Cancer is a condition characterized by the uncontrolled multiplication of cells lining the body of an individual. As per the National Cancer Institute, nearly 1,479,350 patients are diagnosed with different forms of cancer annually in the United States, out of whom approximately 562,340 succumb to the disease. There are more than 200 different cancer forms, which are generally named after the organ or the cells from where they originate. Treatment methods for each form of cancer vary depending on the internal spreading of the malignant cells; however there are certain common treatments which are used widely to treat patients afflicted with different cancer forms.
Instructions
Cancer Treatments
1. Undergo surgery. Surgical removal of the cancerous cells is one of the most common treatment methods. During the surgical procedure the malignant cells are surgically removed from the patient's body in order to prevent their subsequent proliferation and spreading throughout the body. Various forms of surgeries are performed. These include cryosurgery, laproscopy and general surgery depending upon the cancer form. Cryosurgery involves using argon gas or liquid nitrogen in order to freeze and destroy the abnormal cells. In laproscopy a thin incision is made on the body through which a tube (laproscpope) is sent to kill the cancer cells.
2. Consider chemotherapy as a possible treatment option. Chemotherapy is a treatment method which uses drugs to destroy the cancer cells. During a chemo session anti-cancer drugs like Pacitaxel and Cisplatin are injected through the blood stream of the patient. These drugs travel through the individual's body killing the malignant cells on their way. Combining more than one anti-cancer drug during treatment is common as the drugs work in tandem in destroying the malignant cells.
According to the National Cancer Institute, chemotherapy can sometimes be used as the only treatment method to treat the cancer patients, however more often it is used along with other treatments like surgery and radiation therapy.
3. Look into radiation therapy as a viable treatment option. Radiation therapy involves subjecting the cancer cells to high energy light beams such as X-rays or gamma rays, which help in destroying the abnormal cells and shrink the tumors thus averting their subsequent metastasis. External radiation therapy and internal therapy (also called brachytherapy) are two forms of radiation therapy used, depending on the positioning of the cancer cells. External therapy is basically used to treat external tumors and it involves using an external light source to irradiate the malignant cells. Brachytherapy is used to treat internal tumors and involves positioning radioactive seeds near the cancer cells.
4. Consider other treatments like use of angiogenesis inhibitors and biological therapy to treat your condition. Use of angiogenesis inhibitors help cut off the blood supply to the cancer cells, thus preventing their further growth and metastasis. Biological therapy, also called Immunotherapy, uses your own immune system to fight cancer. In this procedure synthetic forms of the immune system components are administered to the patient. These forms work alongside the natural forms, thus making your immune system work harder and in a more efficient manner.
Tags: cancer cells, malignant cells, immune system, radiation therapy, your immune system, abnormal cells, also called
