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| Current Cancer Treatments |
Cancer is a nearly invincible disease that has plagued
humankind for centuries. Only in recent decades have doctors found effective
ways to treat it. In that time we have also found better methods for early
detection of this devastating disease. Despite great efforts to develop better
treatments, more than 6 million people worldwide died from cancer in 1997. And
we are still years away from any possible cure for cancer, something that many
scientists think is impossible. While early detection is your best form of prevention,
there are several techniques that are used to treat cancer like:-
- · Surgery
- · Radiation therapy
- · Chemotherapy
- · Hormone therapy
- · Immunotherapy
Surgery is the oldest and most widely used treatment available for
cancer patients. About 60 percent of people diagnosed with cancer will undergo
surgery, if a growth is found early, doctors may opt to remove it before it has
a chance to grow. Surgery is also used when there is a good chance to remove an
entire tumor before it spreads. Surgery is rarely used as a stand-alone
treatment. Usually, it is combined with radiation therapy and /or chemotherapy.
In radiation therapy, the specific
part of the body containing a cancerous growth is exposed to radiation energy
to attack reproducing cancer cells. However, the radiation cannot affect the cancer cells
without affecting normal cells, which can lead to several unpleasant side
effects, including fatigue, dryness and peeling of skin, nausea and vomiting.
Radiation therapy is often used to shrink a tumor so that it can be removed
through surgery, or to prevent tumor growth following surgery.
Chemotherapy, the treatment of cancer through drugs, is an effective
treatment method for fighting cancerous cells that have spread to other parts
of the body and that cannot be treated with any other method. There are dozens
of cancer drugs that, in some cases, can cure the cancer, limit the spread of
cancer and alleviate the symptoms of cancer. Similar to radiation therapy,
chemotherapy also can affect normal cells, causing the same kinds of side
effects.
Two more recent treatments
for cancer are hormone therapy and immunotherapy.
Hormone therapy involves anything that deals with manipulating the body's
hormones to treat the cancer, including administering hormones and drugs.
Doctors may also remove hormone glands to kill cancer cells or prevent further
cancerous growth. Immunotherapy also manipulates the body's normal functions.
During immunotherapy, patients are given medication to stimulate the body's
immune system to fight cancerous cells.
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