Choosing From the Various Treatments For Cancer
If detected well in time, there is no reason as to why cancer cannot be treated and defeated. There are various treatments for cancer and a team of specialists would be able to start a patient on the right treatment to ensure that all cancerous cells are eliminated before they get out of control. The different treatments are mentioned below.
Surgery – Surgery is usually used in cases where the tumor can be safely removed without harming the functions of the affected organs to a large degree. Many types of breast cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, etc are cured by removing the affected part and then using chemotherapy or radiation to annihilate any cancerous cells lurking around the tumor. However, the surgeon will consider a patient’s case by first examining all the available treatments for cancer and will choose surgery only if the physical condition of the patient is suitable.
Radiation – Radiation can stop cancer cells from multiplying further and is also used to reduce pain in certain forms of cancer. Radiation is also used after surgeries to prevent any remaining cancer cells from again attacking the patient’s body. Radiation can be administered internally by either using a catheter to send the radioactive drugs directly to the affected organ, or placing radioactive pills or rods directly on the organ through surgery. This treatment is known as brachytherapy and can kill cancerous cells but can also adversely affect the surrounding organ in certain patients. External radiation is totally painless and is similar to taking x-rays of the patient’s affected organ. These treatments for cancer can be recommended after the doctor and the radiation oncologist deem that the patient will benefit positively.
Chemotherapy – This treatment usually involves feeding the patient a cocktail of drugs intravenously or in the form of pills. These drugs usually destroy harmful cancer cells but can also end up damaging healthy cells. Thus, doctors use it only when surgery or radiation does not prove to be useful or if the cancer is extremely aggressive. In certain cases chemotherapy might end up damaging the bone marrow of the patient and doctors might transplant healthy bone marrow after the treatment to make the patient healthy again, minus the cancer.
Other treatments for cancer – There are several other treatments for cancer that could benefit the patient and the doctor is sure to examine the possibility of trying them out if the need persists. Hormonal therapy, where hormones that encourage the growth of cancer are suppressed, is one such method. Immunotherapy, where the body is encouraged to fight the cancer on its own is another method. Alternative therapies involving herbs and acupuncture are also utilized by some patients in their list of treatments for cancer but as no long term tests have been conducted on them, it is difficult to provide clinching evidence on the success of such treatments.
Cancer can be cured if the right treatment is started on time. There are various treatments for cancer and the right treatment can be determined by an efficient team of doctors that understand the extent of risk and benefits for the patient before embarking on a certain treatment or a combination of treatments.
