All About Cancer Treatment: Types, Treatment Modalities and More

Cancer is a complicated set of diseases defined by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells throughout the body. There are about 100 different forms of cancer, each called after the type of cell or tissue that causes it. Here are some examples of common cancers:

1. Cancer of the Breast: Occurs in breast tissue, primarily affecting women but also affecting men.
2. Lung Cancer: Forms in the lung tissues and is frequently associated with smoking. However, it can also occur in nonsmokers.
3. Prostate Cancer: This type of cancer develops in the prostate gland, part of the male reproductive system.
4. Colorectal cancer: Colorectal cancer affects the colon (large intestine) and the rectum.
5. Skin cancer: The most frequent skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. It usually starts in the skin’s outermost layer.
6. Bladder Cancer: This type of cancer begins in the bladder, which is the organ that holds pee.
7. Leukemia: A type of blood cancer that affects both the bone marrow and the blood. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are two kinds of leukemia.
8. Lymphoma: A lymphatic system malignancy that includes Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
9. Ovarian Cancer: This type of cancer arises in the ovaries, part of the female reproductive system.
10. Cervical cancer: Cervical cancer develops in the cervix, the lower section of the uterus, and is frequently related to particular strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV).
11. Pancreatic Cancer: Affects the pancreas, a digestive and insulin-producing organ.
12. Liver Cancer: This type of cancer develops in the liver, generally in chronic liver disease or cirrhosis.
13. Renal (Kidney) Cancer: This type of cancer develops in the kidneys and can include renal and transitional cell carcinoma.
14. Thyroid cancer: Thyroid cancer is a type of cancer affecting the thyroid gland in the neck, which produces hormones that govern metabolism.
15. Tumors of the brain and central nervous system (CNS): These tumors can develop in the brain or spinal cord and can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
16. Esophageal Cancer: This type of cancer develops in the esophagus. This tube transports food from the throat to the stomach.
17. Stomach (Gastric) Cancer: Affects the stomach lining and is frequently linked to Helicobacter pylori infection and nutrition.
18. Hereditary Cancer Preventative Surgery: In cases of certain genetic abnormalities, individuals may undergo preventative operations, such as mastectomy (removal of breast tissue) for those at high risk of breast cancer due to BRCA mutations.

These are a few types of cancer that can affect various body sections. Depending on the stage and features of the illness, each form of cancer may necessitate a unique diagnosis and therapeutic approach, which may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and other therapies.

Early detection and therapy can raise the odds of successful cancer management dramatically.

Types of Cancer Surgery

Cancer surgeries cover a wide range of treatments that are used to diagnose, stage, treat, or manage cancer. The Surgery employed is determined by the cancer’s stage and the patient’s overall health. Here are some examples of common cancer surgeries:

1. Diagnostic Surgery:

These procedures confirm the presence of cancer and gather tissue samples for further analysis.

• Biopsy: It involves removing a tiny piece of tissue for laboratory analysis.
• Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA): The extraction of fluid or cells from a tumor using a fine needle.

2. Staging Surgery:

This operation determines the degree of the cancer and if it has affected the adjacent lymph nodes or other organs. Here are several examples:

• Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy: This involves removing and examining the initial lymph nodes to which cancer is likely to spread.
• Exploratory Laparotomy: This open abdominal Surgery determines the extent of abdominal malignancies.

3. Curative Surgery:

These surgeries try to remove the entire tumor and surrounding tissues to cure or eliminate cancer.

• Tumor Resection: This is the removal of a malignant tumor.
• Mastectomy: Breast tissue removal in cases of breast cancer.
• Lobectomy: Removal of a lung lobe for lung cancer.
• Prostatectomy: Prostate cancer is treated by removing the prostate gland.

4. Debulking Surgery:

When removing the entire tumor is impossible, debulking Surgery lowers the tumor’s size, which may make the following therapies more successful.

5. Palliative Surgery:

Rather than curing cancer, these surgeries aim to improve the patient’s quality of life. Here are several examples:

• Stent Placement: The placement of a stent to maintain a blocked route open (for example, esophageal or biliary obstruction).
• Cytoreductive Surgery: Reducing tumor size to alleviate symptoms in advanced cancer.

6. Reconstructive Surgery:

Reconstructive Surgery may be performed after removing tissue, such as in breast or skin cancer surgery, to restore appearance and function.

7. Preventive Surgery:

Some people at high risk of developing certain malignancies may have preventive Surgery to remove at-risk tissues or organs before cancer starts.

• Prophylactic Mastectomy: Removal of both breasts in high-risk individuals to lessen the incidence of breast cancer.

