Genetics can help in decoding Cancer

Undoubtedly, cancer is one of the most fatal diseases in the world in the present time. If it remains unknown until its late, it could take life of the patient too. There are many reasons which credit to cancer. Essentially when body cells start multiplying abruptly, cancer takes place.

Various research are being conducted around the globe to find remedy for cancer. There are steps in India too which are focused on finding the reason and remedy for this disease. In this context, excerpts by specialist/oncologists matter a lot. In this article we will try to find out the causes, types, and treatment for the disease with an expert’s excerpts. Also, we’ll analyse the same.

Rate of cancer is rapidly increasing in India. What could be the reason behind this?

Dr Munshi says that in 1% cases, it is caused by genetic disorder. As we are proceeding ahead with research, information about cancer caused by genetic disorder is also increasing. If genetic fault is there in the family germ line, it might impact every family member. To know more about cancer and its reasons (genetic and denovo etc.), know what experts have to say.

If nobody in the family has every been a cancer patient, it does not confirm that you can’t be its victim. If there is any symptom which appears to be cancerous and is not being cured despite of treatment, it is crucial to get proper diagnosis done. If we have any anomaly in our genes, it could impact our children too. For example, Retinoblastoma is an eye-cancer. Kids inherit this from their mother in womb itself.  Kids suffer mostly with Sarcoma and Embryonal tumour. There is no role of epithelial tissue in cancer that infects kids, therefore you would not find any bleeding or shedding of layers of epithelial cell.

Apart from genetic disorder, Denovo is another reason which causes cancer. It means, cancer was not there in the family, somebody has been infected for the first time. It is vital to diagnose it early and then go ahead with proper treatment.  With better diagnostic facilities, right time treatment of cancer is feasible now.

We can go ahead with genetic testing to get rid of cancer or halt its infection. It can be impactful in treatment breast as well as uterus cancer in women. When a genetic diagnosis is conducted, it is not necessary to diagnose every member of the family. As an instance, if a woman in family is suffering from triple negative (—ve) breast cancer, you don’t acquire information from each DNA, we investigate only two genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. This case is called index case. Along with it, other family members also go through check ups to get an idea about their pronability towards this disease. When it comes to treatment, India’s options are limited in comparison of developed nations, however it is continuously getting better.

Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a cancer which mainly impacts digestive system. This mainly finds place in appendix and rarely contaminates ovary, urinary bladder or intestine. PMP can infect people of all age.

Pseudomyxoma peritonei is a slow developing cancer which has very common symptoms. It often comes with symptoms like stomach-aches, weight gain, increase in waist size, swollen intestine, larger ovary, lack of appetite, swelling in appendix. It is very important to follow a particular regime and doctors’ instruction post getting cured of Pseudomyxoma peritonei.

Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. People suffering from stomach cancer often receive external beam ray therapy, in which ray penetrates the body via an external machine. To reduce the size of cancer and kill remaining cancer cells, radiation therapy is used either before or after the surgery. To keep healthy cells safe from radiation, a substitutional proton beam therapy is rapidly being developed.

To stay away from cancer, it is important to avoid smoke as well as all kind of tobacco consumption. One must also include loads of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in daily diet. Also, don’t forget to apply sunscreen on skin while being in Sun.

This article has been written by Studio 18 on behalf of Manipal Hospitals.

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