Cancers are treated using medications, surgery as well other therapies to remove the cancer, shrink it or stop its progression. Depending on the particular situation of the patient one or a combination of multiple treatment methods will be used for cancer treatment.
Types Of Cancer Treatment
Depending on the particular goal of the treatment, cancer treatments are of different types.
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Primary Treatment
Primary treatment attempts to completely remove cancer cells from your body or kill the cells. Although any cancer treatment method can be used as primary treatment, surgery is the most commonly used method for treatment. You may receive radiation therapy or chemotherapy as the primary treatment if your cancer is particularly sensitive to these therapies.
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Adjuvant Treatment
Adjuvant treatment attempts to kill cancer cells that remain after the primary treatment to reduce the chances of relapse. Any cancer treatment method can be used as adjuvant treatment and commonly used adjuvant treatments include chemotherapy, hormone therapy and radiation therapy.
Neoadjuvant therapy is used prior to the primary treatment to increase the ease and effectiveness of the primary treatment.
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Palliative treatment
The goal of palliative treatment is to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment and symptoms of the condition. Palliative treatments can be used while you undergo the regular treatment course.
Cancer Treatment Options
Early detection and treatment of cancer by seeking the help of cancer care Los Angeles can promise faster cure. Cancer treatment options include:
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Surgery
Surgery intends to remove cancer completely or partially from the body, whatever is possible.
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Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy kills cancer cells using drugs.
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Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is based on high energy beams like protons or X-Rays that are used to kill cancer cells. In external beam radiation therapy, the source of radiations is kept outside the body whereas in brachytherapy, the radiation source is kept inside the body.
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Bone Marrow Transplant
Blood cells are made from blood stem cells by the bone marrow. In a bone marrow transplant, which is also known as stem cell transplant, the stem cells of the patient or a suitable donor can be used and the transplant allows the doctor to use higher chemotherapy doses for treating your cancer.
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Immunotherapy
If your immune system fails to identify the cancer cells as intruders, cancer survives unchecked in your body. Immunotherapy or biological therapy fights against cancer by helping the immune system detect cancer and attack it.
If you are diagnosed with cancer, start the treatment course at the earliest before the cancer progresses to the later stages.