Cancer research has made significant progress in finding the cures for Cancer over the past 20 years. It continues to develop new means to fight back this menace and with rapid progress in the fields of biomedicine, it is hoped that within the foreseeable future, a permanent cure for cancer may be found. At present, there are various forms of treatment as well.
These are:
Biologic Therapy : Biologic therapies help the body fight back cancer through substance occurring in the body itself. This form of cancer treatment stimulates the natural immune system and thus allows the body to counter the Cancer cells.
Bone marrow transplant : Bone marrow is the body’s own laboratory for manufacturing cells. It produces white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. White blood cells are extremely important for the body’s immune system and thus, this form of cancer treatment helps the body restore its immune system.
Chemotherapy : Chemotherapy involves exposing the cancer cells to significant levels of radiation so as to kill them. This form of cancer treatment has significant side effects as well and is mostly used when cancer has reached serious levels.
Gene therapy : Genes are the body’s blueprint. Cancer treatments which involve manipulation of genes can also help prevent the risk.
Surgical oncology : In cases where the cancer has developed too far, it becomes necessary to surgically remove the cancer. Such cases carry a high risk of regeneration and are also painful.
Proton therapy : Proton therapy, which involves exposing the cancer cells to proton irradiation, has also been used as an effective cancer treatment.
Vaccine therapy : Vaccines help the body’s immune system identify and attack the cancer cells. This form of cancer treatment aims to spur the immune system and help it to produce effective antigens which can treat the cancer.
Photodynamic therapy : This form of cancer treatment involves a light source, such as laser, and a photo sensitive drug. When the drug is activated by the light source, it attacks the cancer cells and thus kills them off.
There continue to be advances in the field of cancer therapy and with time, it is hoped that cancer treatment can become common and affordable as well.
Senin, 05 Juli 2010
Breast Cancer Stages
Doctors have started to use the staging system in order to determine the effect of certain different factors and in order to help them organize the procedure necessary. The main reasons are to understand the outcome of the disease, to guide the entire treatment process, as well as providing a way to describe the extent of breast cancer. Overall there are four or five stages that doctors use.
Stage 0 is the first stage which is used to describe the type of breast cancer. In this stage there is no treatment since there is no actual evidence of cancer cells breaking out or invading the surrounding tissues.
Stage I is used to describe the invasive breast cancers, which may break into surrounding breast tissue. The tumor may measure up to a total of 2 centimeters and there may be no lymph nodes involved.
Stage II is categorized into two, IIA and IIB. Stage IIA is the description that there is no tumor that can be found, but cancer cells are found in lymph nodes. It can also mean that there is a tumor that measures 2 centimeters which has spread to the lymph nodes. It can also mean that the tumor has grown, but is not bigger than a total of 5 centimeters and has not yet spread into the lymph nodes. Stage IIB is the description used for when the tumor has grown to 5 centimeters and has spread into the lymph nodes, or the tumor has become larger than 5 centimeters but has not yet spread into the lymph nodes.
Stage III is the description which is divided into three categories of IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC. Stage III overall deals with cancer being clumped or sticking to other structures including the lymph nodes, the size of the tumor spreading throughout the chest wall, the cancer entering below the collarbone, and even into the breastbones.
Stage IV is the last and final description that doctors may use to inform the patient that the cancer has spread throughout the organs of the body which include the brain, liver, bone, and usually the lungs.
Stage 0 is the first stage which is used to describe the type of breast cancer. In this stage there is no treatment since there is no actual evidence of cancer cells breaking out or invading the surrounding tissues.
Stage I is used to describe the invasive breast cancers, which may break into surrounding breast tissue. The tumor may measure up to a total of 2 centimeters and there may be no lymph nodes involved.
Stage II is categorized into two, IIA and IIB. Stage IIA is the description that there is no tumor that can be found, but cancer cells are found in lymph nodes. It can also mean that there is a tumor that measures 2 centimeters which has spread to the lymph nodes. It can also mean that the tumor has grown, but is not bigger than a total of 5 centimeters and has not yet spread into the lymph nodes. Stage IIB is the description used for when the tumor has grown to 5 centimeters and has spread into the lymph nodes, or the tumor has become larger than 5 centimeters but has not yet spread into the lymph nodes.
Stage III is the description which is divided into three categories of IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC. Stage III overall deals with cancer being clumped or sticking to other structures including the lymph nodes, the size of the tumor spreading throughout the chest wall, the cancer entering below the collarbone, and even into the breastbones.
Stage IV is the last and final description that doctors may use to inform the patient that the cancer has spread throughout the organs of the body which include the brain, liver, bone, and usually the lungs.
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