FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS | CANCER CARE CENTRE
WHAT IS CANCER?
Cancer is a disease caused by uncontrollable growth of cells resulting in the formation of tumors. There are more than 200 different types of cancer and each one is classified based on the site of origin. Not all tumors are cancerous; benign tumors do not spread to the other parts of the body and are harmless. However, malignant tumors spread to other parts and are cancerous.
WHO GETS CANCER?
Anyone can get cancer at any age; however the risk increases with age. Major cases of cancer are diagnosed in people of age 55 years and beyond.
WHAT ARE CHANCES OF SURVIVAL?
Many factors can affect your prognosis, which includes: Type of cancer and its location; The stage of cancer and if it has spread to the other parts of the body; Age and how the body responds to the treatment.
WHAT CAUSES CANCER?
Many cancers develop for no evident reasons. However, certain risk factors are known that can increase the cancer risk. These include:
Age As you grow old, your chances of developing cancer increase. This is probably due to the inability of the immune system to destroy the damaged cells and this result in the accumulation of abnormal cells.
Carcinogens Carcinogens (chemical, radiation etc.) can damage normal cells and turn them into cancerous cells. Few of the most common carcinogens are:-
- Tobacco Smoking and chewing tobacco is one of the main risk factors for the cancer of the lung, mouth, throat, esophagus and pancreas. The more you smoke, the greater is the risk. If you stop smoking, your risk of developing cancer decreases.
- Chemicals Workplace chemicals like asbestos, formaldehyde, benzene etc. are considered to increase the risk of certain cancers like lung cancer, breast cancer etc.
- Radiation Exposure to radioactive materials can increase the risk of leukemia and other cancers. Also exposure to UVA and UVB can increase the risk of skin cancer.
- Infections Exposure to infections like hepatitis, HPV and HIV at some point in your lifetime can increase the risk of certain cancer including the cancer of the liver, cervical and stomach.
- Lifestyle Diet, obesity, lack of regular exercise, drinking too much alcohol, etc. are considered to double the risk of certain types of cancer. It is advised to have at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables per day and fatty food like red meat, fried food etc. should be avoided.
- Genetics Cancer can be inherited from the family members. Some people are born with faulty genes that increase the chances of developing cancer later in the life.
WHAT ARE THE COMMON SYMPTOMS?
Cancer symptoms depend on where the cancer is located and where it has spread. Few of the most common symptoms include:
Lumps on the body that remain for a long time
Changes in the breast size or shape
Changes in a mole on the skin
Coughing, chest pain and breathlessness
Unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite
Difficulty in passing urination
Abnormal bleeding and wounds that won’t heal easily
Difficulty in swallowing and change in voice
IS CANCER CONTAGIOUS?
Cancer is not like a flu or cold which you contract by being around or touching the patient. You can’t get cancer from a person who has it.
CAN CANCER BE PREVENTED?
Cancer risk depends on our genes, our environment and our lifestyle, many of which we can keep a check on. More than 4 out of 10 cancers can be prevented by healthy lifestyle changes like:
Maintaining a healthy weight
Eating a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables
Cutting down on alcohol(1 alcoholic drink a day or less for women and 2 or less for men)
Avoiding direct sunlight (staying indoors or covered between 11:00am- 4:00pm)
Reducing the infection risk by getting vaccinated for viruses like HPV
Knowing your family history
Get yourself checked if you encounter anything abnormal in your body..
HOW IS CANCER DISGNOSED?
Cancer cannot be confirmed by just encountering the signs and symptoms. To confirm, tests like x-ray, blood test, biopsy etc. need to be done. Biopsy helps to find out the cancer cells in the abnormal areas, scans help to find the size of the cancer and the spread of the disease and blood test detect the overall health.
WHAT ARE THE TREATMENT OPTIONS?
The choices of treatment include combination of drugs some of which are given as pills and some given intravenously. Chemotherapy, stem cell transplant, surgery, radiation therapy and Immunotherapy are few of the most common treatments available. However most of the traditional therapies result in major side effects like hair loss, damage to normal cells, bone loss etc. One of the most effective therapies includes Immunotherapy, a therapy that uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer without any major side effects. To know more about it, click here
IF I AM RESIDING OUTSIDE INDIA, CAN I STILL GET TREATMENT AT CANCER CARE CENTRE - DR.BINDRAS CANCER CLINIC IN INDIA?
Yes, you need not travel to India for your treatment, medicines or consulting. We provide complete care, help and instructions through phone calls, web chat and emails. You can send us the details via email at and we will get back to you as soon as possible. You can call our on duty resident/oncology team at +91.98039.14108 for any queries/details. If you are residing in India and can easily approach to Ludhiana, we would prefer you to visit in person with patient, if feasible.
HOW CAN I GET MY MEDICINES?
Your medicines will safely reach you through trusted courier services.
WHAT ARE THE PAYMENT OPTIONS?
You can pay online in several ways such as ‘Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Paypal, eCheck and Discover’. You can even take oue account number and make a deposit in the bank, scan it and email us the receipt with your email address and reports. Our team will get in touch with you for tele-medicine and will schedule your telephonic/online consult with the concerned Doctor. We will dispatch the medicines after finalising the protocols through trusted courier services.
ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS OF TREATMENT AT CANCER CARE CENTRE?
There are no known side effects of treatment at Cancer Care Center recorded till date. Since the medicines work on boosting the immune system, they have no side effects which can actually bring any harm to the patient.
IS THE TREATMENT SAFE FOR CHILDREN AND PREGNANT/LACTATING WOMEN?
Yes, Absolutely! The medicines are safe for children and do not have any side effects like hair loss, nausea, vomiting, giddiness, loss of appetite etc.
ARE SAME MEDICINES PRESCRIBED FOR ALL TYPES OF CANCERS?
No, it is not possible that one medicine or “one magical concoction” works for all types of cancer. There are more than 200 different types of cancer and each one is classified based on the site of origin. When different cells are affected, one medicine cannot work for all types of cancer. It is neither possible nor it is trust-worthy. The medicines are different for different types of cancer and are always as per the degree, nature and extent of the disease. Each patient is given treatment under modified protocols as per the need pf the case.
WHAT ARE SUCCESS RATES AT CANCER CARE CENTRE?
The treatment at Cancer Care Centre is customized as per the nature of the disease, type of cancer, the extent of the disease and its metastasis stage. The success rates vary from types and nature of cancer and the extent to which it has spread. On an average, it brings a better quality of life, increases the longevity of the patient. The variation depends on the types of cancers and the extent to which it has spread.
WHAT CAN BE EXPECTED IN TERMINALLY ILL PATIENTS?
We can very well expect a better quality of life even in a terminally ill patient. Even those patients who were on death bed, were spurned by all other modes of treatment and were given a life span of less than a month have turned up to our clinic and it has effectually been able to give a better quality of life to them. If conditions permit and all goes well, it effectively works in bringing about much better longevity in a terminally ill cancer patient. Results always however, vary from cancer to cancer and from patient to patient.