In reality, surgery can only be performed when cancer is still in the early stages. If the cancer has metastasized extensively, surgery alone cannot remove it.
Cancer is classified into four stages based on its progression. Since my specialty is respiratory medicine, I’ll briefly describe the stages of lung cancer as a reference.
The Four Stages of Cancer:
- Stage 1: The cancer is small and has not spread to the lymph nodes.
- Stage 2: The cancer is somewhat larger or has spread to the lymph nodes on the same side as the cancer.
- Stage 3: The cancer has spread to nearby vital organs or has extensive lymph node metastasis.
- Stage 4: The cancer has metastasized to other organs. In the case of lung cancer, fluid may accumulate in the chest, and cancer cells may be present in this fluid.
Typically, surgery is an option for stages 1 and 2. Stage 3 usually requires a combination of radiation therapy and drug treatment, while stage 4, often referred to as “terminal” (although this is not a medical term), primarily involves drug treatment.
Drug treatment mainly involves the administration of chemotherapy, but it is effective in only about 30% of cases. Since cancer cells originate from the body’s own cells, there is currently no drug that can selectively kill only cancer cells.
This means that chemotherapy attacks not only cancer cells but also healthy cells, which is why the side effects of chemotherapy can be so severe.
During my time working at a general hospital, I witnessed many patients who were relatively healthy at their first visit, only to become frail and weakened by chemotherapy, ultimately succumbing to the treatment.
To those reading this, I strongly encourage you to take proactive steps while you are still healthy to maintain your health and prevent illness.