Treatment for cancer

Cancer is a disease of all times which may hit anyone. There are several ways to treat cancer: surgery, radiotherapy or medication. Often these therapies are combined to optimise destruction of the cancer cells.

What is cancer?

Our body consists of cells and each of them knows exactly what to do. Cells age rapidly and must therefore be replaced. To this purpose cells divide. One cell divides into two which in turn divide into four and then into eight. A cell dividing copies itself. If you have cancer, this process does not work properly. A cell that has cancer will not stop dividing, but will continue doing so. Every new copied cell will keep dividing thus creating a mass of cells which we call a tumor or a cancer growth.

A tumor can either be benign or malignant. Benign tumors are not cancers, but may still be dangerous, for instance, when they are lodged in the brains. The hard skull prevents the brains form expanding and with nowhere to go pressure builds. Benign tumors cease to grow at a certain point. Malignant tumors, on the other hand, do not stop growing. A cluster of cells may become unstuck from a malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream. Part of the tumor is thus transported through the body and attaches itself somewhere else in the body, where it continues to grow. In this way a second tumor lodges itself in that spot. This is called a metastasis.

Kinds of cancer

There are over one hundred different kinds of cancer. Each cancer is named after the place in the body where it first started to grow. For instance, lung cancer originates in the lungs. In principle, cancer is a serious, fatal disease. However, not all cancers have to be fatal. Of all the people who get cancer, approximately half recovers. Some cancers are indeed easier to treat than others. Also important is early discovery. The sooner, the better chance there is to be cured. Someone with cancer is considered cured, if the disease does not recur within five years. However, the fear of recurrence, the uncertainty and doubt always remain.

Therapy

Over the last thirty years, the medical world, has seen enormous improval. There are now more opportunities to fight the disease. By law, doctors are now required to tell their patients the truth concerning their disease. Patients have the right to decide whether to undergo a certain treatment, or not. The relationship between doctor and patient has greatly improved over the years. Besides, there are far better medicines to reduce pain. Patients need not suffer unnecessary. Also, patients have become more autonomous and receive information from different channels. Patients co-decide on the approach to their treatment. This is how it should be. After all, these decision concern their lives.

Surgery

In most cases, surgery is the best way to fight cancer. Surgery means that the tumor is  excised. If there are no metastases and the tumor can be safely removed, surgery will offer the best chance of success. Sometimes, a part of the body must be removed such as a lung, a kidney or a breast. This may be very detrimental to some patients. A patient with one lung is more susceptible to shortness of breath and has to adjust his lifestyle. Surgery is often combined with other therapies.

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is used by doctors to destroy cancer cells by means of strong radiation. It is difficult to determine exactly how much radiation is needed to kill cancer cells. Of course, healthy cells should be left untouched as much as possible. Radiotherapy is not a one-time event, the patient must come back several times.

The side effects of radiotherapy include nausea, hair loss, vomiting, fatigue, digestive complaints and redness of the skin. Some cancers can only be treated by radiation. Radiotherapy may also be applied before surgery, to reduce the tumor.

Medication

Cytostatics are medicines that thwart cell division. Treatment with these kinds of medicines is called chemotherapy. They come in various forms: tablets, injection or intravenous drip. Some cancers can be effectively treated by chemotherapy, other types cannot. Cytostatics do not only destroy cancer cells, but also healthy ones. That is why doctors try to use them as little as possible. Patients who take these kinds of medicines often suffer from hair loss and abdominal pain.

New opportunities

Science is not static; scientists are constantly looking for new ways to fight cancer. There are some promising reports on new treatments in the future.

·         New cytotoxics that are less damaging to healthy cells.

·         New medicines that prevent the tumor from growing blood vessels. If the tumor is deprived of oxygen, it withers.

·         Immunotherapy: Stimulating immune cells in the body to prevent tumors from metastasizing.

·         Designing a nucleus (gene) to inhibit cell growth which may prevent the cancer from growing.

These options are all subject be further research. Also, there are many experiments with new medicines and treatments. Hopefully, a new scientific miracle treatment is found soon, saving many people from this terrible disease.

Sources: www.todio.nl