Tuesday, February 16, 2010

What are the types of cancer treatment

What are the types of cancer treatment?
I just need a brief of about the following:- 1) Radiotherapy 2) Laser Treatment 3) Immunotherapy I need to know how it works basically and can be understandable for a teenager Well, i am just 14, working on a project of curing cancer....i just need the explanation
Cancer - 4 Answers
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1 :
* Chemotherapy is drug treatment which is used to try and kill cancer cells or stop them spreading. * Radiation therapy uses high powered x-rays or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells.The specialist in radiation therapy is known as Radiation oncologist. * LASER treatment is also known as Radiofrequency ablation. The internal cancer can be accessed and destroyed by endoscopic laser surgery. There will be no bleeding by this procedure. * Cancer immunotherapy attempts to stimulate the immune system to reject and destroy tumors.
2 :
Hey i am 19 and have had cancer twice, so these things can be kinda scary for a teenager but we also dont really sweat these sort of stuff, because at the end of the day u cant really... Radiothearpy is never felt but u jus get burnt skin, straight forward and doesnt make u feel sick nor in a bad mood etc, you get cream for the skin but u do lose forever hair in that spot that was given radiothearpy Laser treatment and Immunotherapy- never had so cant comment on it. What age is the teenager?
3 :
There are alternative cancer treatments, the cancer diet, the naysayers are the big pharmo and Orthodox medical field $$$$. Most of these treatment are very inexpensive but work on making your immune system strong. This is what I choose and don't regret. I have never felt better, it takes a lot of work and time there is no quick fix but I started feeling the results within a couple of months.
4 :
Radiotherapy means the use of 'radiation', usually X-rays, to treat illness. About 4 out of 10 people with cancer (40%) have radiotherapy as part of their treatment. It can be given... From outside the body as external radiotherapy, using X-rays, 'cobalt irradiation', electrons and more rarely other particles such as protons From within the body as internal radiotherapy, by drinking a liquid that is taken up by cancer cells or by putting radioactive material in, or close to, the tumour Radiotherapy destroys the cancer cells in the treated area. Although normal cells are also affected by radiation, they are better at repairing themselves than the cancer cells. The term “laser” stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Laser light has a specific wavelength focused in a narrow beam and this creates a very high-intensity light. Laser therapy is often given through a flexible endoscope (a thin, lighted tube used to look at tissues inside the body). The endoscope is fitted with optical fibers (thin fibers that transmit light). It is inserted through an opening in the body, such as the mouth, nose, anus, or vagina. Laser light is then precisely aimed to cut or destroy a tumor. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is another type of cancer treatment that uses lasers. In PDT, a certain drug, called a photosensitizer or photosensitizing agent, is injected into a patient and absorbed by cells all over the patient’s body. After a couple of days, the agent is found mostly in cancer cells. Laser light is then used to activate the agent and destroy cancer cells. Three types of lasers are used to treat cancer: carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers, argon lasers, and neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) lasers. Each of these can shrink or destroy tumors and can be used with endoscopes. CO2 and argon lasers can cut the skin’s surface without going into deeper layers. The concept of immunotherapy is based on the body's natural defense system, which protects us against a variety of diseases. Although we are less aware of it, the immune system also works to aid our recovery from many illnesses. One immediate goal of research in cancer immunology is the development of methods to harness and enhance the body's natural tendency to defend itself against malignant tumors. Many years of research have finally produced the first successful examples of immunotherapies for cancer. Interferons belong to a group of proteins known as cytokines. They are produced naturally by white blood cells in the body (or in the laboratory) in response to infection, inflammation, or stimulation. They have been used as a treatment for certain viral diseases, including hepatitis B. Interferon-alpha was one of the first cytokines to show an antitumor effect, and it is able to slow tumor growth directly, as well as help to activate the immune system. Interferon-alpha has been approved by the FDA and is now commonly used for the treatment of a number of cancers, including multiple myeloma, chronic myelogenous leukemia, hairy cell leukemia, and malignant melanoma. Interferon-beta and interferon-gamma are other types of interferons that have been investigated. Other cytokines with antitumor activity include the interleukins (e.g., IL-2) and tumor necrosis factor. IL-2 is frequently used to treat kindey cancer and melanoma. Some of the problems with these cytokines, including many of the interferons and interleukins, are their side effects, which include malaise and flu-like syndromes. When given at a high dose, the side effets can be greatly magnified.




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