Cancer treatment is the use of surgery, radiation, medications and other therapies to cure cancer. Many cancer treatments exist. Depending on your situation you may receive one treatment or you may receive a range or a combination of treatments. Achieve a cure for your cancer is the main goal of your cancer treatment which will allow you to live an ordinary life span.
Every day, millions of cells ‘kill’ themselves and are quickly removed from our system helping to protect us from potentially harmful cells. Cancer cells, on the other hand, can protect themselves from self-destruction by ignoring our immune system’s cell- death signals. Scientist from US recently discovered a genetic ‘kill code’ in our cells that could theoretically be used to cancer without chemotherapy.
Cancer treatment may be used as:
Primary treatment: The goal of primary treatment is to completely remove the cancer from your body or kill all the cancer cells.
Adjuvant treatment: The goal of adjuvant therapy is to kill any cancer cell that may remain after primary treatment in order to reduce the chance that the cancer will recur.
Palliative treatment: Palliative treatment can be used at the same time as other treatments intended to cure your cancer. These kinds of treatments help to relieve side effects of treatments or signs and symptoms caused by cancer it. Many cancer treatments are available. Your treatment options will depend on several factors, such as the type and stage of your cancer, your general health, and your preferences. Together you and your doctor can weigh the benefits and risks of each cancer treatment to determine which is best for you.
Cancer treatment options include:
Surgery: The goal of surgery is to remove the cancer or as much of the cancer as possible.
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells.
Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy beams, such as X-rays or protons, to kill cancer cells. Radiation treatment can come from a machine outside your body (external beam radiation), or it can be placed inside your body.
Bone marrow transplant: Your bone marrow is the material inside your bones that makes blood cells from blood stem cells. A bone marrow transplant, also known as a stem cell transplant, can use your own bone marrow stem cells or those from a donor.
A bone marrow transplant allows your doctor to use higher doses of chemotherapy to treat your cancer. It may also be used to replace diseased bone marrow.
Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy, also known as biological therapy, uses your body’s immune system to fight cancer. Cancer can survive unchecked in your body because your immune system doesn’t recognize it as an intruder. Immunotherapy can help your immune system “see” the cancer and attack it.
Hormone therapy: Some types of cancer are fueled by your body’s hormones. Examples include breast cancer and prostate cancer. Removing those hormones from the body or blocking their effects may cause the cancer cells to stop growing.
Targeted drug therapy: Targeted drug treatment focuses on specific abnormalities within cancer cells that allow them to survive.
Radiofrequency ablation: This treatment uses electrical energy to heat cancer cells, causing them to die.
Other treatments may be available to you, depending on your type of cancer.