3 hours agoAuthor: Gaurav Tiwari
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There are about 30 trillion cells in our body. All of them grow in a controlled manner in a certain pattern and after a certain period of time they get destroyed on their own. The cells which get destroyed are replaced by new and healthy cells.
Healthy cells automatically keep eating old dead cells and keep cleaning the body. Not only this, if any cell tries to change its pattern and damage the body, then healthy cells eat it and destroy it. These are the defense army of our body, whose job is to kill every potential enemy and keep the body healthy and alive under all circumstances.
As long as this healthy cycle is continuing, understand that we are healthy.
This pattern gets disturbed when cancer occurs. In fact, when cancer occurs, the controlling effect of the cells ends. Then they start growing and dividing many times faster in an uncontrolled manner. Their uncontrolled growth takes the form of a tumor.
Despite continuous research and investigation, there is still no effective and affordable treatment available for cancer. Till now, the most effective therapy for treating cancer is chemo. This can stop the abnormal growth of cells.
The biggest problem in this is that most cancer cases are detected in the last stage. That is why many people die during chemotherapy. Many people start considering this as the reason for death. Gradually, many kinds of questions and fears have arisen in the minds of people regarding chemo.
so today ‘health report‘ I will talk about chemotherapy. Along with that, we will know that-
- How does chemotherapy work?
- What effect does it have on our body?
- How to prepare yourself before chemotherapy?
In India, 9.1 lakh people will die of cancer in the year 2022
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 14.1 lakh new cases of cancer were reported in India in the year 2022. A total of 9.1 lakh people died due to cancer this year.
According to the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC), there are more than 32 lakh people in India who are living with cancer for more than 5 years. This means that their cancer was detected in the early stages. Then they got chemotherapy or other treatments at the right time.
What is chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is an aggressive form of chemical drug therapy that kills rapidly growing cells in our body. It is usually used to treat cancer because cancer cells grow and divide faster than other cells.
Depending on the health condition of the patient and the stage of cancer, it is decided whether only chemotherapy is to be given or other therapies like surgery, radiation or hormone therapy is also needed along with it.
In the initial stage, cancer can be covered only by chemotherapy, whereas when the stage increases, it is given in combination with surgery and radiation. All this also depends on many other conditions. Like-
Chemotherapy is called a systematic treatment, which means it affects the entire body.
It has been proved in many studies around the world that chemotherapy attacks cancer cells effectively. However, it can also have serious side effects.
How does chemotherapy work?
- When cancer occurs, the cells of the cancerous parts of our body start growing and dividing in an uncontrolled manner without following any pattern. Chemo drugs stop the uncontrolled growth of these cancerous cells.
- Actually chemotherapy inhibits the ability of cancerous cells to divide and reproduce. There are many types of medicines in it. Their effects also vary.
- Different chemotherapy drugs attack cells at different life stages.
- Some drugs attack rapidly dividing cells throughout the body, while others may only attack certain parts of cancer cells.
- Sometimes only one medicine is used in chemotherapy, while other times doctors use a combination of several medicines.
How is chemotherapy given?
Chemotherapy is usually given in the form of tablets, directly by injection or through IV into the veins. Apart from this, chemotherapy can also be given in many other ways depending on the condition and need of the patient.
- Depending on where the tumor is located, chemotherapy may be given directly to the tumor. If surgery is performed to remove the tumor, the doctor may implant a slow-dissolving disc that releases the drugs over time.
- If there is skin cancer then chemotherapy cream can be given to treat it.
- By locating the part of the body where cancer is present, the medicine can be delivered directly to that part. Such as directly to the stomach, chest, central nervous system or urinary bladder.
- Some chemotherapy can be taken as pills.
- Some fluid chemotherapy drugs can be given in a single shot. While for some drugs, a port is made where the injection can be given each time.
How to prepare yourself before chemotherapy?
First of all, we must understand and accept that chemotherapy is a treatment given for a serious medical condition. Therefore, it is important to make a plan before starting therapy. For this, you can take the help of doctors and hospital staff. They can help in predicting possible problems.
The doctor may recommend some medical tests to assess the potential problems. These can determine whether the patient is healthy enough for chemotherapy or not. Usually these include checkups for liver health, heart health. While some doctors may also recommend mental health checks.
If there is any medical condition or disease, the doctor may advise its treatment before chemotherapy because during this time the condition of already existing diseases can worsen.
These tips may be useful before chemotherapy
Manage workload: Usually people can carry on with their work during chemotherapy. Despite this, we should try to reduce its side effects by taking as much rest as possible. We should reduce our workload.
Prepare the house before chemotherapy: Before chemotherapy, you have to prepare yourself as well as the house. Clean the house, wash clothes, stock up on groceries. All this is important because chemotherapy drugs can have very serious effects.
If there are pets or small children at home, you can take help from someone to take care of them. For this, it would be better to take help from a family member or friend.
Anticipate side effects: Before chemotherapy, ask your doctor what kind of side effects may occur and plan accordingly.
- Suppose your doctor says that chemo drugs can cause infertility and you want to conceive a child, then you can store and freeze sperm, eggs, or fertilized embryos.
- Usually hair falls during chemotherapy, so for that you can buy a head cover, cap or wig in advance.
You can join a support group before starting therapy: If we can share with someone the medical or physical condition we are going through, our heart becomes lighter and we feel better. Since many changes take place in the body and mind during chemotherapy, it is important to have the support of family and friends at this time. If you want, you can join a support group. You will feel relaxed by sharing your thoughts with people here. This will help you stay optimistic. The support group can also help calm any kind of fear or apprehension about the treatment.
