1. Genetic Advantage
Sometimes cancer develops when genetic material in the cells goes haywire, allowing the unchecked growth that characterizes malignancy. Now, advanced research has enabled researchers to use genes to fight cancer in several ways. For individuals who possess a mutated gene, doctors can insert a healthy gene in its place. In another approach, doctors inject genes into cancer patients that stimulate the immune system. Researchers can also use genes to weaken cancer cells, which make them susceptible to conventional treatments like radiation therapy. Gene therapy is not yet part of standard care, but cancer patients may qualify for gene therapy clinical trials.
2. Strengthen the Immune System
Cancer patients are often concerned about maintaining a healthy immune system to ward off infections and fight the disease. Biological therapy is a standard cancer treatment that uses drugs to help the immune system fight cancer. Biological therapy can also help patients withstand the side effects of other cancer treatments. Some biological therapies, such as cancer vaccines, are still under investigation. However, biological therapy agents are standard care approaches for some patients with bladder cancer, breast cancer, melanoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
3. Using Heat to Kill Cancer
Hyperthermia is a cancer treatment that destroys cells by heating body tissues to temperatures of 113 degrees F. Healthy cells are able to withstand these high temperatures more readily than cancer cells, which experience damage to the proteins that make up the cell structure. Hyperthermia isn't usually a stand-alone treatment, but it can make tumors like lung, breast, bladder and cervical cancers more sensitive to anti-cancer drugs and radiation therapy.
4. Starve the Cancer
Cancer cells need blood to provide them with nutrients and oxygen for growth. One of the ways cancer cells grow without control or order is by sending messages to the body to produce more blood vessels to nourish the cells. A class of drugs called angiogenesis inhibitors can stop cancer cells from forming new blood vessels. The government banned one such drug under investigation, thalidomide, many years ago when women taking the drug gave birth to children with stunted limbs. Researchers believe these effects stemmed from the fact that thalidomide killed blood vessels nourishing the limb buds of the fetuses, and now thalidomide shows promise as a cancer treatment.
5. Alternative Medicine
Cancer patients and their family members are often curious about unproven treatments as alternatives to chemotherapy. These approaches cover a range of therapies from herbal preparations, to medicines or treatments available through a medical doctor like acupuncture. The National Institutes of Health oversees the Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, to help health consumers separate snake oil from legitimate treatments that can cure cancer or reduce its side effects. Ask your doctor about the safety of any alternative medicines you're considering, and whether they might interfere with your standard treatments.
