We strive to provide you the most accurate and practical knowledge about cancers of the digestive tract
What is tumor? A mass which is formed when a healthy cell/tissue start growing abnormally. The growth can be either controlled i.e. restricted to limited local area or uncontrolled i.e. tends to spread to other parts of the body. The former is termed as benign tumor while the latter is called malignant tumour. What is cancer? A malignant tumor which can grow and spread to other parts of the body. These changes usually develop over years mostly because of environmental factors while few of them can also be due to genetic predisposition. Words to know Benign Tumors: Tumors that stay in their primary location without invading other sites of the body. They do not spread to local structures or to distant parts of the body. They tend to grow slowly and have distinct borders. Common examples of benign tumors are fibroids in the uterus and lipomas in the skin. Some of them have the potential to become malignant. Malignant Tumors: Tumors with cells that grow uncontrollably and spread locally and/or to distant sites. They are cancerous (ie, they invade other sites). They spread to distant sites via the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. This spread is called metastasis. CT scan (Computed Tomography): It is a diagnostic imaging exam that uses X-ray technology to produce images of the inside of the body. It can show detailed images of any part of the body, including the bones, muscles, organs and blood vessels. It can also be used for fluid or tissue biopsies, or as part of preparation for surgery or treatment. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): It is an imaging technology that produces 3D anatomical images. It is often used for disease detection, diagnosis, and treatment monitoring. MRCP (Magnetic resonance Cholangiopancreatography): It is a contrast MRI, to diagnose pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis, gallstones and bile duct problems. An MRI scanner takes images as an IV dye (contrast) travels through the pancreatic and biliary systems. PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan: It is an imaging test that can help reveal the metabolic or biochemical function of the body tissues and organs. It uses a radioactive drug called a tracer to show both typical and atypical metabolic activity. The scan can measure blood flow, oxygen use, how body uses sugar, and much more. These areas of disease will show up as bright spots on the PET scan. Chemotherapy: Use of drugs to destroy cancer cells which grow and multiply much more quickly than most cells in the body. Chemotherapy can be used as a treatment for many different cancers. Chemotherapy drugs can be used alone or in combination to treat a wide variety of cancers. Although chemotherapy is an effective way to treat many types of cancer, chemotherapy treatment also carries a risk of side effects. Staging of cancer: It is a way to describe a cancer. Stage provides information like where a cancer is located and its size, how far it has grown into nearby tissues, and if it has spread to nearby lymph nodes or other parts of the body. Before starting any cancer treatment, doctors may use physical exams, imaging scans, and other tests to determine a cancer’s stage. Staging helps your doctor plan the best treatment. PS (Performance status) OR ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) score: Describes a patient’s level of functioning in terms of their ability to care for themselves, daily activity, and physical ability (walking, working, etc.). The score is from 0 to 5, where 0 means ‘Fully active’, 5 means ‘Dead’ Neutropenia: Neutropenia occurs when you have too few neutrophils, a type of white blood cells. While all white blood cells help your body fight infections, neutrophils are important for fighting certain infections, especially those caused by bacteria. Neutropenia can make you more vulnerable to infections. Some chemotherapy drugs can cause Neutropenia Febrile neutropenia: It refers to the occurrence of a fever during a period of significant neutropenia. When a patient has neutropenia, his or her risk of infection and its severity may be higher than normal. Some chemotherapy drugs can cause Febrile neutropenia. Anemia: Anemia occurs when there is a decrease in circulating red blood cells. When this happens, the blood cannot provide enough oxygen to the body. A person with anemia may feel tired or weak. Thrombocytopenia: Thrombocytopenia occurs when your bone marrow doesn’t make enough platelets. Platelets are blood cells that form blood clots to help stop bleeding. People with this condition may bleed a lot and the bleeding may be hard to stop. Cirrhosis of liver: Cirrhosis is a condition in which scar tissue gradually replaces your healthy liver cells. It usually happens over a long period, often due to infection, other diseases, or alcohol addiction. Most of the time, you can’t fix the damage to your liver. But if you catch it early, some treatments can keep problems in check. Adjuvant therapy: Cancer treatment that’s given after primary treatments, such as surgery. The goal is to lower the chance of cancer coming back. Because even if all visible cancer is removed during surgery, there still may be some remaining in the body that can’t be seen. Neoadjuvant therapy: Therapy that a person with cancer receives before their primary course of treatment. The aim is to shrink a cancerous tumor before moving onto other treatments, such as surgery. Palliative therapy: Treatment given to help relieve the symptoms and reduce the suffering caused by cancer or other life-threatening diseases. It may help a person feel more comfortable, but it does not treat or cure the disease. For example, surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy may be given to remove, shrink, or slow the growth of a tumor that is causing pain. Palliative therapy may be given with other treatments from the time of diagnosis until the end of life. Radiation therapy OR Radiotherapy: A common cancer treatment that uses radiation (usually high-powered X-rays) to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy may be used independently or alongside other treatments, like surgery or chemotherapy.