In this video, Dr. Karthik K S, Consultant – Surgical Oncology, KMC Hospital Mangaluru, talks about the cancer journey from ...

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Common Myths About Cancer and Its Early Detection | Dr. Karthik K S | KMC Hospital Mangaluru

hello everyone I'm Dr karik KS surgical oncologist at KMC hospital mangalo today we'll discuss about cancer Journey from its uh diagnosis till the treatment so when we start let us discuss what this cancer is and we should know what is cancer versus T tumor so there are two things which we already know most of the things we discuss what as tumor that is as a swelling it can be cancer or BINA so cancer what it means is it grows beyond control it can spread to non-local organs for example breast cancer can spread to uh spine lung or liver so this is a common example I gave you so cancer is able to spread but benign tumors let us say thyroid tumors won't spread but before starting the treatment we should have a proper evaluation to differentiate between a simple benign tumor versus a cancer malignant tumor so that is about the cancer versus tumor or cancer and tumor so let us start with some myths so myth is like cancer has to be painful so actually it is need not be it need not be painful to start with the stage one and stage two tumor need not be painful but as it goes into the highest stages that is stage three and stage four it can get painful so people don't wait for it to get painful Whenever there is a doubt of any cancer or any tumor go to your doctors then cancer cannot be cured again it is not so when we pick up cancer in stage one or two the morbidity of the treatment is better or the Lesser and uh the outcome of the results the financial burden everything comes down so our role and our goal has to be to pick up cancers in stage one and stage two that is why so many screening protocols and please as an awareness everyone should undergo screening protocols then cancer is genetic or familiar it is not so actually only 1 to 3% of of cancers can be genetic or familiar and it runs in families we do get common questions or counsel uh counseling sessions about when the girls are getting married the boys side the groom side want to know whether her mother's cancer would have been spread to her no it is not so because when there is a genetic involvement or a familial involvement it is quite obvious similar cancers will be running in their families so such people any doubts can take up a genetic counseling or come to an oncologist and discuss about the same so how do we know when there is cancer so there are some common red flags which I'll be discussing so let us say about oral cancer oral cancer are more common in tobacco users or smokers or tobacco chewers so such people such people who already know their addicts or they use tobacco commonly if there is any alcer or any doubtful please go to your doctor and get it evaluated even among the nonsmoker if there is a long-standing alcer in the mouth please visit the doctor similarly a thyroid swelling thyroid swelling most often it is benign it need not be cancer but it has to be evaluated properly by an endocrinologist or a surgical oncologist to evaluate whether it is a malignant that is cancerous or noncancerous then about breast so breast it presents commonly as tumor or a swelling then there are other red flag signs like bleeding in the nipple or recent change in the texture of the aola or the recent change in the shape of the nipple or retraction of the nipples these are all the red flags in the uh breast uh cancer so it is uh not about having pain or waiting for it or to get pain because as uh the cancer advances it can get painful then this other common cancer which can be picked up early is colon or rectal cancers most often colon and rectal cancer starts as a bleeding per rectum or then suddenly there some change in bubble Habits Like a patient who had a normal bubble habit suddenly may have a constipation or a loose tool alterating of that or uh kind of an uh uncomfortable or uh the feeling of an incomplete evacuation after passing motion so these are the red flag sign of a colon cancer so there is if there is any bleeder in any bleeding from the colon during passing motion please get it evaluated uh most of the time these uh things are missing interpreted it as piles so even before starting the treatment of the piles it's better to undergo evaluation for colon or a rectal cancer then about lung cancer again the people who are into smoking are at high risk for lung cancer so such people any cough or any sort of doubtfulness has to get evaluated uh by uh by a oncologist or a physician for any lung cancer so these are the common cancers I spoke about to generalize any long-standing symptoms has to be evaluated properly so we can come to a conclusion this attitude of being nistic or being ignorant doesn't add to the uh uh it doesn't add to the benefit it only adds to the burden so please visit your doctor in the early phase of these problems so it can be uh evaluated and treated properly so how do we decide on the treatment of cancers so firstly like I already mentioned it has to be treated uh after evaluation properly and extensive evaluation first we have to prove cancers then we have to prove the stage then we have to plan the treatment uh surgery is the pivot uh around which the whole cancer treatment that especially solid tumor solid tumor means any tumor which can be operated and remove so surgery plays a very major role in solid tumor management but at the same same time we should also decide when the chemotherapy has to be given or when radiation treatment has to be given for example in rectal malignancies in a locally Advanced case it's always better to start with radiation and then chemotherapy and then surgery so then the outcome will be much better the survival is much better this is a simple example I gave you so there is a lot of science and research about how to uh start a treatment and the continued treatment the of course this uh whole journey takes some time effort and lot of support from the caregiver that's immediate family or friends so awareness is the key so awareness about how this treatment can be planned and uh how the cancers can be diagnosed and being positive about treatment whenever it is uh whenever it can be picked up early and treated properly the financial burden or a morbidity burden comes down and effective treatment is possible then about Indian context about the cost and uh effectiveness of treatment actually in India we are in a very good Zone like people have all possibility of treatment uh people who are uh financially challenged uh government gives lot of support in terms of government schemes about managing the patients in our hospital we have a uh multi-disciplinary treat treatment possible we have Doctors Medical oncologist hemoncologist pediatric oncologist surgical oncologist radiation oncologist so uh the support staff the genetics uh staff so uh the uh we have a multidisiplinary treatment catering to the comprehensive cancer treatment [Music]

Dr.

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