Cancer Treatment Options To Consider

Treating cancer is complex. Different parameters like age of the person; stage, range, and location of cancer; etc. have to be considered while treating cancer. Sometimes a combination of methods is required to treat cancer.

Here are the cancer treatment options you must consider:

1. Medical Treatment: This non-surgical method uses medicines, drugs, and chemicals to kill cancer cells. It includes-
   1. Chemotherapy: Strong medicines are administered either orally or intravenously to eliminate all fast-growing cells like cancer cells. Mainly used when cancer has already spread or there’s a risk of it. It’s also used as a measure to prevent cancer from recurring or to reduce the symptoms.
   2. Hormone Therapy: In some cancers (prostate, breast, etc.) the cancer cells use hormones for their growth and nourishment. Hormone therapy comes in handy for such hormone-induced cancers by altering the hormonal levels in the body.
   3. Immunotherapy: Medicines are given to enhance the immune system to the extent that it starts resisting and fighting the cancer cells on its own. This therapy proves to be more helpful in cases where Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes or TILs (type of immune cells) are found in and around the tumour.
   4. Targeted Therapy: As the name suggests, medicines are given that kill only the cancer cells by attacking their gene make-up or their protein build-up. Widely used in treating breast, prostate, colon, and lung cancers.
2. Surgical Treatment: This cancer treatment is about removing the malignant tumour via surgery or operation. It’s used for solid or tumourous cancers and not for cancers like leukemia which is more in the liquid form.
   1. Open surgery involves a large cut to remove the tumour and the lymph nodes or affected tissues around the tumour. The lymph nodes are removed in order to prevent the cancer cells from spreading to neighboring organs.
   2. Minimally invasive or laparoscopic surgery: Smaller and almost invisible cuts are made for the removal of small or shrunk tumours.
3. Radiation Treatment: This uses high-energy beams or rays to eradicate cancer cells.
   1. Brachytherapy: The radiation is administered internally by inserting tiny radioactive implants or agents in or near the tumour. Effective to treat cancers of the head, neck, cervix, prostate, and eye. It kills potential cancer cells found anywhere in the body and not just in the tumour.
   2. External Beam Radiation: The rays are made to penetrate the body from outside the body via a machine. Mainly targets cancer cells only in the affected area.

4. Hemato Oncology: This branch specifically takes care of all forms of blood cancers like thalassemia, leukemia and lymphoma.

Despite great advancements in cancer treatment, the effectiveness depends a lot on how skilled, dedicated and innovative the diagnosis team and the oncologist are. That’s why, for the best of cancer treatment, in terms of the technologies used and also in terms of the expertise, consider Regency Healthcare.