Cancer Treatments

There are many forms of cancer treatments available today. Because of this, the idea that a diagnosis of cancer is “the end of the world” or should be met with a feeling of hopelessness is a misconception for most cancer patients. To be sure, a diagnosis of cancer always brings with it the fear of loss of life, however, the following treatment methods are available and in most cases provide successful results and a positive prognosis.

Currently Available Cancer Treatments
For most cancer patients there are a wide-range of options available for treatment. Treatments such as Surgical Oncology, Radiation Therapy, Chemotherapy, Targeted Therapies, Immunotherapy, Hormonal Therapy, Angiogenesis Inhibitors and Stem Cell Transplantation have revolutionized the cancer treatment field and brought about survival rates that were unheard of only decades ago.

Surgery
Most patients suffering from non-hematological or blood cancers can be cured if the tumor is excised using surgical methods. As long as the tumor has not metastasized and spread to the lymph system, surgery is the easiest and most successful solution. The mastectomy and prostatectomy are common surgical procedures used in the removal of breast cancer and prostate cancer. New surgeries such as Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspiration can specifically target and remove areas of cancerous tissue making surgeries such as full mastectomies unnecessary.

Liver cancer, which is normally untreatable with surgery, is now being treated with Radiofrequency Hyperthermic Tumor Ablation, which targets the specific cancer cells within the liver and basically melts them. This type of surgery can also be used for other types of cancers that affect the colon, lung or breast.

A leading surgical procedure in the treatment of pancreatic cancer is pancreaticoduodenectomy, or Whipple surgery. This procedure removes the head and, in some cases, the body of the pancreas as well as the gallbladder and duodenum.

Radiation Therapy
Radiotherapy, X-ray therapy or irradiation are commonly used terms when referring to radiation therapy. This method of cancer treatment utilizes ionizing radiation to diminish the size of tumors and kill cancerous cells. Brachytherapy is used to achieve this internally and external beam radiotherapy is administered from the outside. Generally, the effects of this type of therapy are localized to the treatment area; however, it also damages the normal cells that are in the affected region.

Most types of solid tumors can be treated with radiation therapy. Cancers of the cervix, brain, larynx, pancreas, skin, stomach, breast and lung can be effectively treated using this type of therapy.

Chemotherapy
Cancer chemotherapy treats cancers by exterminating the cancer cells. This method of treatment generally refers to the use of cytotoxic drugs. These drugs attack cells that divide rapidly by interfering with the cell division process. Since most of the chemotherapy drugs target all cells that divide rapidly, it can harm healthy tissue also.

Targeted Therapy
In the 1990s, targeted therapy became an option that has had a remarkable effect in treating some types of cancer. This type of treatment uses different agents that target the deregulated proteins in cancer cells. Types of targeted therapies include monoclonal antibody therapy and photodynamic therapy as well as therapies that use peptides to home in on and bind to affected cell surface receptors that surround cancerous tumors.

Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy treatment involves the use of different therapeutic tactics that are intended to cause the immune system of the affected patient to fight the cancer. Procedures used to garner an immune system response involve the use of interferons, some vaccines and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (bone marrow transplant). The latter can often cause a phenomenon called graft-versus-tumor-effect in which the donor’s transplanted immune cells attack the cancerous tumor.

Hormonal Therapy
Hormonal or hormone therapy is another viable option in the treatment of cancer. This treatment method inhibits cancer cells from receiving the needed hormones for their growth. Cancers that have receptors for estrogen, progesterone and testosterone can be treated with hormone therapy. Specific cancers that can generally be targeted by this type of treatment are prostate and breast cancers. Many times hormonal therapies are used in conjunction with other treatments.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors
Most cancerous tumors require an extensive network of blood vessels in order to get the blood that they need to survive. Angiogenesis inhibitors treat cancer by blocking the growth of these blood vessels. One problem related to Angiogenesis inhibitors is that these agents only target one aspect of blood vessel growth. Since blood vessel growth is dependent upon several different components, the treatment of a tumor using this method may not work as effectively.

Stem Cell Transplantation
Stem cell transplantation is divided into two categories: Autologous (stem cells harvested from the patient) and Allogeneic (stem cells harvested from donors). The process of using stem cell transplantation also involves chemotherapy or radiation therapy to kill off all of the cancerous cells in the bone marrow. After this has been achieved the stem cells are transplanted into the patient in order to replace the bone marrow that was destroyed in the process so that blood cell production can be resumed.

Clinical Trials and Research Studies
If a patient’s options are limited due to the type of cancer or other factors, they may be able to participate in clinical trials or research studies. These studies often involve the use of new drugs or therapies that have not been tested in humans. The benefits of such trials are that the patient receives the most up-to-date care from the best experts in the field, the possibility of the newest treatments or the most effective standard treatments available. The downside to these trials is that the success or failure of treatment cannot be predicted.

Patients should explore every option available with their doctors and, if necessary, garner a second opinion. New treatments are available that some physicians may not be aware of, so it is always important to research as much as possible. While this disease still brings with it apprehension and a feeling of hopelessness, treatments are being developed that promise excellent results in the battle against cancer.

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