Cancer Treatment Options :
| Cancer can be explained as an irregular, continuous and abnormal growth of a cell. This is the most dreaded disease known to mankind and is often difficult to cure. However, awareness about cancer in issues related to care, treatment and symptoms could often help in managing this disease. |
There are various cancer treatment options available which include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, proton therapy, complimentary medicine and clinical trials.
The most common cancer treatment option is chemotherapy. In this, chemical agents or drugs are administered to destroy cancer cells while causing least damage to the normal cells. There are multiple types of chemotherapeutic agents in vogue including alkaloids, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, anthracyclines, antitumor antibiotics, taxanes and platinums.
Another treatment option is surgery where the tumor is removed through a surgical procedure. A commonly preferred treatment option is radiation therapy. In this method, radiation is used for destroying cancer cells and reducing tumors. This radiation might be in the form of photons, electrons, X-rays, or gamma rays.
There are certain cancers that originate due to hormonal imbalance. Hormone therapy is used for treating these irregularities, where chemical agents are administered in order to block the production of hormones or neutralize their activity.
Another interesting and innovative therapeutic option is Immunotherapy. This is a biological therapy and is about activating the immune system to work against the cancerous cells. This is achieved either by injecting a biological substance developed in the laboratory or stimulating the natural production of defensive substances. Some of the molecules used in immunotherapy include interleukins, interferons, and colony stimulating factors, monoclonal antibodies, dendritic cells, vaccines and gene therapy.
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