CANCER PATIENT MANAGEMENT IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC

dpadmin Livontaglobal

In December 2019, Covid has hit us all in a new way. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has named it as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Coronavirus 2. It has posed a serious challenge to patients with cancer to infections. During the time of COVID-19, as disease spread all over the world, it was important to have a strategy and management system for patients with cancer to limit the risks and provide guidance to deal with these serious challenges.  

Cancer treatment in India has evolved to a stage where cancer hospitals in India started using the latest, scientific advanced technology and methods to combat COVID-19 disease. Cancer has always been a challenge for doctors around the world that leads to major death cases of patients. Patients with active cancer, undergoing anticancer treatment have higher risks than the normal population during this time of COVID-19. 

There are various methods used by doctors to treat cancer:

Multidisciplinary treatment approach – Where each team member is assigned with specific tasks in which he is specialized in, thus, set to improve the quality of life of the patients.

Radical treatment approach – This treatment approach is used by doctors to find a complete cure for patients with cancer. Prognostic factors are taken into consideration by doctors (for instance; nodal status and tumour size). 

Palliative treatment approach – In this approach doctors use to get control of the symptoms to fight cancer to overcome risk factors of cancer in patients and provide a quality life. 

There is yet another management system that has been followed by doctors that works on a principle of giving the treatment for patients by determining the prognostic factors. This approach of cancer management depends on the following factors to be successfully implemented and to provide patients a better life:

Treatment Factor – These factors include whether the right kind of treatment for the patient is available or not. And, if it is available, how likely it is going to be effective provided for the patient’s symptoms. After we have the availability and find out its effectiveness on the patients, we study the case for the patients if they will come across any side effects in future or not. These factors are seriously acknowledged and worked upon to cure and provide a better life for the patients in future and likely to decrease the chances of risks, thereafter. 

Tumor Factor – This factor includes studying the size of tumour the patient has in their body and what was the time duration or the stage of cancer in the patient’s body. This information allows doctors to have a better understanding of the extent of the spread of cancer and helps to form suitable cures. 

Patients Factor – This factor is important as it provide information: 

Is the patient fit from body and health to get the treatment. Opinion from the patient of preference is also important to consider at the same time as whether he wants the treatment or not. And also, if he has had any preexisting comorbidities or not. This performance status of the patient helps doctors to give functional status of the patient after and before the treatment of cancer. 

There are also different types of Cancer management approaches that determine the scope to work under providing assistance to Cancer treatment. 

Medical Therapies – Through oncology and hematology, doctors find out the clinical results and follow the therapeutic procedure of the patients cancer treatment. In this procedure, treatment is given through blood routes to the body of patients to fight cancer or any therapy involves blood.

Immunotherapy – This is the biological therapy that helps boost the immune system to fight against cancer. TILs’ is a tumor cell that is surrounded by immune cells thus increasing the ability to fight off cancer cells makes it respond in a positive way. 

Hormonal Therapy – Every cancer cell is feeding and growing on some hormones. Hormonal therapy functions against the growth of cancer that uses hormones to grow thus helping in easing out the symptoms of the patients. 

Targeted Therapy – As the name suggests targeted therapy is a drug given to target on the specific genetic nature of the cancerous cells to treat type of cancer. It targets knowing specifically the controls of how cancer cells grow, divide and spread. 

Radiation Therapy – In this therapy, radiation is used to kill the cancerous cells which does not allow cancerous cells to multiply and thus, assists doctors to easily remove it with surgery and help in easily destroying other remaining cancerous cells in the body of the patient. 

Cancer treatment in India has evolved to the level where you can expect the best results from the cancer hospitals in India. Use of the latest technology and approaches makes them stand-out from the rest and helps treat and gives a better life for the patients. 

   Cancer Treatment

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