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Cancer is a group of many related diseases that begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. Normally, cells grow and divide to produce more cells only when the body needs them. Sometimes, however, cells become abnormal and keep dividing to form more cells without control or order, creating a mass of excess tissue called a tumor. Tumors can be malignant (cancerous) or benign (not cancerous). The cells in malignant tumors can invade and damage nearby tissue and organs. Cancer cells can also break away from a malignant tumor and travel through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to form new tumors in other parts of the body. Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they begin. For example, cancer that begins in the lung is lung cancer, and cancer that begins in cells in the skin known as melanocytes is called melanoma. When cancer cells spread (metastasize) from their original location to another part of the body, the new tumor has the same kind of abnormal cells and the same name as the primary tumor. For example, if lung cancer spreads to the brain, the cancer cells in the brain are actually lung cancer cells. The disease is called metastatic lung cancer (it is not brain cancer). What are the different kinds of Cancer? The four most common cancers are: Breast Cancer , Colon Cancer , Lung Cancer , Prostate Cancer Cancers of Blood and Lymphatic Systems: Hodgkin's Disease , Leukemias , Lymphomas , Multiple Myeloma , Waldenstrm's Disease Skin cancers: Malignant Melanoma , Skin Cancer Cancers of Digestive Systems: Head and Neck Cancers , Esophageal Cancer , Stomach Cancer , Cancer of Pancreas , Liver Cancer , Colon and Rectal Cancer , Anal cancer Cancers of Urinary system: Kidney Cancer , Bladder Cancer , Testis Cancer , Prostate Cancer Cancers in women: Breast Cancer , Ovarian Cancer , Gynecological Cancers , Choriocarcinoma Miscellaneous cancers: Brain Tumors , Bone Tumors , Carcinoid Tumor , Nasopharyngeal Cancer , Retroperitoneal sarcomas , Soft Tissue Tumors , Thyroid Cancer , Cancers of Unknown Primary Site Cancer Treatment Fighting cancer is similar to going to war with a country. One must use different fighting strategies, different weapons and powerful ammunition. Following is a list of weapons currently available for the war against cancer. Each one of the following is also referred to as a Modality or Discipline. At all times, we should use state-of-the-art technology and science and the best methods at our disposal to fight the enemy. Surgery , Chemotherapy , Radiation Therapy , Hormonal Therapy , Immunotherapy , Bone Marrow Transplantation , Experimental Treatments , Pain Management , Palliative Treatments , Alternative Treatments , Hospice A multi-modality approach is the use of one or more of the above weapons to fight cancer. For example, a patient with breast cancer initially will undergo surgery to remove the tumor, followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. To insure a successful outcome, one has to know the enemy very well, its weaknesses, strengths, its potential to damage us, its way of resisting our attacks. We must be prepared for counterattack with backup plans. We must understand our ammunition and its potential to destroy the enemy, as well as possible backfire and side effects to the patient. At the same time, we must be prepared to deal with the backfire by using medicines and remedies available to us. Treatment of cancer may be moderate or very sophisticated and complex. It is best managed by a team of capable and qualified physicians. A breast cancer patient should preferably be seen by a surgeon, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist and a plastic surgeon prior to treatment. A treatment plan must then be initiated by each member of the team. Different strategies must be discussed and explained with input from the patient to direct the course of treatment. This is very difficult for the patient. Imagine a woman just diagnosed with breast cancer. Her anxiety and depression levels are very high at the onset; therefore, this is a critical period for a group effort to treat her problem. In the best case scenario, the first physician who sees her will arrange for all the necessary care.

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However, this is not true for every patient. Some patients suffer from the inefficiencies of our healthcare system and receive less than adequate care. List of Chemotherapy Drugs The following is a partial list of chemotherapy and anti cancer drugs: Actinomycin D , Adriamycin , Alkeran , Ara-C , Avastin , BiCNU , Busulfan , Carboplatinum , CCNU , Cisplatinum , Cytoxan , Daunorubicin , DTIC , 5-FU , Fludarabine , Gemcitabine , Herceptin , Hydrea , Idarubicin , Ifosfamide , Irinotecan , Leustatin , 6-MP , Methotrexate , Mithramycin , Mitomycin , Mitoxantrone, Navelbine , Nitrogen Mustard , Rituxan , 6-TG , Taxol , Taxotere , Topotecan , Velban , Vincristine , VP-16 Cancer Genetic Counseling Genes are the heart and brain of our development. They dictate the color of our eyes, our complexion and most certainly our susceptibility to develop certain illnesses, among which, Cancer is one that we are most concerned about. Is there a way to determine if we are predisposed and carry a higher risk of developing certain cancers? Can we predict at what age we may develop an illness? And if so, what can, or rather, shall we do about it. With recent advancements in science and technology, we now have a better understanding of the role that certain genes play in human body. Certain aberrations ( mutations ) or change in some genes can make us prone to develop an illness that may have a fatal outcome. Some breast cancer patients have a genetic aberration in their cells. Their children may inherit this genetic abnormality and as a result be at higher risk to develop Breast cancer. Our goal is to try to make sense out of all this information. and: Understand the risk of developing a cancer Understand the value of genetic testing Determine the appropriateness of genetic testing Realize the risk of developing certain cancers such as: Breast, Colorectal, Ovarian cancer, etc. Plan for testing and understand the results Learn about potential preemptive treatment options Genetics and inheritance are felt to be linked to development of the following cancers : Breast Cancer , Ovarian Cancer , Colon and Rectal Cancer , Prostate Cancer , Certain type of Thyroid Cancer Many other cancers have been seen in aggregates in certain families. Certainly genes play a role in determination of our risks of developing a particular kind of cancer. The difficult task is the determination of the risk and the appropriate genetic tests. Once the test results are know, the next step would be interpretation of the results and understanding the potential to develop a cancer. Cancer Genetic issues: Why to test? Genes and Cancer Available Tests Breast Cancer Rare Cancers Prostate Cancer Ovarian Cancer Cancer Syndromes Discrimination Colon and Rectal Cancer Who needs to be tested? Costs

Family Issues Other Issues CANCER STATISTICS OF India 1. Every year about 85,0000 new cancer cases are diagnosed in India resulting in about 58,0000 cancer related death every year. 2. India has the highest number of the oral and throat cancer cases in the world. Every third oral cancer patient in the world is from India. 3. In males -- Oral, Lungs and Stomach cancers are the three most common causes of cancer incidence and death. 4. In females -- Cervical, Breast and Oral cancers are the three main causes of cancer related illnesses and death.

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5. Overall cervical cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in India. This is really unfortunate as cervical cancer can be easily prevented and is also relatively easy to diagnosis and treat at an early stage. 6. Compared to developed countries overall there are less cancer cases in India but this could be due to under diagnosis and under reporting. At the same time regional, ethnic, dietary and socio-economic factors might also results in difference in the cancer susceptibilities and the incidence. Also cancer is mainly a disease of old ages. World wide median age at diagnosis is about 60 yrs. Average life span is about 58 yrs in India compared to 75 yrs in the developed world. 7. On an average cancers are diagnosed at a much later stages in India.