Cancer is a serious and life-threatening ailment. Thankfully, scientists and doctors now understand it better and can provide us with ample information. This has proven to be extremely helpful in providing the right care and treatment to cancer patients and lowering the mortality rate. Newer technology has made it possible to detect and treat it in the early stages.

Here are some diagnostic techniques and treatment options involved:

Cancer diagnosis
Doctors employ a combination of diagnostic techniques available at their disposal to determine the illness a patient is afflicted with. The same holds for the diagnostic procedure for cancer. The first step in this procedure is cross-checking if the symptoms that the patient presents with are consistent with any type of cancer. This is then followed by a thorough evaluation of the patient’s medical history and lifestyle. Lifestyle choices like drinking, smoking, and intake of highly processed or refined foods can all be contributing factors.

1. Lab tests
These consist of blood tests like complete blood count and is more commonly known as CBC. Also included are tests to check for presence of certain tumor markers, which are chemicals that are indicative of the presence of carcinogenic substances.

2. Diagnostic imaging
Cancer cells lead to the growth of tumors. Through imaging tests, it is possible to detect the presence of these tumors. Three types of imaging techniques are employed for cancer detection, namely emission, reflection, and transmission imaging. These imaging techniques involve the use of different rays or beams of light and sound to form images of unusual growth structures present in the body.

3. Endoscopic examinations
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), cystoscopy, and colonoscopy are some of the endoscopy exams included in the diagnostic procedure for cancer detection.

Cancer treatment
Technological developments have brought various options for doctors and patients to decide when it comes to health conditions. This has been a most gratifying outcome for cancer patients and doctors. Each of the available treatment options helps control the abnormal growth of cancer cells and the symptoms.

1. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, one of the most common treatment methods for cancer treatment, uses specific medications that target the cancer cells in the body and work towards killing them. There are multiple chemotherapy drugs available today, and doctors can decide which ones are to be used separately or in combination to treat the patient.

2. External beam radiation
In this method, high-energy waves or particles, like X rays, are targeted in specific areas. The energy beams enter the body from a machine and destroy the cancerous cells within. Patients may experience mild symptoms with this treatment, but given the effectiveness of the procedure, it is expected.

3. Internal radiation
The principle of internal radiation therapy is similar to that of external radiation. The only difference is that the radiation in this procedure originates inside the body instead of a machine. A radioactive substance the size of a rice grain is placed inside the body. This emits rays that break down cancer cells.

4. Cryoablation
Cryoablation is a technique that focuses on freezing off cancer cells. The procedure involves the use of a machine that has probes, needles, and gas emitters that help localize the tumors and freeze and kill the malignant tissues. The procedure is repetitively performed till all the cancerous growths have been killed off. It is especially used in retinoblastoma and the early stages of skin cancer.