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| Cancer Treatments both Old and New |
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When most people think of cancer, they conjure images of a monolithic behemoth of a disease that rampages across the planet striking down whomsoever it pleases - a disease that can only be contained by practically killing the patient. The truth is that cancer is not a single disease, but rather a group of something like 100 different variations of cell mutations and tumor formations. All cancers begin in the cells - the basic building blocks that form the foundation for all tissue in the human body. In normal cells, the cells grow and divide in an orderly fashion, producing the new cells that the body needs as it needs them. Dying cells are replaced in this manner by new cells.
Cancers occur in instances where that cell division falls into disorder and the body begins to form new cells that it does not need. In these cases, old cells that are not yet ready to die are suddenly confronted with new cells for which there is no need, and the new cells end up congregating into a mass of tissue known as a tumor. In some cases, these tumors are relatively harmless, non-cancerous formations. In others, they are malignant groupings that continue to spread as a cancer.
Treating the various forms of cancer involves a host of treatment methods, as one might expect with a disease that has so many different types. What type of treatment is used in an individual case is largely dependent upon the type of cancer, its progression in the body, and the overall health of the patient involved. In some instances, several types of treatment are used simultaneously.
The most well known cancer treatment form is chemotherapy, which uses various forms of medication to slow the growth of cancer tumors - or kill them outright. With chemotherapy, the physicians attending the patient can control the exact doses of medication used, and make constant adjustments to refine the process for better results. Chemotherapy is often used in combination with other treatment methods such as radiation therapy. In radiation therapy, the doctors utilize high levels of radiation to halt cancer growth and destroy the offending timorous mass. Once one of the most deadly of treatment options, radiation therapy has now been refined and survival rates among cancer patients have soared.
In the most serious cases of cancer, surgery is the only option available to doctors who need to remove a tumor. There are a wide variety of cancer surgeries available, including surgery for bone marrow, mastectomies, proctectomy, and lumpectomy. Surgeries are usually viewed as an option of last resort, as is true in most cases of disease.
Recent advances in the treatment of cancer have resulted in the addition of several promising forms of therapy, including immunotherapy - a treatment option that uses your body's own immune system to destroy the cancer - and hormone therapy, which is most commonly used for prostate and breast cancer. Hormone therapy is designed to cut off the hormones that the tumors need to continue their growth. While both techniques have shown some positive results, continuing research is attempting to refine the treatments to increase their effectiveness.
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