Discover how advancements in chemotherapy, robotic surgery, immunotherapy, and AI are transforming cancer treatment, improving precision, and enhancing patient outcomes.
Cancer treatment has undergone immense changes in the last 25 years. When I started out as a resident, the surgery procedure for cancer used to be painful and took time to heal, owing to the open incision. This would usually be followed by basic Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy (both these processes have changed too), but things have advanced now, and doctors are not only concerned about ensuring the Cancer is cured but also that the person is able to retain normal functioning post-treatment. This is a very interesting age for medicine and doctors have started to think of keeping functional aspects of the person intact as part of the cure.With the introduction of Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) techniques like Laparoscopy or keyhole surgery, recovery time has come down drastically due to smaller incisions. Surgery techniques have undergone further refinement in the last decade, with the introduction of robotic surgery, in which the robot does not actually perform the surgery, but it enhances the performance of the surgeon by allowing precision, better dexterity & better vision. The robots have 3D vision, the instrument, and the arm, which moves like a human wrist. They have 7 degrees of freedom (similar to a human hand) and three 60 degree-movements, so as to allow better dexterity. The arms are also extremely stable and thus help avoid tremors.
Treatment for Breast Cancer has now evolved beyond Mastectomy to breast conservation, which can help patients regain their confidence after a harrowing surgery, which takes away a vital part of their body. Another new technique that has gained prominence is Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy which helps doctors identify the main node from which the Cancer is most likely to spread since Cancer cells break off from the main tumor and spread through the Lymph. Earlier the entire Lymph Node pocket had to be removed to stop its spread, which would cause debilitating arm pain, and a condition called Lymphedema, but now only those nodes where Cancer is detected are removed. This has improved patient outcomes greatly.Another big advancement that has happened in Chemotherapy, which used to be just about Cytotoxic drugs. These drugs had a lot of side effects and used to kill a lot of healthy cells as well, but things have changed for the better now with the introduction of Radiation Chemotherapies, also known as ‘Targeted Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy’. True to its name, Targeted Chemotherapy acts only on cancerous cells and thus cuts back on recovery time as the healthy cells are left intact.
Advancements in learning and research have also led to the discovery that different types of mutations occur in tumors. The first kind, Somatic mutations, are not inherited, while Germline mutations are present in the genetic material of an individual & can be passed down to their offspring. When a person has a Germline mutation, it means their family members may need to undergo screening and prevent its progression to Cancer.
cancer treatment, Health news articles