These treatments are always intended to be combined, to achieve the best possible results. Cancer treatment, as a general rule, involves destroying or preventing cell multiplication or symptoms related to diseased cells.
1. Surgery
Ever since cancer has been established as one of the fatal diseases, surgery has undoubtedly been one of the most ancient and mainstream treatments for cancer. This mostly involves the physical removal of most of the tumor, with or without surrounding tissue.Types of Cancer Surgery
- Curative surgery: The aim is to completely remove the cancer where it is localized.
- Debulking surgery: A portion of the tumor is removed when the entire tumor cannot be removed.
- Palliative surgery: This is done to provide relief from cancer symptoms such as pain or obstruction.
- Preventive surgery: This removes tissues or organs that may be likely to develop cancer; Prophylactic mastectomy in BRCA mutation carriers.
- Reconstructive surgery: Restores the appearance or function of the human body after cancer is removed.
2. Radiation Therapy
This therapy is the treatment of cancer by exposure to high energy particles or waves such as X-rays, gamma rays and protons.Types of Radiation Therapy
- External beam radiation therapy: This directs radiation from outside the body to the cancer;
- Internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy): This injects radioactive material directly into or near the tumor.
- Systemic radiation therapy: This uses radioactive substances that circulate through the blood to reach cancer cells.
- Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS): This involves a small number of highly precise projections of high-dose radiation, usually to brain cancer.
- Proton therapy: Treatment using protons instead of X-rays to reduce injury to healthy tissue.
3. Chemotherapy (CHT)
Chemotherapy treatment aims to kill fast-growing cells—cancer cells. It is a systemic treatment, as it affects the entire body.Types of chemotherapy
- Alkylating agents: Attack DNA to stop cancer cells' ability to replicate, for example, cyclophosphamide.
- Antimetabolites: Inhibit further DNA and RNA synthesis, such as methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil.
- Plant alkaloids: Inhibit the cell division process, for example, vincristine and paclitaxel.
- Topoisomerase inhibitors: Inhibit enzymes that help separate strands of DNA.
- Targeted chemotherapy: Drugs specifically designed to act on specific vulnerabilities of cancer cells.
4. Immunotherapy
The concept of immunotherapy is to use the immune system to fight cancer by enhancing or restoring the immune system's ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells.Types of immunotherapy
- Checkpoint inhibitors: Proteins that prevent immune cells from attacking cancer cells (for example, pembrolizumab).
- CAR T-cell therapy: The patient's T-cells are genetically engineered to attack malignant cells.
- Cancer vaccines: The immune system is stimulated to attack cancer cells (for example, sipuleucel-T for prostate cancer).
- Immune system modulato: Promote overall immunity (for example, cytokines such as interleukin-2).
5. Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy for cancer uses pharmaceutical agents that target cancer cells rather than normal cells.The main categories of targeted therapy are:
- Monoclonal antibodies: bind to specific proteins on cancer cells and stop their growth (such as trastuzumab).
- Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors: Block enzymes important in the growth of cancer cells (e.g. imatinib).
- mTOR inhibitors: Interfere with the proteins that control mTOR and therefore cancer cells.
- Anti-angiogenesis agents: Prevent the formation of new blood vessels that nourish the tumor.
6. Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy is treatment for hormone-dependent malignant diseases such as breast or prostate cancer.Types of hormone therapy:
- Tamoxifen: This is an estrogen-blocking agent, which eliminates estrogen stimulation of cancer cells.
- Aromatase inhibitors: Reduces the level of estrogen produced in the body (anastrozole).
- Aromatase inhibitors: Reduces the level of estrogen produced in the body (anastrozole).
- Androgen deprivation therapy: Reduces male hormone levels to treat prostate cancer.
7. Stem Cell And Bone Marrow Transplant
These therapies restore blood-forming stem cells when a patient's marrow is damaged by high-dose chemotherapy or radiation.Types
- Autologous transplant: where stem cells are taken from the patient himself.
- Allogeneic transplant: where stem cells are taken from a donor.
- Syngeneic transplant: where the donor is an identical twin.
8. Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
PDT combines light-sensitive drugs with a light source to destroy cancer cells. This means that the drug accumulates in the cancer cell or produces a toxic response by flowing through the lumen end at a specific wavelength of light.9. Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is the process of destroying cancer cells by freezing them. This method is very useful for early cancer or localized cancer, for example, prostate cancer and skin cancer.10. Hyperthermia Therapy
Hyperthermia refers to exposing cancer tissue to high temperatures (up to 113°F), which damages and destroys cells or increases their sensitivity to other treatments.11. Precision Medicine
Precision medicine aims to customize treatment according to the genetic profiling of an individual's cancer. This involves testing a person's genotype and molecular profiling to find the right treatment.12. Complementary And Alternative Therapies
Complementary and alternative treatments are practices that are used alongside recommended standard medical treatments to ensure that the patient gets the best possible quality of life and to minimize the side effects of conventional treatments.Types
- Acupuncture: For pain and nausea.
- Herbal remedies: Plant-based products that include things like green tea extract.
- Mind-body techniques: yoga, meditation and stress management.
13. Nutrition And Lifestyle Interventions
Enhancing the efficacy of cancer treatment and optimizing general health through diet and lifestyle changes include:- Anti-inflammatory diet.
- Exercise regimens according to the patient's abilities.
- Supplements such as omega 3 fatty acids.
14. Palliative Care
Palliative care is the branch of medicine that aims to relieve the symptoms and improve the quality of life of patients suffering from progressive cancer. It also deals with pain management, psychological support, and hospice care.15. Experimental And Emerging Treatments
These new treatments are constantly being developed and subject to clinical trials.Some examples are as follows:
- Gene therapy: Treats or prevents cancer by modifying its genes.
- Nanotechnology-based therapy: This uses nanoparticles to deliver targeted drugs.
- Oncolytic virus therapy uses genetically modified viruses to infect and kill cancer cells.
- RNA-based treatments target certain RNA molecules that are involved in cancer progression.
