Understanding Different Types of Cancer Treatments
Cancer is an invincible disease that has terribly plagued humankind. Effective cancer treatments have been discovered in the last few decades. And at the same time, many successful methods to detect cancer in the bladder, cancer of the kidney and prostate cancer have been found. These methods have led to the fact that early detection of cancer is the best form of prevention from this devastating disease.
Modern medical science uses many techniques for effective treatment of many types of cancer. Some of the treatment techniques that are successfully used to treat cancer include:
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation Therapy
- Surgery
- Immunotherapy
- Hormone therapy
Surgery is one of the oldest and commonly used techniques for prostate cancer treatment and other types of cancer. It is estimated that around 60% of patients who are diagnosed with cancer undergo surgery. Doctors can easily remove cancer through surgery before it grows chronic only if it is diagnosed at an early stage as through elevated PSA level to indicate prostate cancer in men. A periodical monitoring PSA level before and after surgery can keep the treatment to be followed consequently. Recently, even robotics in surgery is also being used to make the process easy and eliminate humanly errors due to tremor.
Radiation therapy refers to the technique of cancer treatment in which the body part with cancer growth is exposed to radiations. The radiation energy attacks the growing cells, however, growing cancer cells cannot be treated without affecting normal cells and this may lead to some side effects like skin peeling, dryness, vomiting and nausea. Radiation therapy is used to shrink the tumor before it is removed through surgery.
Chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment given through drugs. It mainly treats cancer in body parts that cannot undergo other processes of cancer treatment. Many varieties of cancer fighting drugs are available in market that can alleviate the cancer symptoms, cure or limit the cancerous cell growth. Like radiation therapy, chemotherapy may also show some side effects.
Immunotherapy and hormone therapy are relatively new cancer treatments. In hormone therapy, body’s hormones are manipulated to treat cancer. Doctors may opt to remove hormone glands to cease further growth of cancerous cells. In immunotherapy, the cancer patients are treated with special medication and drugs that stimulates immune system of the body to effectively fight against cancerous cells.
All these treatments can help to combat cancer but it is very important to adopt a treatment through expert consultation and advice as soon as the symptoms of cancer are noticed.
Whether its prostate cancer treatment or detecting symptoms of cancer in the bladder, get proactive care from experienced physicians right here.