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Every type of cancer has a treatment method that works best. Here is a list of the best source of information on cancer treatments:  | Radiation therapy can be used to treat cancer
almost anywhere in the body |
Chemotherapy
Used to treat many different cancer types, chemotherapy destroys cancerous cells by stopping their growth and reproduction. Administered either orally or by injection, chemotherapy can be used alone or in addition to radiation or surgical oncology. There are some side effects to chemotherapy, including nausea, vomiting, loss of hair, and sores in the mouth. There are measures that can be taken to try and reduce the negative side effects to chemo. For more information on cancer treatment with chemotherapy, go to:
- ChemoCare.com
- Chemotherapy.com
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy can be used to treat cancer almost anywhere in the body by using ionizing radiation to destroy malignant cancer cells. It can be used for both palliative cancer treatment (for incurable cancer, radiation therapy used as local disease control and for relief from symptoms) and therapeutic cancer treatment (for curable cancer). Radiation therapy damages the DNA of cells with a photon, electron, proton, neutron or ion beam penetrating the cancerous area, ionizing the atoms of the DNA chain. For more information on cancer treatment with radiation therapy, go to:
- RtAnswers.org
- RadiologyInfor.org
Surgical Oncology
Removing cancerous tumors with surgery is sometimes the best way to treat it. Surgical removal can also be the best way to determine the stage of a cancer. Cancer experts are continually developing less and less invasive techniques to take biopsies and remove tumors along with providing follow-up reconstructive surgery. For more information on cancer treatment with surgery, go to Cancer.org.
Biotherapy/Immunotherapy
Biotherapy boosts your own body's immune system's cancer-fighting power. The aim is to stimulate the body to reject and then destroy cancerous cells and tumors. Biotherapy or immunotherapy also help your body to naturally fight against side effects from other cancer treatments. For more information on cancer treatment with biotherapy or immunotherapy, go to:
- The Immunotherapy section on CancerSupportiveCare.com
- ImmunotherapyForCancer.info
Stem Cell Transplantation/Bone marrow transplantation
Transplanting blood or bone marrow into patients with cancer is a risky procedure and is generally saved as a last resort for people with life-threatening diseases such as those with multiple myeloma or leukemia.
A patient is given high doses of chemotherapy, sometimes along with radiation, destroying the cancer with a high chance of also destroying some or all of their bone marrow. Cells of a match in DNA are given back to the patient to replace the destroyed tissue after the treatment. There are 2 main types of stem cell transplantation:
Autologous - Stem cells are extracted from the patient themselves before any cancer treatment, and stored in a freezer. After radiation and chemotherapy, the earlier harvested cells are then returned to the patient's body to replace the destroyed body tissues.
Allogeneic- This type of stem cell transplantation involves a donor who is a tissue match to the patient. Doctors match patients to donors by having at least 3 or more of the same loci HLA gene match (a specific DNA sequence that relates to the immune system and its functions). Even with a match, the patient must receive immunosuppressant drugs so as to not reject the new stem cells once they have been implanted.
For more information on cancer treatment with stem cell transplantation, go to:
- The Stem Cell Transplant section on CancerCenter.com
- Cancer.org
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy manipulates the endocrine system, the glands in the body that release hormones, with steroid hormones and drugs that stop the growth of hormonally responsive cancers such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, endometrium cancer, and cancer of the adrenal cortex. Some times hormone glands may be removed to reduce the growth of cancer as well. For more information on cancer treatment with hormone therapy, go to:
- YourTotalHealth.ivillage.com
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