cancer treatments pictures

Let us identify the types of cancer treatments. Types of cancer treatment, there are four of surgery, types of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and Targeted therapies.  Each of these types of treatment for cancer at the top has its pluses and minuses. What is the treatment of cancer?

A. SURGICAL
Surgery is the treatment of cancer of the oldest. Surgery is usually done when the cancer is still in early stages, meaning it has not spread. This type of surgery varies depending on the cancer. There is a surgery that only remove tissue with cancer, but in case there is also a radical surgery that led to the appointment of the whole organ (eg uterus or breast).

B. Radiotherapy (radiation)
Radiotherapy is the use of high-powered laser beams to treat cancer. Radiotherapy is local, meaning that only kill cancer cells in the target area. In general, radiotherapy is used for two purposes, namely the radical or palliative treatment.

In palliative treatment, radiotherapy is usually applied in cases of advanced cancer who have inoperable. Aimed at easing the symptoms, for example: reduce pain, stop bleeding or reduce damage to neural structures around the tumor. For this purpose, radiotherapy is given in the short term eg 1 day or 1-2 weeks.

Doctors can also apply radiotherapy as primary therapy (radical radiotherapy) for the purpose shrink the tumor and then proceed with surgery. In these cases, radiotherapy is usually given with longer intervals, eg 4-6 week intervals to allow time for normal cells repair themselves.

Each radiotherapy session usually lasts between 1-2 minutes where you will not feel any sensation during the laser machines work.

The technology underlying the radiotherapy has been growing very rapidly so that their application can vary. One is the gamma knife, which use laser light for surgery. Currently there is also a method of instilling wire / radioactive particles into the patient’s body for the purpose of destroying cancer cells locally.

C. CHEMOTHERAPY
Chemotherapy is a cancer therapy that involves the use of chemicals or drugs in the treatment of cancer. Conventional Chemotherapy works by destroying the structure or metabolism of cancer cells.

In cancer treatment, chemotherapy can be applied in 3 ways, namely:

•  Chemotherapy as primary therapy (primary) which is intended to eradicate cancer cells.
• Chemo as adjuvant therapy (additional) to make sure the cancer has come back clean and no. Usually given to patients who are newly appointed tumor surgically or radiotherapy.
• Chemo as palliative therapy, which is only to be controlling the growth of the tumor and not to cure / eradicate the cancer cell depleted. This therapy is usually performed for patients with advanced stage (4B) in which the cancer has spread to other organs in the body.

Currently there are more than 50 chemotherapy drugs that can be administered via intravenous infusion or oral chemo. Chemotherapy is given in given in cycles, usually in intervals of 3-4 weeks in a period of 4-6 months.

Before chemotherapy, the doctor will usually hold a series of tests to determine the condition of your disease, your general health condition, including the health of your liver and kidney function.

D. Targeted therapies
This therapy uses drugs or other substances that are directed at inhibiting protein / molecule / specific enzyme that has an important role in the breeding and spread of tumors. By focusing on molecular and cellular changes that are directed only at cancer cells, these therapies are expected to be more effective than other treatments, like chemotherapy or radiotherapy and not too harmful to normal cells.

Currently the treatment of cancer with targeted therapy is still relatively new and still controversial. Most solid tumors have a genetic complex with say more than 20 factors supporting growth. The more advance (further) development of the tumor, the greater the heterogenitas of molecular side. Therefore, experts are still debating the effectiveness of targeted therapies in lethal tumor progression by targeting only one of factors / elements that support their development.

Targeted therapy is given through intravenous infusion or by tablet / pill. Examples of these drugs, including trastuzumab (Herceptin ®) and erlotinib (Tykerb ®) for breast cancer, nilotinib (Tasigna ®) for CML, nimotuzumab for brain cancer, sorafenib (Nexavar ®) for cancer of the liver / kidney.

The downside of drugs is a therapeutic target because the price is still expensive (USD 5000 and above) and duration (duration of treatment) that can not be ascertained.

see also Easy Way to Detect Cancer Just By Looking Fingernail Health

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