrate cancer. Most of the cancers are treated by a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

MULTIMODALITY THERAPY:

This method involves using more than one method to treat the individual. Doctors normally use surgery and radiation therapy to treat patients. In certain cases follow-up drug therapy is also needed. The drug circulates in the blood stream, attacks and destroys the cancer cells that have spread undetected to any other organ or parts. This kind of treatment is normally used in certain kinds of bone cancer and breast cancer.

Each kidney in the longitudinal section shows two distinct regions, an outer dark cortex layer and an inner pale medulla. The ureter enters through the hilus and expands into a funnel-shaped structure called renal pelvis. The medulla shows a number of cone shaped masses, the renal pyramids. The renal pelvis projects in between the pyramids in the form of finger like folding called calyces. The cortical tissue extending in between the pyramids forms the renal columns of Bernini. The cortex contains about one million excretory units called nephrons. In general the kidney performs the following important functions in the body:

• Excretion of waste product resulting from protein metabolism.
• Regulation of acid base balance by excretion of hydrogen ions and bicarbonate ions.
• Regulation of salt water balance by hormones secreted both internally and externally.

Formation of rennin and erythropoietin and thereby playing a role in the regulation of blood pressure and erythropoises respectively.

A cancer that forms on the tissues of kidney is called as the kidney cancer. There are two types in it they are renal cell carcinoma and renal pelvis carcinoma. There are several symptoms for the causes of kidney cancer they are fever, weight loss, blood in the urine etc. The treatment for the kidney cancer involves radiation therapy, biological therapy, and chemotherapy.

The spinal cord is the continuation of the medulla oblongata. It lies in the neural canal of the vertebral column. It is more or less cylindrical in shape. Externally the spinal cord is covered by the same three membranes-duramater, arachnoid and piamater in continuation with those of the brain. The cross-section of the spinal cord has the arrangement of white and the grey matter is reversed like the brain. The ‘H’ shaped grey matter reveals a pair of dorsal grey horns and a pair of ventral grey horns. The grey horns come out of the spinal cord as the roots of the spinal nerves. There is a small central canal in the centre which runs the entire system. It is also filled with the cerebro-spinal fluid which acts as a shock proof cushion and forms a medium for the exchange of food materials, waste products and respiratory gases with neurons. In most cases the spinal cord cancer is non-cancerous and cancerous types. Occurrence of spinal cord cancer has less possibility than the brain cancer. Spinal cord cancer has few symptoms they are constant back pain, cold sensation in the legs, people with this disease suffer from the loss of bowel control, loss in the sensation of the legs, and those have some difficulty in walking. The treatments of spinal cord cancer includes surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy

• CARCINOMAS: Cancer that begin in skin or tissues which cover internal organs.
• SARCOMAS: Cancer of bones, cartilage, fat, muscles or any connective tissue.
• Leukemia: Cancer of blood bone marrow characterized by increase in number of blood cells especially white blood corpuscles.
• LYMPHOMA OR MYELOMA: Cancer of the immune system or lymphocytes.
• CANCERS OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM: Cancer of the brain and spinal cord.
• lipoma: Cancer of adipose tissue.
• FIBROMA: Cancer of fibrous tissue.

OSTEOMA: Bone cancer. Taxol (anticancer drug) obtained from pacific yews-inner bark of the tree inhibits the growth of cancerous cells. vinblastine, extracted from vinca rosea(periwinkle), a common weed in India is a sedative, tranquilizer and an anticancer drug. Diagnosis is usually done through biopsy and histological examination of affected tissue.

• PAP test is employed to detect cervical cancer.
• DNA probe analysis.
• Tumor markers or biochemical indicators.
• Endoscopy to detect stomach cancer.

Radiology techniques like x-rays, CT-scans and MRI scans to detect cancers of internal organs.

Cancer is a disease caused by uncontrolled division of cells which in some cases invade local tossues. The Greek word for cancer is ‘karkinos’ which means crab. Cancer affects both animals and people of all ages. Cancer is medically known as malignant neoplasm. Neoplasm refers to abnormally dividing cells which are called neoplastic cells. These neoplastic cells result in tumors. A tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue. Tumors are typical signs of inflammation and may be either benign or malignant. A scientist involved in study of cancer is called an oncologist.

INDEFINITE GROWTH.

Cancerouscells grow indefinitely. They do not die, that is they are immortal. They have a large nucleus with abundant granules.

LOSS OF CONTACT INHIBITION.

Normal cells stop growing when their plasma membranes come in contact with one another, whereas cancerous cell grow and divide continuously. Normal cells show stickiness or adhesiveness. Cancerous cells do not have this adhesiveness. Cancerous cells have the ability to metastasize, that is, they can invade nearby tissues. Cancerous cells consume more glucose than normal cells in order to grow and multiply.

