Important Info About Possible Cancer Treatments

Juliet D'cruz

Updated on:

 

Cancer continues to affect many families across the world. The disease, which comes in many forms, is destructive and unforgiving in who it impacts. Unfortunately, cancer doesn’t have a vaccine or “cure.” In 2020 alone, approximately 1,806,590 suffered from the disease. In the same year, it was estimated that approximately 606,520 people would succumb to the disease.

The good thing is that there are treatment options for cancer patients. After undergoing these treatments, many people can live healthy and productive lives. Today we’ll provide some important information about possible cancer treatments.

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Chemotherapy

One of the most common forms of cancer treatment that people undergo is chemotherapy. Used at hospitals throughout the United States, chemotherapy involves using drugs that kill cancer cells. The goal of chemotherapy is to cure cancer, shrink cancer, prevent further cancer, and relieve symptoms that cancer might be causing. Since there is no cancer vaccine, treatments such as these are required to help with treating those suffering from the disease. Chemotherapy is often administered in different cycles, lasting one day, several days, or a few additional weeks. Many people who suffer from kidney cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, and bone cancer undergo chemotherapy.

Though the treatment can be effective, it does come with side effects. Chronic pain is a downside of undergoing this treatment. Other side effects include becoming easily exhausted, excessive bleeding, feeling numbness from nerve damage, and a loss of appetite. The fortunate thing is that there are ways to help deal with such side effects. You can stave off hunger by eating enough calories and protein while keeping your weight up. Doctors have confirmed that washing your hands often with soap and water can be helpful. In addition to this, cannabis has been linked to easing symptoms of chemotherapy as shown in certain studies. Contact your doctor to provide better direction on how cannabis use can ease such side effects. Also, do your own research with organizations such as the American Medical Marijuana Association that can help you to learn more about how cannabis use might be able to assist with easing chemotherapy side effects.

Immunotherapy

This form of cancer treatment involves strengthening the immune system to fight against cancer and help kill cancer cells more effectively. Once again, cancer immunotherapy is not a cancer vaccine. Immunotherapy specifically focuses on the immune cells, helping to heighten the immune response to cancer cells. The different types of immunotherapies include T-cell transfer therapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, treatment vaccines, and immune system modulators.

Immunotherapy is administered intravenously (IV), orally, topically, and intravesically. Some of the side effects of immunotherapy include skin reactions and flu-like symptoms. This can include nausea, fatigue, fever, chills, weakness, vomiting, and body aches. By helping your immune system fight cancer, immunotherapy has become one of the most effective means of combating cancer.

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Surgery

Many people hate going under the knife but often have to undergo it. They’d rather go through numerous rounds of chemotherapy and immunotherapy to avoid having to go through surgery. Surgery, though, can be a successful way of treating cancer. During surgery, the cancer is literally removed from your body by a surgeon. This type of treatment works well when removing a solid tumor that is contained in one area of the body.

The most common way a surgery like this is performed is via a scalpel. Other surgical methods which can be utilized to remove the cancer are cryosurgery, laser surgery, hyperthermia, and photodynamic therapy. The side effects of cancer surgery include bleeding, blood clots, drug reactions, and constant pain. Before deciding on treating your cancer with surgery, make sure to consult your doctor. At the end of the day, surgery can be an effective cancer treatment method.