Surgery doesn't automatically stop. The surgeon looks at what's there, how far it goes, and...

Immunosuppression means the immune system can't fight infections the way it should. During cancer...

Frozen section is a quick tissue test done while surgery is still in progress. The surgeon sends a...

The liver is the most common first stop for cancers that spread. It's all about blood flow. Blood...

Most cancer patients can still eat non vegetarian food during treatment, with lean fish, chicken...

A surgical drain is a small flexible tube placed inside the body at the end of an operation. The...

Ascites is a build up of fluid inside the abdominal cavity. When it's linked to cancer, it's...

Node positive cancer means that cancer cells have spread from the original tumour into one or more...

A PET scan can miss cancer. Not often, but it happens. The test works by detecting cells that...

Cachexia is a wasting syndrome that causes severe loss of muscle and fat, even when the patient is...

Yes, some viruses cause cancer. They account for about 15 to 20 percent of all cancers worldwide....

A cyst is a fluid filled sac that's almost always benign and rarely turns cancerous. Cancer, on...

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the neck, yet it controls metabolism, energy,...

A tumour board is a weekly meeting. Surgical, medical and radiation oncologists, pathologists and...

Some cancers grow inside organs that simply have no way to raise an alarm. The pancreas, ovaries,...

Mother to baby cancer transmission during pregnancy is extremely rare, with only around 18...

Hugging during chemotherapy is safe most of the time, and emotionally it matters a lot. What...

Cancer drives weight loss through several things happening together. The tumour leaks inflammatory...

PIPAC stands for Pressurised Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy, a newer minimally invasive...

Chemotherapy uses drugs that attack all fast dividing cells in the body, including cancer cells...

The first oncology visit should answer five things, what exactly is the cancer and its stage, what...

Hair loss depends entirely on which cancer treatment you're receiving. Surgery alone, hormone...

A neck lump that hasn't resolved after a full course of antibiotics is no longer behaving like a...

Back pain is rarely caused by pancreatic cancer. The vast majority of cases come from muscle...

A persistent cough is rarely caused by lung cancer. The vast majority of cases come from post...

Shortness of breath is rarely caused by lung cancer. The vast majority of cases come from asthma,...

Breast pain is far more often caused by hormonal changes than by cancer. The vast majority of...

Breast pain is rarely caused by cancer. Only around 2 percent of breast pain cases are linked to...

A lump in the armpit is rarely breast cancer. Most cases come from a swollen lymph node fighting...

Persistent bloating lasting a month is rarely caused by cancer. The vast majority of cases come...

It's a small surgery that finds and removes just one or two lymph nodes, the very first ones a...

Blood in mucus is rarely caused by cancer. The vast majority of cases come from a chest infection,...

Infection causes almost every swollen lymph node you'll ever feel. Cancer is the rare exception. A...

A mouth ulcer that hasn't healed in three weeks can be early oral cancer. Not every one is, but...

Most white patches on the tongue are not cancer. The vast majority come from friction, fungal...

Cancer rates in Indians under 40 are climbing fast, with around 15 to 18 percent of new cases now...

Cancer comes back when microscopic cells survive the original treatment, stay dormant for months...

Pasteurised milk and paneer are usually safe during cancer in normal household amounts, and...

Convincing a reluctant parent to get screened usually takes patience and honest conversation, not...

A rising tumour marker can mean cancer is becoming active again, but it can equally signal...

The belief that cancer is a curse, a punishment or the result of bad karma comes from a generation...

India accounts for nearly one in three oral cancers worldwide, mostly because of widespread...

Most cancer patients can travel by car or train safely, provided they plan ahead and get their...

Home wound care comes down to four simple steps: keep the wound clean, keep it dry, follow the...

Gentle movement like walking or stretching can usually begin within days of treatment, often while...

Pregnancy is safe for most patients after cancer treatment, provided the right waiting period has...

Standard hormone replacement therapy is generally not advised after breast cancer, because the...

Most cancers are not inherited. Only around 5 to 10 percent of all cancers run in families through...

Chemotherapy can affect fertility in both men and women, but the impact varies enormously by drug,...

Yes, fever during chemo is always treated as a medical emergency, never something to wait out at...

Some complementary therapies can sit safely alongside cancer treatment, but they should never...

Feeling cold during chemo is usually down to anaemia. Chemotherapy lowers your red blood cells,...

If the report comes back worse than expected, it usually means the treatment plan is strengthened,...

Two years is the usual wait after chemotherapy before trying to conceive. That window lets the...

Hair almost always grows back after chemo, though it often returns a little different at first....

Skip raw or undercooked meat, fish and eggs. Skip unpasteurised milk and soft cheeses. Wash every...

Constipation after cancer surgery is very common and usually nothing to be alarmed about....

Numbness near a surgical scar happens because tiny nerves in the skin are unavoidably cut when the...

Most stitches come out around seven to fourteen days after surgery, though the exact day depends...

lifting weights after lymph node removal is generally safe and highly recommended, provided you...