Treating Cancer

 

Cancer can be treated in a number of ways. Surgery, Chemotherapy, Radiation Therapy, Immunotherapy, and Monoclonal Antibody Therapy are among the most popular. The choice of cancer therapy is made by looking at the stage of the disease and the state of the patient. The goal of cancer treatment is the complete removal of the cancer without significantly damaging the rest of the body. Sometimes a surgeon can remove the cancer easily, other times this is not possible. Chemotherapy and Radiation can be quite affective in killing cancer cells, but they are also toxic to healthy cells.

 

 

 

The Breast Cancer Run

Surgery

 

 

Theoretically, non-blood based cancers can be cured if entirely removed by surgery. This is easier said than done. If the cancer spreads to other parts of the body before surgery, it is usually impossible to remove all the cancer through surgery. Two of the most well know surgical procedures for removing cancer are mastectomy (where one or both of the breast are removed in an effort to treat breast cancer) and a prostatectomy (where all or part of the prostate gland are removed). Cancer can recur if a single cell is left behind after surgery. With this in mind a pathologist will carefully examine your surgical specimen to make sure there is a margin of healthy tissue present.

 

 

Surgery is also used to determine the stage (extent) of cancer. Staging is very important for determining a prognosis and treatment.

 

 

 

A Radiation Mask

Radiation Therapy

 

 

Radiation Therapy is the use of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation can be giving externally through External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT) or internally through Brachytherapy. The effects of radiation are concentrated on the area being treated. Radiation Therapy damages the DNA of the cancer cells making it impossible for them to grow and divide. Radiation Therapy damages both healthy and cancer cells, but healthy cells are able to recover from the Radiation. Radiation is given over several rounds so the healthy cells have a chance to recover between treatments.

 

 

Radiation is used to treat almost every type of cancer. The amount of Radiation that is given depends on the type of cancer and how close it is to major organs. As with every form of cancer treatment, radiation is not without side effects.

 

 

 

Steve after Radiation

Side Effects of Radiation Therapy

 

 

The side effects of Radiation Therapy can appear during treatment or years later. The nature of the side effects depend on where the radiation was received and how much. Some of the immediate side effects from radiation are burning on the skin, swelling, infertility, and fatigue. Some of the long term side effects fibrosis (loss of elasticity in the tissue that was treated), hair loss, dryness, and cancer.

 

 

 

Mia in the Hospital

Chemotherapy

 

 

Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with anticancer drugs. Most chemotherapy targets all rapidly dividing cells, and not just cancer cells. This means that often chemotherapy damages healthy cells as well as cancer cells. However, most healthy cells repair themselves after the chemotherapy has ended. Most patients are given a combination of chemotherapy drugs. It is important that you talk all drugs that are prescribed in combination with your chemotherapy.

 

 

Targeted Therapy

 

 

Targeted Therapy first became available in the late 1990s and it has proven to be very effective in treating some types of cancer. If you have questions about Targeted Therapy and how it can help you or your loved one, talk to your doctor. Your doctor will know what Targeted Therapies may be right for your cancer.

 

 

 

Josh and his family after surgery

Immunotherapy

 

 

Immunotherapy is a set of strategies that will trigger a patient’s immune system to fight the tumor. Immunotherapy has been very affective on Renal Cell Carcinoma, Melanoma, and prostate cancer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hormonal Therapy

 

 

Hormonal therapy is used to block or provide certain hormones. They have been particularly effective in Breast and Prostate Cancers.

 

 

 

Tom getting chemo

Symptom Control

 

 

Some treatments are designed not to kill the cancer cells, but to control the symptoms of the cancer. This is very important for helping maintain a high quality of life for the cancer patient. Symptom Control is used for all stages of cancer, but particularly for end of life care. There is somewhat of a social stigma attached to the use of high power pain killers. Cancer patients should feel free to ask their doctor or Hospice provider about any medicine they take, especially if the patient feels the medicine is doing more harm than good. That being said, do not stop taking any medicines without consulting your health care provider first.

 

 

Complementary and Alternative Medicines

 

 

Consult your doctor and do lots of research before beginning any alternative treatment. Do not stop your other therapies or medicines in order to take an Alternative Medicine. No Alternative Treatments have been shown to effectively treat any form of cancer, and none are FDA approved.

 

 

 

Roger perparing for surgery

Clinical Trials

 

 

Clinical Trials test new treatments on people with cancer. The goal of these studies is to find better ways to treat cancer and help cancer patients. Patients who take part in clinical trails get the best available standard of care for their cancer, however there is no guarantee that the new treatment will work. If the treatment does work, those in the trial are among the first to benefit from the new treatment.

 

Article From www.cancer.sc/content,treatment/

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