Oncology Diseases

Oncology is a branch of medicine that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Includes  

• Medical Oncology (use of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy and other drugs to treat cancer), 
• Radiation Oncology (utilization of radiation treatment to treat disease),
• Careful Oncology (utilization of medical procedure and different techniques to treat disease). treat malignant growth)
• Disease is the subsequent driving reason for death around the world.

Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death

• Responsible for around 9.6 million deaths in 2018. Worldwide, around one in six deaths is due to cancer.Approximately 70% of cancer deaths  occur in low- and middle-income countries. 
• Approximately one-third of all cancer deaths  are due to the five major nutritional and behavioral  risks: high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable consumption, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption

Physiotherapists are engaged with the consideration, therapy and restoration of malignant growth patients from determination to the furthest limit of life. They:

• They carry out a continuous assessment of the needs of this patient group and their carers in order to apply specific interventions that are crucial for the patients' independence, functioning and quality of life. 
• He is an essential member of the multidisciplinary team that is  key to the successful rehabilitation and treatment of  cancer and palliative care patients.
• The lack of physical therapy intervention would adversely impact patient care and the patient/family's ability  to cope with the impact of the disease or its treatment on their functioning and quality of life. 

How does cancer spread?

When a cancerous tumor grows, the bloodstream or lymphatic system can carry cancer cells to other parts of the body. During this process, cancer cells grow and can become new tumors. This is called metastasis. 

 

One of the first places where cancer spreads is the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs that help fight infections.They are found in groups in different parts of the body, such as the neck, groin, and armpits. 

 

Cancer can also spread  to distant parts of the body via the bloodstream. These parts may include bones, liver, lungs, or brain. Even if the cancer spreads, it is still named after the area where it originated. For Ex:- if breast cancer spreads to the lungs, it is called metastatic breast cancer, not lung cancer.

Pathophysiology:

Oncology is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and research of cancer. Cancer describes the abnormal growth of cells that results in a large mass called a tumor. 

• Malignant tumors can spread  and invade surrounding tissue. In some cases, cells can break off and migrate to other areas of the body, a condition called metastasis. 
• Benign tumors do not invade surrounding tissue and do not continue to grow after removal.Cell regulation  is controlled by genetics and  changes in genes are required to produce abnormal cancer cells. 
• Genetic changes can be due to  the loss or gain of chromosomes through mitosis (the process of cell replication) or  to mutations, changes in the nucleotide sequence of genomic DNA. 

Causes:

There are several causes of cancer, the most common being genetic mutations due to environmental and lifestyle factors, which account for between 90 and 95% of cases. The rest is due to inherited genetics.There are many known environmental factors that increase the risk of  cancer:

Carcinogens: There are many known carcinogens, the most obvious being tobacco. 

Tobacco: Each year, tobacco is responsible for more than 7 million deaths worldwide, more than 6 million of which are due to direct tobacco use, but approximately 890,000 are due to secondhand smoke. Recent declines in the number of smokers have led to a decline in lung cancer-related deaths in many countries in 1990.

Radiation: It has long been known that radiation causes cancer. Initially, the studies focused on incidents involving large amounts of radiation, and it was found that high doses of radiation carried an increased risk of cancer. It is now known that even small doses of radiation from an X-ray machine can pose a danger to humans, especially if exposure begins at a young age and is frequently repeated.

Pollution: Air pollution has been identified as a risk factor that contributes to the development of cancer and also reduces positive prognosis rates.

Diet, exercise and obesity: Obesity has been identified as a contributing factor associated with cancer; both in terms of risk and mortality. In addition to fighting obesity, diet and exercise also play a role in cancer prevention and treatment. The World Health Organization estimates that the risk of developing breast cancer decreases by 20 to 40% in physically active women. And in another study published in 2008, a group of 2,

women participated using a questionnaire that showed that physical activity was associated with a better prognosis. As much as physical activity can have a positive effect on prevention and improving prognosis, a lack of physical activity can be harmful. 

Infections: Infections have long been recognized as a cause of cancer, and in 2002 it was estimated that approximately 18% of malignant cancers were due to infection.

Stress: There is evidence that stress has an adverse effect on the immune response and may be a contributing factor to the development and, in some cases, progression of cancer.

There are many types of cancer, see below:

• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
• Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Brain Tumors
• Breast Cancer
• Cervical Cancer
• Chondroblastoma
• Colorectal Cancer
• Ewing's Sarcoma
• Gastric Cancer
• Giant Cell Tumor
• Glioblastoma Multiforme
• Hodgkin's Lymphoma
• Malignant Melanoma
• Multiple Myeloma
• Neuroblastoma
• Breast Cancer Metastases
• Osteoblastoma
• Osteochondroma
• Osteoid Osteoma
• Osteosarcoma
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Paraneoplastic Syndrome
• Renal Cancer
• Skeletal Metastases
• Testicular Cancer
• Thyroid Cancer