Cancer is the unregulated and uncontrolled growth of cells. As cells become damaged, they may become abnormal and lose their ability to control their division, resulting in a tumor. The traditional treatment of cancer involves trying to destroy these abnormal cells and prevent them from further division and growth. Treatments, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery and immunotherapy, are often used either individually or in combination to eradicate the cancer from the body.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of chemicals, or drugs, to destroy or interrupt the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy is often delivered systemically, meaning to the whole body. This is often preferable because the drugs can reach all areas to which the cancer cells have spread. On the other hand, this creates problems because healthy cells are also exposed to the drugs, resulting in a variety of side effects. There are more than 100 drugs used in chemotherapy, according to the American Cancer Society that vary in their composition, their usefulness and their side effects.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is the use of energy, often called ionizing radiation, to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is usually delivered locally, meaning to the area of the body where the tumor is located. This limits the dangerous effects to healthy cells, although the healthy cells surrounding the tumor may be damaged. Radiation is often used in conjunction with either chemotherapy or surgery to help reduce the size of the tumor.
There are many different types of radiation, including internal radiation, external radiation and systemic radiation. There are also different sources of radiation, including x-rays, gamma rays, photons or radioactive chemicals. The type of radiation therapy and source of radiation will depend upon the type and location of tumor.
Surgery
Surgery is the first line of treatment for some types of tumors. Surgery can be performed to remove the tumor, or at least most of the tumor, and can then be followed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy to kill the remaining cancer cells.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy, also known as biotherapy, is the use of the body's own immune system to destroy the cancer cells. The goal of biotherapy is to repair, stimulate and enhance the body's immune system, according to Cancer Treatment Centers of America, to help the body more effectively fight off the cancer cells.
Immunotherapy is often used with one or more of the other cancer treatments to enhance the effects of that therapy. Immunotherapy is one of the newest types of treatments, and new biotherapy agents are being developed each day.
