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Types of Cancer Treatments: Navigating Your Path to Recovery
By Raveena M Prakash
Cancer therapy includes a range of treatment methods to treat this deadly disease. The treatments may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and other therapies. One of the main goals of cancer treatment is to destroy cancer cells or shrink tumors to prevent further spreading. If you are diagnosed with cancer and concerned about different types of treatment methods for your cancer journey, then read further!
In this article, we’ll discover more about cancer therapy, types of cancer treatments including surgery in cancer treatment, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and side effects of cancer treatment.
What is cancer treatment?
Cancer therapy or common cancer treatments are generally used to stop or slow down the progression of this deadly disease. In some cases, the ultimate goal of treatment is to destroy or cure the cancer in the body. Treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and much more.
Each treatment option requires a unique treatment approach. The types of cancer treatments are often decided by the oncologists, majorly depending on the type of cancer, growth, and stage of cancer.
Types of cancer treatments
There are different types of cancer therapies used in the treatment of cancer. It can be used standalone or combined with other treatment options.
These may include:
Surgery
Surgery in cancer treatment is usually performed to remove cancer cells; this treatment also removes some surrounding healthy tissues in the affected body parts. Surgery is the most common and popular treatment for cancer, which is often performed on those whose cancer has not started to spread to other body parts. Surgery is one of the most effective treatment options to provide remission with no signs and symptoms of cancer in patients.
However, the effectiveness of these treatments mainly depends on removing the tumor or cancer cells from the patients. For example, surgery might not be a good option for those who have a tumor growing inside an important organ or cancer growing in between the main blood vessels. In such cases, surgery cannot get rid of blood cancers that have already spread in the body.
Radiation therapy
Radiation treatment, or radiation therapy, is another common treatment option used to treat cancer in people. This treatment option uses high doses of radiation to destroy cancerous cells or tumors. Radiation beams usually destroy and break down the cancer cells so they die.
These may include:
- External Beam Radiation Therapy: In this treatment procedure, it includes a machine placed outside the patient’s body to direct radiation towards the tumors.
- Internal Radiation Therapy: In this procedure, it uses radioactive implants near the cancer cells or tumors. In this type of radiation therapy, radiation can often be given during the surgery, also known as intraoperatively.
- Hyperthermia Therapy: In this treatment procedure, it uses heat waves to kill or destroy the cancer cells and makes the tumor shrink smaller.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is another popular drug-based treatment that uses powerful medicines to kill fast-growing cells in the body. Chemotherapy drugs often travel through the bloodstream and help to destroy the fastest-growing cancer cells in the body. In some cases, less common drugs go directly to the body parts where cancer cells have been growing.
Hormone therapy
This is another cancer treatment often used to block or reduce hormones that support cancer cell growth in the body. In some cases, the cancer might grow more rapidly in the presence of hormones, for example, sex hormones such as androgens and estrogens.
In some cases, the patient might have been diagnosed with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) cancer, and then these types of treatments might be recommended for the cure.
For example, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and gynecological cancers such as uterine and ovarian cancer are treated with hormone therapy.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is another treatment method used to cure and often helps the immune system to identify and destroy the cancer cells. In cancer patients, cancer cells grow effortlessly. Cancer cells usually hide from the immune system of the patient, so the immune system can’t attack the cancer cells.
However, immunotherapy is often given to cancer patients, which further helps the immune system to attack the cancer cells and avoid escaping from the body’s defense mechanism.
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy is another cancer therapy that aims to target the genetic changes or mutations that turn the healthy cells into cancerous cells in the body. Targeted therapy for cancer treatments is also known as precision medicine. This treatment usually destroys the cancer cells without harming the healthy cells in the patient's body.
There are mainly two types of targeted therapies used in cancer patients; these may include
- Monoclonal antibodies
- Small molecule inhibitors
Ablation therapy
Ablation therapy is another popular cancer treatment used to treat cancer. It involves hot or cold energy to destroy cancer cells in a patient's body. In some cases, these treatments can be used on cells that have a risk of becoming cancerous, also known as precancerous cells.
A healthcare professional might use a needle-like device through the skin through a cut (incision) made by the doctor; electrical energy is passed through this needle, which causes the tissue around the needle to heat up and destroy the precancerous cells.
