Read the passage and answer the following questions:
Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases of human beings and is a major cause of death all over the globe. More than a million Indians suffer from cancer and a large number of them die from it annually. The mechanisms that underlie development of cancer or oncogenic transformation of cells, its treatment and control have been some of the most intense areas of research in biology and medicine. In our body, cell growth and differentiation is highly controlled and regulated. In cancer cells, there is breakdown of these regulatory mechanisms. Normal cells show a property called contact inhibition by virtue of which contact with other cells inhibits their uncontrolled growth. Cancer cells appears to have lost this property. As a result of this, cancerous cells just continue to divide giving rise to masses of cells called tumors.
What is the common approach for treatment of cancer?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → All of the above.
Cancer is treated in more than one way, and doctors often use the methods together. The tumour can be removed, its cells can be killed with radiation or drugs, and the patient’s own immune system can be boosted. The book says most cancers are treated by a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Option (1) Surgery — Incorrect. Surgery removes the tumour mass. It is one of the common approaches, but it is only one of them, so this option alone is not complete.
Option (2) Chemotherapy — Incorrect. Chemotherapy uses drugs that kill cancerous cells. Many of these drugs have side effects such as hair loss and anaemia. It is one method, not the whole answer.
Option (3) Radiotherapy — Incorrect. In radiotherapy, tumour cells are irradiated lethally, while care is taken to protect the normal tissue around them. This too is one method, not the whole answer.
NCERT Extract:
Cancer – “… Treatment of cancer : The common approaches for treatment of cancer are surgery, radiation therapy and immunotherapy. In radiotherapy, tumor cells are irradiated lethally, taking proper care of the normal tissues surrounding the tumor mass. Several chemotherapeutic drugs are used to kill cancerous cells. Some of these are specific for particular tumors. Majority of drugs have side effects like hair loss, anemia, etc. Most cancers are treated by combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.”