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Gastrointestinal cancer

Best Doctor for Gastrointestinal cancer in Bangalore | Dr Murali Subramanian

Gastrointestinal cancer is one of the most common cancers. Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death globally. H. pylori bacteria is associated with gastric mucosal infection. In underdeveloped countries with poor hygienic conditions, around 90% of the population is infected asymptomatically in childhood.

What are Gastrointestinal Cancers?

Gastrointestinal cancer is a group of cancers that affect the digestive system. There are several types of cancers grouped under GI cancer.

Stomach cancer

Stomach Cancer- In this type of cancer, malignant cancer cells form in the lining of the stomach. It develops slowly over many years.

Symptoms

Please remember that having these symptoms do not necessarily mean that you have stomach cancer. It could be due to several other medical conditions. Hence if you have these symptoms, I recommend you get yourself checked.

  • Indigestion and stomach discomfort
  • A bloated feeling after eating
  • Mild nausea
  • Loss of appetite
  • Heartburn

In more advanced stages the following symptoms may occur:

  • Blood in the stool
  • Vomiting
  • Weight loss for no known reason
  • Stomach pain
  • Jaundice
  • Collection of fluid in the abdomen
  • Difficulty swallowing

Diagnosing Stomach Cancer

The diagnostic tests that are used to examine the stomach and oesophagus are used to diagnose stomach cancer. They are

  • Physical examination: checking for signs of the disease, such as lumps, pain or any other abnormal changes.
  • Blood tests: a procedure in which a blood sample is collected and tested for abnormalities.

Doctor may order for a complete blood count to check for haemoglobin in the red blood cells.

Endoscopy: a diagnostic procedure to examine the oesophagus, stomach, and  small intestine to check for tumors.

Stomach Cancer Treatment

Like in other types of cancers, treatment will depend on how large the tumour is and at what stage the cancer has reached.

Surgery is usually the most common treatment for all stages of stomach cancer. The main treatment is gastrectomy surgery.

Small interstine cancer

 What is Small Intestine Cancer?

 Small Intestine Cancer is a relatively rare disease in which cancer cells form in the tissues of the small intestine.

The small intestine is a long tube that connects the stomach and the large interstine.

Symptoms

  • Pain or cramps in the middle of the abdomen
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Unusual lump in the abdomen
  • Blood in the stool

Diagnosing Small Intestine Cancer

Some of the diagnostic tests doctors may recommend for small interstine cancer includes

  • Abdominal x-ray
  • Barium enema
  • Faecal Occult Blood Test
  • Upper endoscopy
  • Upper GI series with small bowel follow-through
  • Lymph node biopsy: 

Small intestine cancer is also usually treated with surgery.

  • Liver Cancer occurs when cancerous cells within the liver grow in an abnormal way.

Symptoms of liver cancer can include:

  • A feeling of discomfort on the upper right side of the abdomen
  • A lump  below the rib cage on the right side
  • Pain in the upper back, around the right shoulder blade
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Jaundice
  • Unusual tiredness
  • Loss of appetite and/or nausea.

Diagnosis tests for liver cancer

  • A physical examination.
  • Examination of a blood sample.
  • Scanning of the liver
  • Laparoscopy
  • Biopsy of the liver

Oesophageal Cancer is cancer of the long tube that connects the throat to the stomach. It’s role is to push food from the mouth through to the stomach.

  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Food coming back up
  • Weight loss
  • Acid reflux
  • Hoarseness or a chronic cough
  • Coughing up blood

Other than this, GI cancer also refers to following cancers

  • Oesophageal Cancer
  • Gallbladder Cancer
  • Pancreatic Cancer
  • Gastro-Intestinal Stromal Tumour
  • Neuroendocrine Tumours
  • Colorectal Cancer
  • Small Bowel Cancer
  • Anal Cancer

Book your appointment with Dr. Murali Subramanian  for Best Doctor for Gastrointestinal cancer in Bangalore – Today:+91 9880522891 or Check out our Social Media page! 