Pancreas is a long, narrow leaf like digestive gland. It is both exocrine and endocrine. The islets of langerhans are seen as patches on the pancreas which is endocrine in function. Pancreatic juice contains sodium bi-carbonate which neutralizes HCl and the enzymes trypsin, chymotrypsinogen, carboxypeptidase, pancreatic amylase and pancreatic lipsae. The trypsin reduces proteins and peptones to polypeptides. Chymotrypsinogen is activated by trypsin to form active enzyme. It digests milk protein. Carboxypeptidase acts on polypeptides and converts into amino acids. Pancreatic amylase hydrolyses starch into maltose and glucose. Pancreatic lipase breaks down fats into fatty acids and glycerol. The pancreas is an elongated, yellowish exocrine gland located in the loop of the duodenum. It secretes enzymes which are digestive in nature. Groups of cells lie within these glands which are endocrine in nature. These interspersed cells are called islet of langerhans. There are two glandural functions in the pancreas they are exocrine and endrocrine glands. The exocrine glands secrete an enzyme and pass into the duodenum. Those enzymes help in the digestion of food as it pass to the intestine. The major secretion of the endocrine gland is the hormones, insulin. The insulin controls the sugar level in the blood. The main cause for the cancer in pancreas is smoking, advanced age, family history and many other.

It is the largest endocrine gland and is highly vascular. It lies on the ventral and lateral sides of the upper part of the trachea and neck.the structure of thyroid gland is brownish red, shield shaped, bilobed gland. The two lobes are connected by a bridge of tissues called isthmus.the lobes of the gland are made up of follicles or acini. They secrete a hormone called thyroxin derived from tyrosine, an iodated amino acid. Thyroid cancer mostly starts in the thyroid gland. Thyroid glands has two types of cells in it namely, thyroid follicular cells and parafollicular cells. The follicular cells make the use of iodine from the blood to regulate the thyroid hormone. If a person has too much of thyroid hormone they have the risk of irregular heartbeat, nervousness, trouble while sleeping, hunger, weight loss. At the same time if a person has too little hormone they have certain risk factor like feel tired, gain weight etc. Parafollicular cells or c cells make a calcitonin which is a hormone that regulates the use of calcium in the body. There are many tumors that affect the thyroid glands in those they are bening tumors and malignant tumors. In the case of bening tumors it does not spread to any other parts. But the malignant tumors pass to other parts cause damages in those areas. Since the thyroid gland is under the skin it is easy to find it and can be treated in the early stage itself.there are some other major types of thyroid cancer. They are papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, medullary thyroid cancer and anaplastic thyroid cancer. The papillary and follicular cancers begin the follicular cells. They even grow slowly and it is easy to detect in the early stage itself. Medullary thyroid cancer occurs in the c cells but not in the follicular cells. Anaplastic cancer is very rare. But it is difficult to control if it attacks a person it mostly causes in the follicular cells. It has the capacity to spread quickly to the other parts also.

Human body has 206 bones. Bones give structure and shape to the body. Bones are covered by the muscles which protects it from other damages. Without the bones a person will be a shape less structure and will not be able to move, walk and cannot do any other activities. Bone cancer is caused within the cells that make the bone. Bone cancer is most common in children and less in older adults. The older people get bone cancer that is because of the spread of the tumor from other parts. There are many different types of bone cancer. They are osteosarcoma, ewing’s sarcoma, chondro sarcoma, malignant fibrous, histiocytoma, fibrosarcoma,and chordoma. Osteosarcoma is a common primary malignant bone cancer. It mainly causes for the males between 10 and 25 years old. This type mainly occurs in the long bones of the arms, legs, knees and also in the shoulders of the children. This type has a risk in spreading to the lungs also. Ewing’s sarcoma is aggressive and mainly affects the people within 4-15 years old. This type is more common in males and it has less chance to attack the old people. This type occurs in between the long bones of legs, arms. Chondrosarcoma is the second most aggressive or slow growing bone cancer. But apart from other types this type of cancer mostly occurs in the old people in the age of 40.fibrosarcoma is a rare type but it causes for people of 35-45 years age.

The small intestine is a tube-like structure about 7.5 meters long. Its function is to digest as well as absorb food. The inner surface of the small intestine has finger-like projections called villi. The villi increase the inner surface area for the absorption of digested food. The villi contain blood capillaries. The digested food passes through the thin walls of these blood vessels and enters the blood stream. This process is called absorption. There are three parts of the small intestine namely, the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. The upper part of the small intestine, called the duodenum, gets bile from the liver and pancreatic juice from the pancreas. Bile juice plays an important role in the emulsification of fats whereby large globules of fat are broken down into smaller globules and made water soluble. it also creates an alkaline medium which is essential for the action of pancreatic enzymes. trypsin and lipase are the two main enzymes present in the pancreatic juice. trypsin acts on proteins and changes them into peptones. Lipase acts on fats to change them into fatty acids and glycerol. From the duodenum, the food moves to the ileum, through the jejunum. The food is acted upon by trypsin, maltase, sucrase and lactase enzymes in the ileum. The small intestine digests carbohydrates and fats, completes the digestion of proteins, and absorbs the digested nutrients. Most of the nutrients required by the body are absorbed through the lining of the small intestine. There are many diseases that affect the small intestine one them is the cancer. There are five types of cancer in it. The main type is the adenocarcinoma. The other types are sarcoma, carcinoid tumor, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, and lymphoma.