Treatment of Cancer
Treatment of cancer consists of a number of therapies which are as follows;
(i) Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy comprises the administration of certain anticancer drugs. The anticancer drugs check cell division by inhibiting DNA synthesis or are more toxic to the cancerous cells than normal cells. Chemotherapy may lead to hair loss or anemia but both of these get corrected after the treatment is stopped.
(ii) Radiotherapy. It is used in addition to chemotherapy. In radiotherapy, the basic principle is to bombard the cancerous tissue or cells with the rays from radioactive materials. For treatment, the cancer tissue or cells are exposed to radiations from radioactive materials damage or destroy the cancerous tissue or cell but cause minimum damage or harm to the surrounding normal tissue or cells.
(iii) Surgery. In surgery, the entire cancerous tissue or cells are removed surgically. It has limited utility. In certain cases such as breast tumors or uterine tumors, the surgery is most effective, but other treatments are also given to destroy/kill any cancerous cell that may have been left in surgery.
(iv) Immunotherapy. Patients are given substances called biological response modifiers such as Y-interferon which activate their immune system and help in destroying the tumor.
(v) Supportive therapy. In certain cases, the cancerous cells go on dividing and do not stop after giving chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, the patient becomes increasingly prone to infections, anemia, and hemorrhage, then patient supportive therapy is utilized. In infection or transfusions are given to prevent anemia.