There are six main types of treatment for cancer and these are described
below. It is fairly common for a combination of treatments to be used.
Active surveillance (or watchful waiting)
Some types of cancer grow very slowly and may cause no problems
for many years. In this situation you may not need to have any treatment for some time, but your doctor
will monitor you closely so that if the cancer does start to
grow you can be given treatment at that time.
Surgery
operation is done to remove the tumour. Surgery is often used if the cancer
is only in one area of the body and has not spread. It may be used to remove lymph nodes if these are also
affected by the cancer.
Although it happens less frequently, it can occasionally be used to remove a malignancy that has progressed
to another part of the body. The sort of surgery will depend on the location and size of the tumor, as well
as the body part where the cancer has spread..
Radiotherapy
High intensity x-rays are used in this procedure to kill cancer cells while causing the least amount of
damage to healthy cells. The radiation is extremely carefully designed and is directed at the damaged
portion of the body. The most prevalent negative effect of it is fatigue. Depending on the area of the
body being treated, there may be negative effects.and the most common is tiredness. The side
effects will depend on the part of the body that is being treated.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the process of killing cancer cells with anti-cancer (cytotoxic) medications.
Chemotherapy medications come in more than 50 distinct varieties. Some are given as tablets or
capsules but most are given by drip (infusion)
into a vein. The medications target the cancer cells wherever they exist
in the body as they circulate in the circulation. Sometimes just one chemotherapy
drug is used, but often a combination of two, three or more drugs is given.
Chemotherapy can cause side effects. Depending on the medication (or medication combination)
taken, there may be negative effects. Today, there are some excellent strategies to avoid or
lessen the negative effects of chemotherapy..
Hormonal therapy
Hormonal therapies work by altering the levels of particular hormones in the body. Some cancers depend on
certain hormones in order to divide and grow. By altering the level of hormones in the body, or blocking
the hormones from attaching to the cancer cells the cancer can be
controlled.
Biological therapy
Biological therapies use substances that occur naturally in the body to destroy cancer cells. There are
several types of biological therapy, including: monoclonal antibodies, cancer growth inhibitors, vaccines
and gene therapy.
Monoclonal antibodies are drugs that can 'recognise' and find specific cells in the body. They can be designed
to find a particular type of cancer cell, attach itself to them and destroy them. They can also carry a
radioactive molecule, which then delivers radiation directly to the cancer cells.
cancer growth inhibitors interfere with the way cancer cells use
'chemical messengers' to help the cell to develop and divide.
Research is trying to see whether vaccines and gene therapy can be given to treat a
cancer that has come back or has spread. Vaccines may also be able
to reduce the chance of a cancer coming back, but this type of
research is in the very early stages.
Cancer backup has information on all the cancer treatments mentioned above and also on cancer research trials.