Bollywood actor and singer Ayushmann Khurrana's wife Tahira Kashyap has once again fallen prey to cancer (Why Cancer Returns). Recently, she shared a post on her social media account and informed me about this. 7 years after falling victim to cancer for the first time in the year 2018, she has again become a victim of this serious disease.

In such a situation, to know about this, we spoke to Dr. Vaishali Jamre, Director of Surgical Oncology, Breast Oncology at Andromeda Cancer Hospital Sonipat. During this, we tried to know from the doctor why cancer recurs (Prevent Cancer Recurrence) after it is cured and how can we prevent this disease from recurring (Cancer Prevention Tips).

How does cancer develop?
The doctor said that cancer can develop in any organ or part of the body. Abnormal changes or damage in the structure of DNA or genes is the beginning of the development of cancer. These changes can be inherited or occur after birth and cause abnormal cells to grow uncontrollably. This leads to cancer. Cancerous cells can grow and spread to other parts of the body either directly or through the bloodstream or lymphatics.

Why does cancer come back?

Cancer cells can spread to any part of the body, but organs such as the liver, lungs, bones, brain, or adrenal glands are more commonly affected by the spread of cancer cells than other organs. Usually, the later the symptoms of cancer appear and then it is diagnosed, the more advanced the stage of cancer. However, some cancers have more aggressive behavior than other types of cancer. In such a situation, these cancers are usually detected at an advanced stage or they are more likely to come back after treatment is completed.

If there is a delay in the detection and treatment of these cancers, then these cancer cells continue to grow in different parts of the body. Therefore, in many people, cancer is detected in the fourth stage i.e. metastatic stage.

How is cancer detected?

It can be detected through tests like whole body PET CT scan, CECT scan, MRI scan, ultrasound scan or bone scan. However, sometimes very small particles of metastasis (less than 5 mm) cannot be detected with the help of these tests. In such a situation, these cells can remain dormant in different parts of the body and later start multiplying after the completion of anti-cancer treatment, due to which cancer returns.

Which cancers are at risk of recurrence?

Cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, and gall bladder are more aggressive than others and their risk of recurrence is also higher. Apart from this, serous epithelial cancers are also at a higher risk of recurrence. The risk of cancer recurrence depends on the stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis, grade of cancer, treatment, and tolerance to treatment. However, some of the cancers mentioned above can return even after being detected in the early stages.

On the other hand, if we talk about breast cancer, then triple negative or HER 2 positive cancer patients have a higher risk of recurrence. This cancer usually recurs in the liver, lungs, or brain. Whereas hormone receptor-positive breast cancer often returns late, that is, it returns a few years after the completion of treatment and occurs in the bones.

How to prevent cancer from returning?

To reduce the risk of cancer recurrence in the future, cancer must be diagnosed in the early stages as well. Also, after diagnosis, the person should get early, correct, and adequate treatment.

Apart from this, there should be regular screening, and do not miss the three-month follow-up at all in the first two years. Also, cancer survivors should get a liquid biopsy done. In this, cancer cells can be detected even before they appear on the scan.

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