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Vaginal Cancer

Best Vaginal cancer treatment in Bangalore | Dr Murali Subramanian

A rare type of cancer, vaginal cancer starts in the vagina. It accounts for about 1 percent of cancers in the world. It mostly occurs in women over 60, but yes, younger women have got them too. This is Dr.Murali Subramanian, medical oncologist, practicing in Bangalore and in this blog i will be giving you some information on a rare form of cancer called vaginal cancer and Vaginal cancer treatment in Bangalore

The main types of vaginal cancer are

  1. Squamous cell. Squamous cell cancer starts in the vaginal lining and develops slowly. It accounts for around 78 percent of vaginal cancers.
  2. Adenocarcinoma: Adenocarcinoma cancer starts in the vaginal gland cells. It’s most common in women over 50. It’s the second-most common type of vaginal cancer.
  3. Melanoma.  This type of cancer starts in the melanoma cells.
  4. Sarcoma. This type of cancer is very rare and starts in the vaginal walls.

 Remember that if diagnosed in early stages, vaginal cancer treatment has a high success rate.

Symptoms of vaginal cancer

Look out for abnormal bleeding after sex, in between periods and after menopause.Some other symptoms to watch out for are abnormal vaginal discharge, pelvic pain and fistulas.

Sometimes, vaginal cancer patients do not experience any symptoms.Hence we advise a routine pelvic examination for all women.

Causes and risk factors of vaginal cancer

Causes of vaginal cancer include:

Human papilloma virus (HPV) causes vaginal cancer. People who have cervical cancer are also at a higher risk.Previously doctors prescribed diethystilbestrol (DES) to women inorder to reduce chances of miscarriage. But this has been stopped completely.

Risk factors for vaginal cancer include:

  • Hysterectomy
  • Smoking
  • Older than 60
  •  HIV
  • early sexual activity

Diagnosis of vaginal cancer

The first step involves complete examination by the doctor. Second involves a pelvic examination and a pap smear.

If the Pap smear is similar to a pelvic exam and shows any abnormal cells, your doctor will perform a colposcopy. The doctor uses a colposcope to magnify and examine the cervix and vaginal walls.

Next step is a biopsy once the exact location is located.

If the biopsy reveals cancer,the doctor will do MRI or CT scan to see if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Stages of vaginal cancer

To know how much the cancer has spread, and to decide on the mode of treatment, it is necessary to know the stage of the cancer.

  1. If the diagnosis result stage is Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN), it is only precancer.
  2. Stage 1. This means Cancer is only in the vaginal wall.
  1. Stage 2. This means Cancer has spread to the tissue next to the vagina
  2. Stage 3. This means Cancer has spread into the pelvis and pelvic wall and lymph nodes
  3. Stage 4. Stage 4 is divided into two substages:
    1. Stage 4A- cancer has spread to the bladder, rectum, or both.
  4. Stage 4B- cancer has spread  throughout the body to organs, such as the lungs, liver, or more distant lymph nodes.

Treatment for vaginal cancer

If the vaginal cancer  is diagnosed in stage 1, you might be recommended surgery followed by radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy is the most recommended and preferred form of treatment for vaginal cancer

After several rounds of radiation, doctors prefer surgery and stop radiation as only a certain amount of radiation can be tolerated by the body. During surgery, the doctors may remove only the tumour or may remove the vagina , surrounding tissues and the pelvic organs.

Outlook for people with vaginal cancer

Vaginal cancer has a five-year survival rate of 40 percent. Survival rates differ greatly by stage.

Survival rate can depend on the age of the patient and the location of the tumor.

Prevention of vaginal cancer

It is important to note that no one can completely prevent any type of cancer. But certain factors may prevent the occurrence. So it is worth taking up these precautions.

  1. Women must get an HPV vaccine after discussing with their doctor.
  2. Smoking is a risk factor for vaginal cancer.
  3. Alcohol consumption must be limited
  4. Regular pelvic exams and Pap smears help your doctor find precancers before they turn into vaginal cancers. This will help a lot in the treatment and recovery process.

Book your appointment for Vaginal cancer treatment in Bangalore– Today:+91 9880522891 or Check out our Social Media page! 

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Podcast on Coping with Cancer

Listen to the podcast audio down below to know more about “Coping with Cancer” by Dr. Murali Subramanian, Doctor for Cancer Treatment in Bangalore.


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