The diagnosis of cancer is often difficult for patients to accept. With new advances in modern medicine, patients no longer have to look at cancer as a death sentence. There are several different modalities available to effectively treat patients depending on the type of cancer. Treatment modalities are often combined to offer patients the best chance of survival.
Surgery
Surgery is the principal treatment modality for most cancers of solid organs such as bowel, breast and stomach. It may offer a cure for some cancers if the cancer is diagnosed at an early stage. The textbook, "Bailey & Love's Short Practice of Surgery" states that stage I cancer of the colon is curable with surgery alone. Surgery most often involves removal of all or a portion of the organ involved as well as removal of some of the surrounding tissue.
Surgery is also used to relieve some symptoms associated with cancers which are too far advanced to be surgically removed. This is termed palliative surgery. Examples of palliative surgery include a colostomy for obstructive large bowel cancer and bypass for obstructive gastric cancer.
Chemotherapy
There are a number of agents used in the treatment of cancers. They are categorized according to their mechanism of action. Despite the specific mechanism, all chemotherapy agents target rapidly dividing cells and are not specific to cancer cells. As such, they tend to have a number of side-effects including nausea, vomiting, hair loss and anemia.
Cisplatin and oxaloplatin are synthetically derived drugs used in the treatment of some solid malignancies. The American Cancer Society states that stage III colon cancer is often treated with surgery and a number of drugs including oxaloplatin. Vincristine and vinblastine are derived from plants and are used to treat Hodgkins lymphoma.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy involves the use of ionizing radiation to destroy cancer cells. It is rarely used as the sole modality in treatment. Radiation therapy is commonly used to treat cancers of the prostate, skin, anus and cervix.
As with any treatment, there are potential side-effects. Side-effects of radiation therapy include soreness of the skin, soft tissue swelling, hair loss, heart disease and even cancer later in life.
Hormonal Therapy
Hormonal therapy is used in treatment of cancers whose growth and spread is highly dependent on hormones produced in the body. Prostate and breast cancer are two tumors which are often treated with hormone therapy. Prostate cancer is treated with anti-testosterone drugs such as flutamide while tamoxifen is one of the anti-estrogen drugs used to treat breast cancer.
Targeted Therapy
This type of therapy prevents the growth of cancer cells by inhibiting the production of substances needed for progression of the tumor. Glivec is one such drug used in the treatment of leukemia (cancer of the blood). Herceptin is another example. It is a monoclonal antibody used in breast cancer therapy.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy involves the treatment of cancer by using agents to manipulate the body's immune system. BCG immunotherapy is used to treat bladder cancer. Immunotherapy is also used in treating melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer.
References
- "Advanced Surgical Recall". Blackbourne, L. 2004
- "Bailey & Love Short Practice of Surgery": Russel, R.C.G., Williams, N., Bulstrode, C. 2009
- American Cancer Society
