What are the techniques that medicine provides us to treat cancer? We review the main cancer therapies.
Cancer is a generic term used to name a wide group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. There are different types of cancer but they all have a common characteristic: they originate when a group of cells in our body begin to behave abnormally, multiplying faster than normal .
- To learn more: “The 7 differences between a benign and a malignant tumor”
Fortunately, today there are a number of treatments to deal with this disease. However, advances in oncology research will be essential to be able to provide society with new, even more effective therapeutic proposals.
Today’s article aims to make a brief explanation of what treatments are currently used in the fight against cancer .
What cancer therapies exist?
Cancer treatment encompasses a whole series of interventions that aim to cure the disease or significantly prolong the life of the patient by improving their quality of life. It is for this reason that palliative care and psychological and social support also have a strong role in the fight against cancer.
There are many techniques and drugs available to cure cancer. Some are local treatments, such as surgery or radiotherapy, which are used to treat tumors that develop in specific areas of the body. In contrast, drug treatments such as chemotherapy are considered systemic treatments because they have an effect throughout the body.
The treatment that a patient can receive depends on several factors, such as the type of cancer that person has and how advanced it is . Each cancer requires the development of a specific protocol that may involve the use of more than one technique during the course of the disease.
Let’s see what are the different treatments used to fight cancer and how they work.
1. Surgery
It is based on the removal of the malignant tumor and is one of the most common treatments. It is a technique that is recommended for those solid tumors contained in a limited area of the body, as long as it is viable and does not compromise the functioning of vital organs. For this reason, surgery cannot be used to treat leukemia (blood cancer).
- We recommend you read: “The 7 types of leukemia (and differences between them)”
Depending on the type of cancer and how advanced it is, surgery is used to remove all of the tumor or just part of it. This last option is used when there is a danger of damaging other organs. In addition, by reducing the size of the tumor, other treatments applied later are more effective.
Being a local treatment, the other areas of the body that do not suffer from cancer are free of risk. Even so, sometimes other treatments must be used in addition. Some cancers can be removed by minimally invasive surgery, which does not require as many cuts and the recovery time is shortened.
2. Radiotherapy
Also called radiation therapy, it is a treatment based on the use of radiation to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors. The treatment is based on the fact that high doses of radiation have the ability to damage the DNA of cancer cells . In addition, these radiations turn out to be more harmful for those that grow and divide in an uncontrolled manner, as is the case with cancer cells.
However, radiation therapy does not immediately destroy malignant cells. Days or weeks of treatment are needed to sufficiently compromise the genetic material of these cells. Over the course of treatment, the tumor cells will stop dividing uncontrollably and die.
One of the drawbacks of this treatment is that it not only slows down or destroys cancer cells, but can also affect surrounding healthy cells . Side effects will depend on the area of the body being treated. They usually manifest themselves in the form of tiredness, changes in the skin and hair loss, among others.
3. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is cancer therapy based on the use of drugs to stop or slow the growth of tumor cells . It is used to treat many types of cancer and is sometimes the only treatment given. However, it is a therapy that is usually used in combination with the others. For example, it can be used to shrink a tumor before surgery or radiation therapy. Similarly, it can also be applied to destroy cancer cells that may be left behind after surgery.
As with radiation therapy, chemotherapy not only kills rapidly growing cancer cells, but can also affect rapidly growing and renewing cells in the body. Examples of this are those that line the mouth and intestines, as well as those that make hair grow (hair follicles).
It is for this reason that the most common side effects are hair loss, the appearance of sores in the mouth and nausea. Fortunately, these adverse effects usually improve or disappear once the patient finishes the therapy.
4. Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a treatment that consists of boosting the immune system so that it can fight cancer , that is, it is intended that the body itself “get rid” of it.
It is a therapy with a great projection for the future and in recent decades it has become an important part of the treatment for some types of cancer. However, immunotherapy is not yet used as much as the ones we have discussed so far. As more clinical trials are done and new treatments are approved, it will be used more widely.
The immune system acts as a “policeman” that patrols throughout our body, making sure that all cells are our own and destroying abnormal ones (such as cancerous ones). However, tumor cells have a series of mechanisms to be able to escape from it. To overcome this, immunotherapy seeks to help the immune system to recognize tumor cells and in turn strengthens its response to eliminate them. This can be achieved through various strategies, such as immunomodulators, substances that help the immune system to work harder.
As far as administration is concerned, there are different forms, including intravenous (through an injection) or oral through tablets or capsules. The most common side effects are skin reactions and flu – like symptoms .
5. Hormone therapy
Hormonal or endocrine therapy is a treatment that can be used to combat breast and prostate cancer , as they are types of cancer where tumor cells use hormones (generated by our own body) to grow.
It is based on blocking the body’s ability to produce hormones or interfering with the way hormones behave in the body. They are “tactics” that aim to prevent cancer cells from having a growth substrate. Thus, the aim is to stop the expansion of the tumor or, at least, alleviate the symptoms suffered by the patient.
Therefore, the side effects of this treatment are related to the inhibition of the endocrine system. These can be: hot flashes, fatigue, menstrual period changes, vaginal dryness, loss of sex drive and weak bones.
6. Stem cell transplant
Stem cell transplants are not a treatment for cancer per se, but are procedures that seek to mitigate the effects that chemotherapy and radiotherapy can cause . In certain cancers, the doses of chemotherapy or radiotherapy can be very high. And this can cause great destruction of the cells that make up the blood, including stem cells, which are responsible for producing new blood cells.
With this treatment, the patient recovers the ability to produce red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, essential elements for the proper functioning of the body.
Currently this treatment is being used to help those patients suffering from leukemia and lymphoma. In addition, in these types of cancer it has been seen that it is a therapy that can act directly against cancer, but more studies are still required. They can also be used to palliate the effects of neuroblastoma and multiple myeloma.
It is a non-invasive treatment that is administered intravenously. There is a possibility that the body will reject the donated tissue , which is why we always try to ensure that the cells received are as compatible as possible with those of the patient.
7. Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that seeks to attack tumor cells in a very direct and specific way. It acts at the molecular level and seeks to attack the processes that promote the growth, division and spread of tumor cells.
For this to be possible, cancer research is crucial since only then can knowledge be gathered to better understand how tumor cells work and consequently create new therapies.
The treatment consists of using micromolecular drugs, which enter the malignant cells and inhibit them . It can also be done with antibodies: these adhere to the surface of tumor cells and “turn them off”, preventing their division and spread.
Unfortunately, it is a treatment that can only be applied to those types of cancer that are very well understood. For the treatment to be effective, there needs to be a target where the drug can act (for example, the cell needs to have a biosynthetic pathway x). For this reason, a biopsy is required first, a procedure where a part of the tumor is removed and analyzed, in order to determine which drug could be more effective.
Bibliographic references
- National Cancer Institute. (2019). “Types of Cancer Treatment”. NIH
- National Cancer Institute. (2019). “Cancer Statistics”. NIH
- World Health Organization. (2019). “Cancer – Facts and Figures”. WHO
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.