CUTTING EDGE TREATMENTS
Understanding Immunotherapy
Credit: MD Anderson
Understanding Target therapY
Credit: Cancer.net
immunotherapy
Immunotherapy treatment uses parts of your own immune system to battle diseases such as cancer. This can be done by attacking cancer cells through the immune system or by making the immune system stronger in general.
chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is used to destroy cancer cells, stop cancer cells from growing and slow the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be given through an IV, a shot, orally or through creams that you rub on your skin. Chemo treatments can be every day, every week or every few weeks. Each treatment is followed by a period of rest to give your body a chance to build up new, healthy cells. The schedule is determined by the physician along with the type and spread of the cancer. Chemotherapy may be used in combination with other treatments.
radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells. Radiation may be delivered by a machine outside the body or through radioactive material placed in the body near the cancer. Sometimes, radioactive substances are used to provide radiation that can travel through the blood to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by damaging their DNA so the cells stop dividing or die.
target therapy
Target therapy can tell the difference between cancer cells and normal cells, thus only attacking the cancer cells. It tends to attack the areas of the cancer cell that allows them to groe rapidly and abnormal from healthy cells.
hormonal therapy
Hormone therapy is used in cancer types in which the body’s natural hormones may be influencing the growth of the cancer (i.e., breast and prostate). Hormone therapy removes or blocks hormones that may be helping the cancer to grow. Certain tests can determine if hormones are contributing to the cancer’s growth. Hormone therapy can be associated with side effects related to the decrease in the body’s natural hormones, there are many ways our physicians and nurses can help to decrease these potential side effects.
surgery
Surgery for cancer involves an operation to repair or remove part of your body. Surgery can be used for diagnosing your cancer, removing the cancer, or relieving the symptoms the cancer cases. Surgery allows the doctor to see how large the cancer is and determine if it has spread into surrounding tissues or to nearby lymph nodes. Many times, removing the primary cancer through surgery is the best chance for a cure. If the primary cancer is too big to be removed, surgery can be used to remove as much as possible (debulking) in order to make it easier to treat with chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Also, surgery can be used to alleviate symptoms such as pain caused by a tumor pressing on a nerve or obstructing an intestine.
