Malignant or cancerous tumors arise in one organ and later spread to closeby glands, tissue, and other organs. They can be life-threatening as they often overpower the healthy cells by growing aggressively and consuming their nutrients, space and blood. 

Benign are non-cancerous tumors that are localized and do not spread. If left untreated, they will keep growing and press on other body parts which leads to serious complications.

There are over 200 cancers classified into major types of cancer like carcinoma, sarcoma, melanoma, lymphoma, and leukaemia.

Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, vulvar cancer and vaginal cancer are some of the cancers seen in women while lung cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancer are some of the cancers that most often affect men. 

The most common types of cancer among children are leukaemias, neuroblastoma, lymphomas, kidney tumours, and malignant bone tumours.

The cancer symptoms are as follows. 

• Unexplained weight changes 
• Night sweats
• Persistent cough
• Tiredness and persistent pain
• Yellowing, darkening, or redness of the skin
• A lump or thickening of skin
• Fever that occurs mostly at night
• Difficulty in breathing and swallowing
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Constipation, diarrhea, and other bowel issues

Having any of the above symptom/s doesn’t necessarily mean you have cancer. If you notice any change in your body that lasts for over two weeks then you should see a doctor. If your doctor confirms the changes and suspects cancer, he/she may refer you to an oncologist.

An oncologist is a doctor who specializes in investigating, diagnosing and treating people with cancer or suspected cancer. Some of them specialize in a particular type of cancer treatment. An oncologist also supports the patient through collaboration and coordination of other specialists as a part of a multidisciplinary team. 

A medical oncologist treats cancer using chemotherapy or other medications, a surgical oncologist removes the tumor or cancerous tissue through surgery while a radiation oncologist specializes in treating cancer using radiotherapy.

An oncologist begins a cancer diagnosis with a thorough physical examination and discusses the complete medical history. Some of the common tests to check any abnormalities that may indicate cancer are lab tests followed by imaging tests like computed tomography scan (CT scan), bone scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) scan, ultrasound, X-ray, etc. if a tumor is suspected, and a biopsy to confirm the cancer diagnosis.

Early detection is critical for more affordable and effective cancer treatment. If cancer is diagnosed, you are required to undergo immediate treatment. If cancer treatment is too expensive, has a longer wait period, or advanced facilities are not available in your home country, then you may consider traveling abroad to leading healthcare destinations like India. But before travelling abroad for cancer treatment, you need to gather all the basic needed information such as treatment cost, destination, hospital, doctor, and know all available options to make the right decision.

Uniheal has helped several cancer patients from different countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Liberia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Rwanda, etc.  to choose the right cancer specialists, hospitals and the destinations for their cancer treatment abroad. Here is how we can help you. 

• Assistance in choosing right cancer specialist
• Prompt appointments at top accredited cancer hospitals
• Exclusive treatment packages with complete information
• Help in hospitalization and ground-assistance in destination country 
• Guidance at every step of the journey so that you can make informed decisions

The patient service representatives are present 24*7 at your service. You can reach out to us at +91 80 2999 2999 for any queries or information.