There are three types of ablation therapy used; these may include
- Cryoablation
- Laser therapy
- Electrosurgery
Bone marrow transplant
Bone marrow transplant, also known as stem cell transplant, is used in cancer patients to treat cancers. Bone marrow transplant is used to replace immature blood cells, which could turn into cancerous cells in the body.
There are mainly two types of bone marrow transplants used in patients. These may include:
- Autologous: In this type of transplant, it uses healthy stem cells from your own body to replace cancerous or damaged cells in a patient's body.
- Allogeneic: In this type of transplant, the bone marrow is often used from a donor. It used to replace a patient's stem cells with those from a donor. The donor’s blood must be the same as the patient’s.
What happens during the procedure?
Cancer treatments usually involve a main treatment and some additional cancer therapies. Here are some of the common treatments any cancer patient might experience or face in their cancer treatment journey.
These may include:
- Primary treatment: This is the main treatment for cancer. One of the main treatments for cancer that hasn’t spread to other body parts is surgery. However, the primary treatment option is mainly decided based on the patient’s cancer type and its stage.
- Adjuvant therapy: This is additional treatment used in patients, which is given after the primary treatment to help or prevent and also reduce the risk of recurrence of cancer.
- Neoadjuvant therapy: The patient often receives this treatment before the primary treatment. This usually involves treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, which help to shrink or destroy cancer cells.
Some other treatments might include:
- Local treatments: These types of treatments are often given to remove or destroy cancer cells in a specific part of your body.
- Systemic treatments: These are other additional cancer treatments also focused on destroying cancer cells that have broken off from the primary tumor and spread.
Benefits of cancer treatments
The major goal of performing cancer treatments might include the cure of cancer and helping you live a healthy life and extend the lifespan of patients. The benefits of cancer treatments may or may not be possible depending on the patient’s health condition. When the cure is not possible in some cases, these treatments are often used to help shrink cancer cells or slow down their growth.
Side effects of cancer treatments
The cancer treatments are often given as cycles or sessions, majorly depending on their cancer type, its growth, and individual health conditions. The main goal of performing these treatments in a session or cycle is to give time to heal the body with these treatments.
However, in the process, the cancer therapy might damage or destroy healthy cells, which often results in some side effects in the patients. There are short-term side effects and long-term side effects of cancer treatments.
The side effects of cancer treatments include:
- Fatigue
- Anemia
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Experience pain
- Hair loss
- Diarrhea
- Mouth sores
- Loss of appetite
- Headaches
- Inflammation
Consult Today
Cancer treatments are rapidly improving and changing the landscape of cancer care and further enhancing treatment outcomes. People who are diagnosed with cancer are treated with different types of cancer therapy and methods to cure cancer. Undergoing several treatment methods might create side effects and health challenges in people.
However, there are combinations of treatments used for the treatment of cancer in patients. At Oncare, we analyze the patient’s type of cancer, stage, location, and overall health to plan an effective treatment plan. We offer premium quality treatments at an affordable price range without compromising the clinical care.
If you or any loved ones of yours are diagnosed with cancer and looking for the best cancer hospital in Delhi, then visit Oncare Cancer Center and book an appointment with our experienced cancer specialists today. Get an estimated cost of cancer treatments today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Oncologists often use cancer treatments according to the condition of cancer type, its growth and extent of growth in patients. They might use cancer treatments into cycles and sessions to allow your body to heal from cancer.
Cancer treatment usually involves a major treatment and additional therapies. Here are some of the treatments used in your cancer treatment journey.
- Primary treatment: This is the main and first-line treatment for any cancer disease.
- Adjuvant therapy: This is another treatment method given after the primary treatment.
- Neoadjuvant therapy: This is another important cancer treatment often given to the patient before starting the primary treatment.
If your oncologists refer to a cure as possible for your diagnosis, then the cancer is in its early-stages which has not started to spread yet.
Here are some of the benefits of cancer treatments.
- Early treatments offer the chance of survival and recovery from cancer.
- In advanced cases of cancers such as metastatic cancer treatments often provide several benefits including providing relief and comfort from the pain, and improve the quality of life.
- It enhances the quality of life with immediate treatment options.
Side effects of cancer treatments usually stop appearing in patients when the treatment officially ends. In some cases, the side effects continue even after the treatments.
Here are some of the long term side effects of cancer treatments:
- Experiencing bone and joint problems
- Experiencing intellectual disabilities
- Digestive problems
- Heart problems
- Mental health issues
- Nervous system problems
- Reproductive health issues