Cancer Treatment

Cancer treatment includes different types of therapies of which the three main are surgical therapy, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Surgery aims at removing the tumor and assesses its severity and extension in the body. Chemotherapy involves administering powerful chemical agents (drugs) to destroy cancer cells in the entire organism. Radiation therapy, in the other hand, is a local cancer treatment; it attacks and damages cancer cells by delivering high energy x-rays to the tumor and a small healthy tissue surrounding it. Delivering high-dose modifies the genetic makeup of cancer cells, thus preventing them from reproducing.   

However, all patients do not receive all these three therapies: surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The same, some patients can receive not only all of them but also other therapies, depending on the cancer they have. For example, in breast cancer and prostate cancer, hormone therapy can be integrated into the treatment. In this case, the hormone is used to prevent certain hormones from influencing the growth of hormone-dependent malignant cells. In breast cancer treatment, hormone therapy can be used to block or reduce estrogen production; in prostate cancer treatment, hormone drugs are used to inhibit androgen production.  

Cancer treatment may include other therapeutic approaches. For instance, in many types of cancer, immunotherapy may be an option. Immunotherapy is the fact of using the body's own immune system to help fight disease. In cancer treatment, Immunotherapy drugs are used to stimulate the body's immune defenses to force cancer cells committing suicide. Those therapeutic agents transform survival signal of cancer cells into death signal which causes them to destroy themselves (self-destruction of cancer cells).  

Cancer treatment varies depending on the cancer and its stage at diagnosis. As healthcare professionals would tell you, “Every cancer has its treatment". However, regardless of the therapy (ies) used in the treatment, it is important to live a healthy lifestyle and eating well to improve the chance of recovery or survival. In fact, there is no effective cancer treatment without a good diet and healthy lifestyle.