CANCER FACTS

CANCER FACTS
DR B C ROY

WHAT IS CANCER ?
Uncontrolled division of abnormal cells that is out of control cell growth. Some of the cells of our body begins to devide without stopping and spread into nearby tissues. It can start anywhere in the body which is made up of trillions of cells.

IS CANCER CURABLE ?
In short answer is ‘YES’. All cancers are curable if treated early. Some cancers respond better to treatment than others.

IS CANCER CONTAGIOUS ?
Cancer is ‘NOT CONTAGIOUS’. A healthy person cannot ‘CATCH’ cancer from a person who is having it. There is no evidence that close contact or things like sharing meals, breathing the same air, touching, kissing, sexual intercourse etc. can spread cancer.

DOES A NEEDLE BIOPSY CAN SPREAD CANCER ?
For most types of cancers, there is no conclusive evidence that needle biopsy (which is a procedure to diagnose cancer) causes cancer cell to spread. But there are exceptions which surgeons are aware of for example it is not used in testicular cancer.Instead if doctor suspects it the testis is removed.

DOES SURGERY CAUSES CANCER CELLS TO SPREAD ?
The answer is ‘NO’. Don’t delay your treatment because of this false belief. Surgically removing the cancer is often the first and most important treatment.

DOES THE TREATMENT IS SAME FOR SAME TYPE OF CANCERS ?
The answer is ‘NO’. What treatment you receive depends upon where your cancer is, how much it has spread, how it is affecting your body, the variety of cancer and your general health.

IS CANCER PAINFUL ?
Pain often occurs at the advanced stage of most cancers. In fact some cancers never cause pain.