Explaining Cancer Treatments
If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with cancer, then the discussion has mostly been regarding recommended cancer treatments, side effects, and efficacy. There are a number of cancer treatment options available, including alternative or natural cancer treatments, invasive and non-invasive procedures, chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination. Not every cancer treatment works the same for every patient. It depends a great deal on what type of cancer has been diagnosed, how much it has progressed, and what type of cancer treatments are effective at that particular stage.
Those who have severe forms of cancer that have already spread to other areas of the body, or are likely not going to respond to treatment may actually decide that they do not want to undergo treatment. This is a personal choice, and usually is made because there is no much hope for survival and the sufferer does not want to undergo a potentially painful treatment when they could just enjoy their last few months or weeks with family or friends.
When most people think of cancer treatment, they think of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is used to treat the majority of cancers; there are over 100 different drugs that are used alone or in combination with others, that work systemically throughout the body. There is always a great chance that cancer cells have or will migrate to other parts of the body, which is why chemotherapy is used as the first line approach.
Doctors may decide to administer chemotherapy by mouth, or inject it directly into an area, or administer it to the patient intravenously. The patient may need to take the drug daily for a period of days over a few weeks or months until the cancer shows signs of being eradicated. Chemotherapy is very hard on the body and causes several unpleasant side effects, but most conditions can be moderated with medications. If chemotherapy fails to target the cancer then another option is to surgically remove the cancer, or target a tumour directly with radiation.
Many health centers now off alternative treatments in the form of natural remedies, such as herbal supplements. None of these approaches have been approved by the FDA, and they have not yet proven to actually treat cancer, but some of them can be used at the same time as your conventional treatment and may help ease side effects. If you feel like one of these remedies may be of use to you, discuss it with your physician or oncologist and make sure that it won’t interfere with any other medication you may be taking.
Cancer patients should also inform their oncologist of everything they are taking, which includes all prescription and over the counter medications, and herbal preparations. There could be a chance of interaction between these chemicals and certain cancer treatments. Before making a decision regarding any type of cancer treatment, do your homework, and get a second opinion. What may be the right cancer treatment for one, may not be for another.