When diagnosed with cancer, it is normal to wonder if another doctor could offer a different perspective. You might want to consult another doctor who can look at your test results, talk with you about your personal situation, and maybe give you a different take on it.
All types of cancer share common markers and all cancer cells have some unique characteristics including damaged or mutated cells, rapid multiplication, and the ability to spread throughout the body.
Your body consists of billions of cells and the activities of those cells are managed by your DNA. Cells grow, multiply, and die every second of every day… unless they are cancerous cells. Cancer cells ignore your body’s directives and multiply without restraint. They hinder the normal activities of your internal organs and invade adjacent tissues.
When a person is diagnosed with cancer, the doctor(s) inform him about the stage to which the cancer has progressed. ‘Cancer Staging’ is nothing but a process of determining the size and spread of cancer.
Staging information is important for a doctor to be able to plan treatment and also to predict a person’s outlook (prognosis). Although each person’s situation is different, cancers with the same stage tend to have similar outlooks and are often treated the same way.
The most common types of cancer treatment include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. These therapies may be used either alone or in combination with other therapies. More recent treatment options include hormonal therapy, biological therapy or stem cell transplant which may be used for some types of cancer.