Cancer Treatment

Cancer is a single name for many neoplastic diseases, all of which occur when abnormal cells grow and multiply unchecked in any of the body's tissues or organs. Treatments involve attempting to stop cell growth, remove the entire growth, impair or kill the abnormal cells.

After cancer is detected and confirmed, several treatment options or combined options may be available. Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are the most common treatments. Hromonal therapy, immunotherapy, and regional perfusion are less common.

Surgery

The oldest form of cancer treatment, surgery involves removing a tumor or cancerous growth.

Radiation Therapy

External beam radiation kills cancer cells by exposing them to high doses of X-rays or gamma rays. Brachytherapy (a form of radiation therapy) involves implanting radioactive isotopes into the cancers, especially in prostate cancer, in an attempt to kill the neoplastic cells by the rays from the isotopes. 

Chemotherapy

Taken by mouth or injected into the bloodstream, these drugs interfere with cancer cell growth.

Hormone Therapy

Various hormones are used to stop certain types of cancer cells from growing. Hormone therapy is commonly used for prostate and breast cancer.

Immunotherapy

Drugs are used to boost your ability to fight cancer in the same way the body wards off infections. The best known of these, interferon, has been successful in treating a rare form of leukemia but less successful against other cancers. Recently, many antibodies have been developed that are used to impair or destroy cancer cells. These antibodies are used in the treatment of lymphoma, colon and breast cancers.

Regional Perfusion

Chemotherapy drugs are delivered only to the part of the body that has cancerous tissue. Damage to healthy tissue is minimal, the drugs may be more effective, and there are fewer side effects.

Support Is Available

Learning that you have cancer and looking ahead to an uncertain future can be frightening. Many cancer patients and their families find it helpful and reassuring to talk with others who are also dealing with cancer. For more information on how to locate a support group, ask your health care provider or contact your local chapter of the American Cancer Society.