The Biggest Contribution Of Cancer Treatment To Humanity

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People with cancer are given individual treatment plans based on their:

type of cancer
cancer’s characteristics
stage of cancer
personal situation and wishes
Sometimes, 2 people with the same cancer may be given very different treatments.

Treatment goals

Cancer treatment may be given for a number of reasons. Sometimes, the goal of treatment can change over time.

prevention (prophylaxis) – Treatment is given to prevent the growth of cancer cells or to remove precancerous tissue that could turn into cancer.
cure – Treatment is given to cure the cancer.
control – Treatment is given to control the tumour and stop cancer from growing and spreading. It also reduces the risk of the cancer coming back (recurring).
palliation (palliative) – When cure is not possible, treatment is given to:
temporarily shrink tumours
reduce symptoms, such as bleeding, pain or pressure
treat problems caused by cancer or its treatment
improve a person’s comfort and quality of life
Treatment plans

A cancer treatment plan is based on each person’s unique situation.

Sometimes, only one type of treatment is all that is needed. This is called the main or primary treatment. In other cases, one type of treatment by itself may not work as well and a combination of treatments is used to more effectively control and treat the cancer.

When a combination of treatments is used, they may be given together or at different times, depending on the type or stage of cancer.

neoadjuvant – Treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation, is given before the primary treatment to shrink a tumour so that it is easier to treat with the primary therapy.
adjuvant – Treatment is given after the primary therapy to control the cancer more effectively, to destroy any remaining cancer cells or to reduce the risk of the cancer recurring.
Types of treatment

Treatment can be broadly divided into the following types of therapies:

local therapy – Local treatments are directed at a specific part of the body and are often used when cancer is limited to that area. Radiation therapy and surgery are both local treatments.
systemic therapy – Systemic treatments travel through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells throughout the body. Many chemotherapy drugs are systemic treatments that are absorbed by the body’s cells and tissues. Systemic treatmentsare often used to treat metastatic cancer (the cancer is found in several parts of the body) or to reduce the chance of cancer coming back (as adjuvant treatment).
targeted therapy – Targeted treatments directly target the cancer cells while sparing normal cells. Targeted therapy uses a biological agent to zero in on the cancer cell.
Sources of drug information

For information on specific drugs, go to sources of drug information.

Side effects of treatment

Side effects can occur with any type of treatment, but not everyone has them or experiences them in the same way. Side effects can occur during or after treatment. They may go away quickly or last for a long time.

Advances in cancer treatment and new ways of managing side effects have helped the outlook and quality of life for many people with cancer.
Surgery

Also called: an operation

Surgery is a medical procedure to remove or repair tissue. Tissue may be removed to find out if it is cancerous (biopsy) or to treat cancer. It is the oldest form of cancer treatment and is still the main treatment for many types of cancer. Surgery is also used:

to lower the risk of developing certain types of cancer
to restore function or appearance
to relieve symptoms such as bleeding or pain caused by tumours
More than half of all people with cancer will have some type of surgery. Surgery is most often used to treat solid tumours. Surgery may be the only therapy required or part of a combined approach to cancer treatment. There are many different surgical techniques and procedures used in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Tests are usually done before surgery to see if a person is fit enough to have an operation and to help plan the surgery. An anesthetic is usually used during surgery. The surgeon may not know the full extent of the cancer until they operate.

Recovery after surgery depends on the type of surgical procedure, extent of surgery and other factors. Everyone will tolerate the procedure differently. Follow-up is done after surgery to see how the person is recovering and to discuss further treatment if needed.
Principles

The main purpose of surgery is to treat cancer by removing it from the body. Sometimes surgery alone may be all that is needed to treat solid tumours. It is most successful if the cancer is early stage, localized
localized
Confined or restricted to the original (primary) site with no evidence of spread. and has not spread.

Usually the surgeon removes the tumour and a surrounding margin of normal tissue to ensure that all the cancer is removed. The amount of normal tissue removed varies with the type and location of the tumour.
In some cases, the lymph nodes nearest the tumour are also removed.
A pathologist examines the tissues and lymph nodes removed during surgery under a microscope to see:
if the surgical margins are clear or not. Clear margins:
don’t have any cancer cells in them
decrease the chance of cancer cells being left behind in the local tumour bed
if any of the lymph nodes contain cancer. This helps assess the need for further treatment.
Surgery with other therapies

Sometimes other therapies are used before surgery (neoadjuvant
neoadjuvant
Treatment given to shrink a tumour before the first-line therapy (the first or standard treatment), which is usually surgery.). Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are used to:

shrink the tumour
make it easier to do the surgery
reduce the amount of tissue that has to be removed
Sometimes other therapies are used after surgery (adjuvant
adjuvant
Treatment given in addition to the first-line therapy (the first or standard treatment) to help reduce the risk of a disease (such as cancer) coming back (recurring).). Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are used to:

destroy cancer cells that may have spread through the body
reduce the risk of cancer coming back
The timing of adjuvant therapy varies, as both radiation and chemotherapy can affect wound healing if used too soon. A recovery period is usually preferred.

Surgery and cancer spread

Some people are concerned that having a biopsy or exposing cancer to the air during surgery will spread the cancer:

there is only an extremely small chance that a needle biopsy causes cancer to spread
exposure to air does not cause cancer to spread
doctors take precautions to prevent cancer from spreading into healthy tissue during surgical procedures
the benefits of doing the procedure usually clearly outweigh the risks

Uses

Surgery in cancer is used to:

Lower the risk of cancer developing

called preventative or prophylactic surgery
tissue is removed that is not cancerous but is likely to turn into cancer (precancerous conditions)
an entire organ or large amounts of tissue are removed when a person has an inherited condition that makes their chance of developing cancer very high

Diagnose or stage cancer

tissue samples are tested to help identify cancer and confirm a cancer diagnosis. Several surgical techniques can be used to obtain a biopsy sample.
surgical staging or exploratory surgery is used to assess how far cancer has spread. This may include finding out if cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. It can be done at the same time as surgery to remove a tumour.

Treatcancer

the best way to treat most solid tumours. Some tumours may involve vital body structures or be difficult to get to.
if cancer has spread or cannot be totally removed, surgery can reduce the bulk of the tumour (debulking or cytoreductive surgery) so additional treatments will be more effective. This is only done for specific types of tumours.
often done in combination with other cancer therapies

Support the delivery of other cancer treatments by placing

a vascular access device
vascular access device
Any device (such as a catheter) that is used to access a vein to draw blood, give medicine or fluids.
a special pump for chemotherapy drugs

Reconstruct or rehabilitate

to restore the function to part of the body, such as an ostomy
ostomy
A surgical procedure to create a stoma (artificial opening) between an organ or structure and the outside of the body.
to restore appearance, such as breast reconstruction after a mastectomy
to help a wound heal, such as a muscle or skin flap
Palliate or relieve symptoms

to control symptoms such as pain, blockages or bleeding and improve the quality of the person’s life. The risks and benefits of doing surgery are considered carefully, especially when the overall goal is to control symptoms (palliative) rather than curing the person.

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