Fibrosarcoma: Treatment, Cost and Side Effects

The treatment for Fibrosarcoma varies according to the stages of cancer. The stages are classified into 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3, 4. The first stage consists of 1A and1B which are known as the low-grade cancers, but the difference between 1 and 2 is the size of a tumour where A varies up to 5 cm and B grows more than 5 cm. The second stage is also similar to the first stage but the only difference is the grade between the two cancers where the first stage is low grade and the second stage is high grade. In the first two grade, the tumour is not spread to any other parts of the body. In the third stage, the tumour will be larger than 5 cm which is a high-grade one and also affects any one of the lymph nodes. The final stage is also known metastatic cancer where a tumour will be of any size, the grade may spread to many parts of the body which may or may not attack the lymph nodes. The first stage of a tumour can be removed by surgery followed by surgery. Treatment for the second stage involves surgery, radiation therapy which is of high dose and sometimes chemotherapy when radiation therapy does not have any effect on them. The third stage includes surgery for lymph nodes, chemotherapy and hyperthermia therapy. Hyperthermia is used in specific areas to increase body temperature. Stage four treatment includes chemotherapy and surgery in lungs.

Radiation therapy works by passing high and low dose radiations in cancer-affected areas. By doing this the cancer cells will be killed. The radiation will affect both the cancer cells and normal cells but the cancer cells will have more effect when compared to normal cells. The doctor who does radiation therapy is known, Oncologist. He is the one who schedules and looks at the treatment. Here the patient will be subjected to x-rays and scans so as to find cancer-affected areas. The areas will be marked which helps the oncologist to provide treatment in particular areas. The treatment will be done by making the patient lie on a couch and the radiation will be passed to them using a machine called a linear accelerator. A superficial X-ray unit can also be used in place of the linear accelerator in some cases. Radiation therapy can be done in two ways. External beam radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy. The external method involves a machine which allows radiation to pass at various affected parts. Radiations cannot be seen by the patients but it passes around them. In internal radiation, the source of radiation is kept inside the body where a tumour is located.

Chemotherapy can be done to a patient in several ways. The first way includes surgery where there the disc is implanted in the human body for medication which dissolves over time. Here the disc will be placed in the tumour location. Chemotherapy skin creams are available which can treat cancer at a low level. These skin creams are used only for skin cancers. Some of the parts like the abdomen, chest, central nervous system and bladder can be treated locally by chemotherapy. Another chemotherapy method involves the installation of needles at various parts for the treatment. This process involves pain at the time of injection but after that, the needle can be loosed. Some of the chemotherapy pills are available now to treat the specific cancers. The chemotherapy treatments will differ depending on how patients react to the treatment. It may increase or decrease and sometimes results in the change in the program. The chemotherapy treatments which are done by taking creams and pills can be taken in the home itself, there is no need to stay in the hospital for these kinds of treatments.

Chemotherapy can be done based on the location of a tumour, stage and type. People who are having stage 2, stage 3 and stage 4 cancers are eligible to take up the treatment. Patients under 70 years of age can take chemotherapy.

People who are too old cannot take up this treatment. Some cancers do not have any effect due to chemotherapy, people with that type of cancer are not eligible. Chemotherapy is difficult treatment people who cannot withstand this treatment should not take it. People who are having problems in the heart, lungs, kidney and liver are not eligible to take up this treatment.

Radiation therapy mostly affects cancer cells but somehow it also affects the normal cells which result in severe side effects. Those side effects can be sometimes a short time and sometimes a long time. Some of the short-term side effects are tiredness, skin tanning or irritation on the skin and some may have bubbles in their skin, loss of hair, pneumonitis, vomiting, uncontrolled digestion and decrease in white blood cells. Long-term side effects include stiffening in jaws which occurs due to tissue scarring, hormone problems and sometimes it may result in the creation of new cancer. Side effects caused due chemotherapy are hair fall which results in hair loss, appetite changes, constipation, change in weight, unable to focus or concentrate, change in weight and problems in fertilization.

The patient should take plenty of fluids such as fruit juice, tea, coffee and water. Diet should be maintained as per the schedule and regularly. Plan your diet with a dietitian. Use baby soap during bathing and treated area should be protected so that it should not be shown to water or rubbed. Eating foods which are spicy, cold and hot should not be done. The treated area should not be exposed to sunlight. Usage of skin creams and body sprays should be avoided as it will affect the treated areas.

Radiation therapy does not make any pain in the body. However, the process takes a duration of a week to six weeks. Each session timings will vary according to the type of machine they use. some may be faster and may take longer time. Mostly the time difference for each session varies from five to fifteen minutes. After that, the patients have to visit the hospital for 6 to 7 weeks for check-ups. A patient who undergone chemotherapy will take a period of 6 - 9 months to recover.

The price of the radiation therapy varies according to the treatment given at different stages. The total cost for the treatment varies between RS 2,47,000 to RS 6,41,800. The cost of chemotherapy ranges from RS 30,000 to RS 1,00,000 for each session. A patient coming from abroad for treatment will be charged 60-70 % costlier than the original cost. The total cost for the treatment will be around Rs 2.5 lakhs to Rs 20 Lakhs.

The result of chemotherapy are permanent in some cases and in some cases, the treatment has to be repeated later on sometimes. The result of the chemotherapy cannot be found out immediately. The patient has to keep in observation to find the exact results of the treatment.

Patients who are undergoing this treatment are living longer than before. Researches have been going to extend their lifetime. There is no best alternative for chemo and radiation therapy but some the treatment can be taken to minimize the effect of cancer such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, exercise, hypnosis, massage, meditation, music therapy, relaxation techniques, tai chi and yoga.