Thanks to modern medicine, the chances of curing cancer have steadily increased over the past three decades. The combination of preventive measures, the use of more advanced diagnostic procedures, and improved cancer therapy has led to many cancer patients being able to lead a largely normal life despite the frightening diagnosis.
What is cancer therapy?
Currently, the most common forms of cancer therapy are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Currently, the most common forms of cancer therapy are surgery, chemotherapy as well as radiation therapy. Some tumor types also respond to hormone or immunotherapies. Stem cell or bone marrow transplants are used as cancer therapy for certain types of lymphoma or for leukemias. For many cancers, several cancer therapies are combined to increase their effectiveness and are additionally accompanied by psychological and physical supportive measures. For example, targeted pain therapy in the treatment of tumor pain provides extensive pain relief or even complete freedom from pain in 90% of those affected. Which cancer therapy is right for each patient depends on their individual characteristics.
Function, effect, and goals
Surgeries performed as part of cancer therapy aim to completely remove the tissue affected by cancer. To ensure this, parts of the adjacent healthy tissue are also taken away to remove isolated tumor cells that may have penetrated to this point. Chemotherapy uses substances (cytostatics) that suppress cell proliferation. In this way, cancer therapy can prevent further growth of the tumor. Both the use of single and the combination of several chemotherapeutic substances is possible. In many cases, special therapy regimens ensure that the drug combinations are taken at precisely prescribed intervals during cancer therapy. In radiation therapy, the tumor is prevented from growing further by radioactive radiation. The goal of this type of cancer therapy is the complete elimination of the cancerous focus and thus a cure. It is often performed after surgery to destroy any remaining tumor tissue. For this purpose, cancer therapy by radiation specifically uses X-rays. This belongs to the ionizing forms of radiation whose energy is high enough to initiate biological reactions in body cells that damage the cells and lead to their death. Certain hormones can increase the growth of some forms of cancer. This fact is exploited in cancer therapy in anti-hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. Here, the body’s own hormones are specifically switched off or replaced in order to prevent the tumors from growing. This form of cancer therapy is often used in addition to surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy in the treatment of certain forms of prostate cancer, cancer of the uterus, breast cancer or thyroid cancer. Cancer therapy for blood cancers and malignant lymphoma often consists of high doses of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, which destroy the bone marrow as well as the cancer cells. Following cancer therapy, the patient is given stem cells via stem cell transplantation, from which bone marrow cells can develop and the hematopoietic system can be rebuilt. An alternative to stem cell transplantation in the context of cancer therapy is the transplantation of bone marrow from a suitable donor.
Risks, side effects, and hazards
The side effects of this cancer therapy are due to the fact that the drugs used cannot distinguish between healthy cells and tumor tissue. As a result, even the body tissues that are not affected by cancer have their ability to multiply impaired during cancer therapy. In some cases, this cancer therapy also involves the removal of other affected organs as well as lymph nodes. Surgery for cancer is therefore not without risks. Problems can arise if other organs, blood vessels or nerves are injured, which can result in bleeding and secondary bleeding. In addition, infections, adhesions and also blood clots can occur in the area of the surgical wound as a result of the cancer therapy. This can have a particular effect on the tissue.In particular, always renewing hair roots, blood-forming bone marrow and mucous membranes. Thus, hair loss, anemia and inflammation of the oral mucosa can occur during chemotherapy. Nausea and vomiting are also common side effects of cancer therapy with cytostatic drugs, but can be treated quite well with appropriate medication. Since radiation therapy also affects healthy tissue, cancer therapy also causes side effects such as loss of appetite, fatigue, diarrhea and headaches. However, this so-called radiation hangover disappears after a short time. Since this form of cancer therapy involves increased radiation exposure, skin irritation (radiation dermatitis) and mucous membrane irritation often occur. Inflammation of the gums, esophagus, stomach and intestines, as well as inflammation of the urinary bladder can also be a consequence of this cancer therapy. When breast cancer is treated with hormone therapy, menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, itching in the genital area, vaginal bleeding, circulatory problems, and headaches are common.
