In my previous articles, I have always highlighted dietary adjustments as well as other possible lifestyle adjustments as ways to minimize the risk of cancer exposure. My aim for these publications is to inform and equip people with knowledge on how to protect them or at least learn self-defensive mechanism in their health lifestyles. It is also part of my sensitization campaign against cancer in our community. There is a very big gap in the oncology or cancer management in our clinical settings but we at least need to have the knowledge on possible disease occurrence and prevention. The increasing cost of modern cancer medications is something that should put us on pressure or alert us to develop stringent control and prevention measures. For example Pembrolizumab is a widely used immunotherapy medication in the treatment of advanced or recurred or metastatic cancer conditions. The drug has been largely used in the treatment of lung cancer diseases, skin cancer (melanoma) and gastric cancer among other various cancer conditions. The standard cost for every single injection is $ 10,000 USD taken once every month but some cancer types might require a single dose or injection every two weeks. The cost of $ 10,000 (about Rwf7, 600, 000) every two weeks is very high and untenable in both developing and developed countries. Not only the cost of treatment but the toxicity posed by many chemotherapy medications is notably very high. My take home message for this cause is to always engage in lifestyle activities that boost our body defence or help to eliminate as much toxins from the body as possible. The burden or cost of cancer challenges is very high. This has prompted the western world to strengthen, scrutinize cancer management settings through various collaborative efforts. Many oncology societies meet on a regular basis to discuss the outcome of various treatment modalities and also assess new possible studies that will improve treatment protocols. Many scientists and cancer experts around the globe have studied how cancer develops and how cancer spreads. Most of the chemotherapy or biological cancer treatments available aim to keep the cancer cell inactive or stay in dormant stage for a long time. The majority of chemotherapy medicationswork by inhibiting the replication process of the DNA of the cancer cell. Most conventional cancer treatment protocols involve the use of surgery, chemotherapy and treatment. Biological or immunotherapy treatments are sometimes used based on the type and pathology of the disease. In the latest cancer research studies; many natural products have proved to be more efficient than chemotherapy medications in some parts of the world. When surgery is performed on a particular cancerous tissue or affected body part; it’s the duty of the cancer expert to plan and execute a treatment protocol that will regress the disease. When cancer spreads from its primary site or one part of the body where it started to another part of the body; it is said to have metastasized. The role of radiotherapy is to ensure local control of the disease or prevent possible local recurrence. Chemotherapy to a certain extent helps in systemic control or control of lymphatic spread. Chemotherapy treatments always help to improve the quality of life. In solid tumor management, surgery is an important treatment protocol and an organized oncology department should have at least one oncology surgeon. In medical oncology, we usually ensure that cancer cells do not break away from the original cancerous tumor to travel through the bloodstream or through lymph vessels to other parts of the body. Lymph nodes or lymphatic vessels work like the blood vessels only that they carry the lymph fluid from other parts of the body back to the heart. Some cancers can spread through systemic channels where as others can spread through lymph nodes. Some cancers can spread through both ways and once we have received a cancer victim, we always strive to block the cancer on either channel. Some patients who are declared cancer free might develop lesions at the previous site or different site of the body. This is what is referred to as recurrence and is usually a setback in terms of disease progression control. Distant recurrence or metastasis of the disease means some cancer cells became resistant to the medications or chemotherapy during treatment and broke-off from the primary tumor to survive the initial treatment reaction. Such cancer cells travel through lymph nodes or blood vessels to start growing in a different part of the body. Different cancers have different spread or metastasis channels; they tend to spread to different parts of the body. Common sites of metastatic spread or distant recurrence include the lungs, bones, liver, and brain.
