Cancer begins with a few genetic mutations that allow a cell to divide more quickly. As these cells develop and acquire more mutations, they divide rapidly and form a tumor. As the cancer progresses, tumor cells gain the ability to break away from the initial tumor, travel throughout the body, and colonize other tissues to form secondary tumors. Cancer can lead to a range of symptoms, depending on the tissues affected and the severity of the tumor. Chemotherapy can be used to treat cancer, but can also lead to a number of side effects in other cell populations throughout the body. There are a number of alternatives to chemotherapy available that can effectively treat cancer.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy involves the use a high dose of radiation to kill cancer cells. Cells exposed to radiation experience massive DNA damage, that prevents the cell from making the proteins it needs to live and growth. Targeting radiation at a solid tumor within the body allows for damage of tumor cells, without having the expose the entire body to radiation.
Even though radiotherapy is targeted at the tumor, healthy tissues surrounding the tumor, as well as the skin overlying the tumor, also receive a smaller dose of radiation, which damages the tissue. This can lead to a number of side effects, such as a change in skin appearance and texture over the treated area. Radiotherapy also increases the risk of developing other forms of cancer in the future, since healthy neighboring tissues acquired genetic mutations as a result of radiotherapy. Radiotherapy does not treat tumor metastases that occur far from the site of treatment.
Surgical Removal
Surgical removal of a tumor is another option for several types of solid tumors, especially if the cancer is detected early and has not had a chance to metastasize. The type of surgery used to treat cancer depends on the type of cancer present: removal of breast cancer may require a masectomy, removal of prostate cancer may require a prostatectomy, or kidney cancer may require a nephrectomy.
According to the American Cancer Society, there are several types of surgical strategies to treat cancer. Surgery may be perform to remove just the cancerous tumor, remove the entire affected tissue, or to remove healthy tissue in patients with a high risk of developing cancer in the future. Surgery to treat cancer has risks involved. Many procedures must be done under general anesthesia, and patients run the risk of adverse reactions to the surgery medication. Patients may be at risk for infection at the incision site, and pain associated with recovery.
Tissue Transplants
Some types of cancer may be treated with tissue transplants. This is especially true of many blood cancers, which develop due to mutations in a population of stem cells. These stem cells, which are found in the bone marrow, develop mutations that lead to over-production of different types of blood cells, leading to cancer. Removing the mutated stem cells and performing a bone marrow transplant replaces mutated cells with normal cells, to treat the source of the cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, a bone marrow transplant may have side effects. Normally, the patient will feel sore and stiff at the site of transplant. In some cases, patients may experience a syndrome called graft-versus-host, in which the body rejects the tissue transplant. Patients who receive tissue transplants may require medication to ensure the success of the transplant.
