There are a variety of cancer treatment options. There are also several factors which determine what type of treatments may be effective. The type of cancer and stage of the disease are two of the most critical elements that affect treatment options. This article provides an overview of some of the most common cancer treatment options currently available.
Chemotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that involves taking very strong drugs to fight cancer. It can be administered in pill form, as a liquid, through injections, or intraveneously (into your veins). Patients may receive chemo treatments at home, at a hospital, or at a clinic. The frequency and length of treatments is dependent on how the body reacts to the medicine, the type of chemotherapy being used, and also the type of cancer that’s being treated.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy waves or particles to get rid of or damage cancer cells within the body. Radiation is one of the most common cancer treatment options. The American Cancer Society reports that close to fifty percent of those with cancer will receive radiation as at least a part of their treatment plan. Radiation is a local treatment focused on the part of the body affected by the cancer rather than exposing the entire body to the treatment the way that chemo does.
Surgery is another one of the many cancer treatment options sometimes used to fight cancer. Curative surgery is frequently performed when it’s believed that a tumor is isolated enough that the majority of it can be removed. Debulking surgery also involves the removal of a tumor though the entire tumor is unable to be removed in this type of surgery. Chemo or radiation are typically used to further treat what’s left of the tumor following the debulking surgery. Palliative surgery is performed in an effort to make a cancer affected invidividual more comfortable . It may be used to help control pain for those with advanced cancer.
Targeted therapy is one of the newest cancer treatment options which focuses on keeping cancer cells from growing and spreading. A group of drugs and other substances are used to achieve this while doing minimum damage to normal cells. This is an area of cancer research receiving a lot of attention.
Immunotherapy is a treatment that involves the stimulation of the immune system to fight cancer smarter or more intensely. This is sometimes achieved by boosting the immune system with synthetic immune system proteins. This therapy is most commonly used to complement other types of treatments and in the treatment of early stage cancers.
Additional cancer treatment options include photodynamic, antiangiogenesis, gene, and alternative and complimentary therapies. Bone marrow and peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation are additional treatments oncologists may consider for specific types of cancer. Research continues to offer those affected by cancer options and hope.
