Cancer Treatment is dependant on the particular characteristics of each cancer patient and their cancer. A cross-check of the following components will help decide the focus of your treatment:
Age
Your overall health
Type of cancer
The stage of cancer
The universal focus of treating cancer is either curative or palliative:
Curative Treatments:These treatment strategies are meant to result in the cure of a cancer. In many cases, curative treatments will also cause a complete reversion of the common side effects of cancer.
Palliative Treatments:Palliative, derived from the Latin palliare, which means “to cloak”, is a treatment strategy designated to reduce the rigor of a cancer’s symptoms. Palliative treatments may subdue cancer development, but they’re not designated to cure the cancer.
Types of Cancer Treatment
Upon diagnosis and staging, a strategy is established by a patient and their doctors. Depending on the characteristics of every cancer and the direction of treatment, these modalities are applied to treat cancer:
Bone Marrow Transplant
Bone marrow transplants (BMTs) have been practiced to handle patients with leukemia, aplastic anemia, lymphomas, and some solid tumors, even including breast and ovarian cancer.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is the practice of ionizing radiation to kill and/or inhibit the growth of malignant cells.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a form of treating cancer whereby chemicals called antineoplastic drugs, designed to kill malignant cells.
Hormonal Therapy
Hormonal therapy is the use of hormones in cancer treatment. A hormone is a substance produced by one tissue to have an influence on the physiology of another tissue. Hormones arouse some cancer cells, whereas they inhibit others. Depending on the features to each type of cancer, hormones can be utilized to suppress, or even defeat cancer cells.
Surgery
Surgery is commonly used to diagnose and determine the stage of a cancer, prior to treatment ever decided. Biopsies are one of the most common diagnostic procedures for cancer. When surgery is used in cancer treatment, it usually entails the partial or complete removal of a cancerous growth, or tumor. Nearby tissues are likewise oftentimes removed to lessen the likelihood of cancer recurrence.
Some examples include:
Lumpectomy
The most common form of breast cancer treatment is a lumpectomy. It requires the removal of a tumor and some adjacent tissues.
Mastectomy
A mastectomy is the partial or complete removal of the breast. It differs from a lumpectomy in that a lumpectomy is designed to extract only the tumor and minimum surrounding tissues, not the entire breast.
Prostatectomy
A prostatectomy is an operation designated to remove all or part of the prostate gland.
Alternative Methods of Cancer Treatment
Complimentary and alternative cancer therapies and treatments can help relieve cancer symptoms, but are seldom meant to be curative. Safe alternate treatment modalities may include mediation, yoga, herbal supplements, aromatherapy, exercise routines, acupuncture, and massage.