Published: April 23, 2008 06:22 pm         

Neighbors Together Against Cancer: Cancer treatment methods

Cancer treatment is an expansive subject, too much to be covered adequately in this article. For more information, refer to www.cancer.com and www.cancer.org or the Regional Cancer Center at Cumberland Medical Center (CMC). This article will provide an overview of treatment methods.

Treatment of cancer depends on the type of cancer and the stage of the disease. Other considerations include age and general health. The goal of treatment may be to cure, control, or reduce symptoms of the disease. The treatment plan may change over time and may be local therapy, meaning to remove cancer from one part of the body, or systemic therapy, in which drugs or substances are sent via the bloodstream to destroy cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy, hormone therapy and biological therapy are usually systemic therapy. Surgery and radiation are local therapy. Side effects of treatment are common and treatment often damages healthy cells and tissues. These effects vary for each person, type of cancer, and extent of treatment. Therefore, before treatment begins, the health care team will explain potential effects of treatment and ways to manage them. Most side effects are temporary but knowing what to expect will help a patient make decisions and cope with discomfort. Professional and supportive care is always available before, during, and after cancer treatment.

Local therapies, such as surgery, usually involve removal of a tumor and some surrounding tissue that may help to prevent re-growth of the tumor. Surgeons use methods to prevent further spread of the disease during surgery or biopsies. Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. External radiation comes from a machine at a hospital or clinic five days a week for several weeks. With internal radiation, radioactive material is placed in seeds, needles, or thin plastic tubes placed near the cancerous tissue. Treatment takes place in a hospital for several days. Systemic radiation comes from liquid or capsules containing radioactive material that travels throughout the body. Taken orally or by injection this type of treatment can also be used to control pain due to bone cancer.

Systemic therapies are listed below and include chemotherapy, which uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Drugs enter the blood stream orally or by injection. They are administered in cycles with one or two days of treatment followed by several days to weeks of recovery, prior to another treatment. Treatment may be as an outpatient, at home, in a doctor’s office, or in a hospital. Hormone therapy keeps cancer cells from getting or using the hormones they need to survive. Treatment may be by drugs or surgery. Biological therapy helps the immune system fight cancer and involves a solution given by a vein injection, or catheter, as in the case of bladder cancer. Stem cell transplantation of blood-forming stem cells enables patients to receive high doses of chemotherapy, radiation, or both for cancer treatment such as bone marrow transplantation. After treatment a patient receives healthy, blood-forming cells through a flexible tube. New blood cells develop from the transplanted cells. Stem cells may come from the patient or a donor. The patient would require hospitalization for this treatment.

There are also complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). An approach is called complementary medicine when used along with any standard treatment outlined above. Alternative or CAM treatments include acupuncture, message therapy, herbal products, vitamins, special diets, visualization, meditation, and spiritual healing. CAM treatments may change the results of standard treatments, may be harmful, may be expensive, and may not be covered by health insurance.

Have you checked out www.cancer.org/healthcheck and taken a five-minute health check that could save your life? Our subject next week will be cancer research and clinical trials.