A Quick Guide to Cancer Treatment & Advanced Therapies

Uneeb KhanDecember 2, 20220115 views

There are numerous treatment approaches for cancer – based on the type, stage, availability, and treatment goals. Each cancer patient’s treatment plan has goals that are as unique as the person living with cancer receiving them. In general, additional treatment goals for advanced cancer include:

● Slowing the disease’s progression.

● Treating cancer symptoms and medication side effects.

● Trying to survive with the symptoms more comfortably.

Nanavati Max Hospital provides cancer treatment in Mumbai by using a multidisciplinary team approach (radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery) to improve cancer rates, reduce morbidity, preserve a good quality of life, and preserve organs and functions whenever possible without jeopardising cure.

Here is a small guide for cancer treatments and advanced therapies.

Table of Contents

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a treatment for cancer that incorporates the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells. It is among the most frequently used cancer therapies and can also be used to treat symptoms. Chemotherapy medications may be administered alone, or chemotherapy may be coupled with other therapies as part of a larger treatment plan.

Some chemotherapies are now accessible in oral/liquid or tablet form or could be administered via injection or as a topical cream in addition to the infusion (an intravenous drip). Some oral chemotherapies can even be taken at home by patients. Cancer hospital in Mumbai provides chemotherapy as an established treatment for cancer.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy can be used alone or in combination with other therapies to kill or delay the spread of cancer cells and shrink tumours. Radiation also has the potential to relieve discomfort in people with advanced cancer.

For example, a patient with advanced prostate cancer may have bone pain when a tumour presses on his spinal cord. Radiation directed at the tumour may alleviate the pressure and pain.

Technological advancements enable radiation oncologists to provide a more accurate dosage of external beam radiation on malignant areas while sparing healthy tissue. This more accurate delivery may lessen radiation therapy’s toxicity and side effects. Internal radiation therapy delivers radiation in precise dosages via a device placed inside or near a tumour or via a catheter. Compared to weeks of typical radiation therapy, this approach often only needs a few treatments.

Surgery

Surgery may be the first treatment after a cancer diagnosis, but doctors could also use it to treat advanced diseases. Let’s take the example of localised breast cancer – doctors may do surgery for advanced cancer in conjunction with other treatments. Surgery could also be performed to remove painful tumours or blockages. This palliative surgery has the potential to improve patients’ quality of life.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a new kind of precision medicine in which the immune system is stimulated to combat cancer cells that the body has been unable to perceive as a threat.

Immunotherapy is considered one of the more promising treatments for patients with advanced cancer who meet certain requirements. Take, for example, lung cancer. Before being identified with advanced lung cancer, the person dealing with it had few alternative treatments and poor prognoses. There are numerous immunotherapy treatments for progressive lung cancer with specific genomic mutations. Some patients have had this therapy and lived for years, and some have been able to discontinue treatment and remain to do well.

Checkpoint inhibitors, specialised vaccinations, monoclonal antibodies, and cytokines are examples of immunotherapy treatments. It is sometimes used in conjunction with different cancer treatments and could be used long-term to control advanced cancer.

Targeted Therapies

Targeted therapies, such as immunotherapy, specifically target cancer properties fueling its growth, such as proteins, receptors, hormones, or genetic abnormalities. These medications are frequently meant to suppress cancer cell proliferation instead of actively killing cancer cells. If cancer demonstrates any of these markers, advanced and genetic genomic tests may be able to determine whether targeted therapies or alternative therapies could be better suited to you. Rather than treating cancer based on where it originated, we can now use precise medicines that address specific mutations. There might be a person dealing with breast cancer, for example, who may have a mutation that has also been detected in colon cancer.

Monoclonal antibodies, hormone therapy, and small-molecule medicines are examples of precision medicine for advanced cancer treatment.

Stem Cell Transplantation Treatment

Stem cell transplantation treats some types of cancer like leukaemia, multiple myeloma and lymphoma. A stem cell transplant can also be implemented to treat non-cancerous genetic disorders and blood diseases. New stem cells are introduced into the bloodstream to replace sick cells during a stem cell transplant. Stem cells are extracted either from the bloodstream or the bone marrow. The difference between bone marrow and stem cell transplant is that a stem cell transplant is a type of bone marrow transplant. The stem cells are extracted directly from the bone marrow during this procedure.

Conclusion

Cancer researchers continue to deliver new findings, promising new oncology medications and revolutionary treatments. Many therapeutic choices now available to patients were not available merely a few years ago. As a result, treatment, care, and quality of life for patients have all improved.