Catalyst Oncology for Cancer Patients

Catalyst Oncology is a special laboratory that aids patients with medical conditions
concerning tumors and their origins, development, diagnosis and treatments.
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer. It is mainly concerned with
the diagnosis of cancer and tumors, therapy, follow-up of cancer patients post-treatment,
palliative care of patients with terminal malignancies, ethical questions regarding cancer
care, and screening efforts of populations or relatives of patients since some cancers are
hereditary.

Perhaps the most important aspect in oncology is the diagnosis. Early diagnosis has
been proven to save lives in cancer patients. Cancers in their early stages are relatively
curable. The earlier you get diagnosed, the better your chances are in recovering. There
are several methods in diagnosing cancer. Biopsy (incisional or excisional); endoscopy
(gastrointestinal, bronchoscopy, nasendoscopy); X-rays, CT scanning, MRI scanning,
ultrasound and other radiological techniques; scintigraphy, single photon emission
computed tomography and other methods of nuclear medicine; blood tests and tumor
markers. These modalities are usually found in catalyst oncology labs.

Therapy depends entirely on the nature of the tumor. Certain tumors require
immediate admission and chemotherapy, while others may require more follow-up
examinations and blood tests. Catalyst oncology laboratories offer these services.

More often than not, oncologists suggest to surgically remove the tumor entirely.
But this is only possible if there is some degree of certainty that the tumor can be
removed. When some parts of the cancer should remain, curative surgery is often
impossible. So when the cancer has spread out to some parts where surgery could
not reach or operating in such areas could endanger the patient’s life, surgery is not
recommended at all.

But there are instances where surgery can improve a person’s survival even if not all
tumor tissue have been removed, this process is called debulking. It reduces the amount
of tumor tissue.

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are commonly used in a number of malignancies.

They are also used for adjuvant therapy where the tumor has been removed but there
is a certain risk that it will recur. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy is also used for
palliative treatments where the aim is to prolong and improve the quality of life of an
incurable patient. Hormone manipulation is used particularly in the treatment of breast
cancer and prostate cancer.

Palliative care includes the treatment of cancer patients using radical methods.
Approximately 50% can be treated to remission, in pediatric patients the percentage is
much higher. A significant number of cancer patients die from the disease but a certain
number of incurable cancer patients die from other causes.

There are lot of questions, concerns and issues surrounding cancer. Some of these
ethical questions may include certain concerns about what information to give the patient
regarding the disease, withdrawal of active treatment, resuscitation orders, etc. A certain
degree of sensitivity and responsibility is needed in addressing these issues, something
that the oncology team must take into careful consideration.
 A tremendous amount of research goes into the study of cancer. Oncology is a
constantly changing field. There are always new treatments, new tests that can detect
the disease in its early stages. So if you want to learn more about the disease and
the treatments available for you, visit a catalyst oncology laboratory for some advanced
diagnostic tests and procedures.