8. Lymph Node Dissection:

Removing lymph nodes in the affected area to assess the amount of cancer spread and lower the risk of recurrence.

9. Organ Transplants:

Organ transplants may be performed in rare circumstances to treat diseases that attack specific organs, such as liver or kidney cancer.

10. Isolation Surgery:

For some diseases, such as melanoma, the surgeon may perform isolation surgery to remove the tumor while reducing cancer cell dissemination into the bloodstream or lymphatic system.

Cancer surgery is frequently used with other treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy to provide comprehensive cancer care.

Cancer Treatment Modalities –

Cancer therapy may include various techniques depending on the type and stage of cancer, as well as the patient’s overall health and preferences. The following are the primary cancer therapy modalities:

1. Surgical procedure:

Many kinds of cancer are treated with surgical excision of malignant tissue. It may entail the removal of a tumor or a section of an affected organ. Surgery is frequently used as the first line of treatment to identify, stage, or eradicate cancer.

2. Radiation Therapy:

Radiation therapy targets and destroys cancer cells by using high-energy X-rays or other similar radiation. It can be used as a main treatment, with surgery or chemotherapy, or to alleviate symptoms in advanced cancer stages.

3. Chemotherapy:

Chemotherapy uses medications circulating throughout the body to kill or inhibit cancer cell growth. It is commonly used for tumors that have progressed to other body sections and can be delivered orally or intravenously.

4. Immunotherapy:

This modality aims to stimulates the immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells. Checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and CAR-T cell therapy are examples of techniques. Immunotherapy has been effective in treating a variety of cancers.

5. Targeted Therapy:

Drugs designed to target specific molecules or proteins involved in cancer growth are targeted therapies. They are frequently utilized when cancer cells have specific genetic alterations or other failed treatments.

6. Hormone Therapy:

Hormone therapy treats hormone-sensitive malignancies such as breast and prostate cancer. It works by inhibiting or lowering the hormone synthesis that promotes cancer growth.

7. Customized Medicines:

Precision medicine, often known as customized medicine, is tailoring cancer treatment to a patient’s genetic or molecular profile. It seeks to discover the most effective medicines depending on the tumor’s genetic traits.

8. Stem Cell Transplantation:

This is a procedure that replaces damaged bone marrow with healthy stem cells. It is frequently used to treat blood malignancies such as leukemia and lymphoma.

9. Cryotherapy:

Cryotherapy involves freezing cancer cells, usually using liquid nitrogen, to eliminate them. It is frequently used to treat skin malignancies and precancerous skin lesions.

10. Photodynamic Therapy (PDT):

PDT kills cancer cells using a photosensitizing chemical and a certain type of light. It is mostly used to treat skin, lung, and esophageal malignancies.

11. Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA):

RFA generates heat and destroys cancer cells using high-frequency electrical currents. It is frequently used to treat malignancies of the liver, kidneys, and lungs.

12. Active Surveillance or Watchful Waiting:

In some circumstances, particularly for slow-growing tumors or when therapy carries major dangers, healthcare practitioners may advise actively monitoring the cancer without early intervention. If the cancer shows signs of progress, treatment may be started later.

The kind and stage of cancer, the patient’s overall health, and the treatment goals (curative, palliative, or symptom management) all influence the treatment method or combination of modalities.

Cancer treatment plans are frequently devised through a multidisciplinary approach comprising oncologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, and other specialists to provide the most effective and tailored care for each patient.

Radiation therapy types –

Radiation therapy, often known as radiotherapy, is a medical treatment that targets and destroys cancer cells or shrinks tumors using high-energy radiation. Radiation therapy is classified into numerous categories with properties and applications.

The following are the main types of radiation therapy in detail:

1. EBRT (External Beam Radiation Therapy):

• Conventional External Beam Radiation: The most prevalent form of radiation therapy. It employs a gadget known as a linear accelerator to deliver radiation directly to the tumor from outside the body. Typically, the patient receives daily treatments for several weeks.
• Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT): IMRT is a very accurate type of EBRT in which the intensity of the radiation beams is adjusted to fit the tumor’s shape. It is utilized for complicated tumor forms or near critical organs to reduce radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissues.
• Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT): IGRT combines imaging techniques (e.g., CT scans) with radiation therapy to confirm the position of the tumor just before treatment. It ensures precise targeting, especially when tumors shift due to breathing or other circumstances.
• Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT): These are types of EBRT that give highly targeted and precise radiation in fewer sessions. SRS is used to treat brain cancers, whereas SBRT is used to treat other types of tumors. They are called “radiosurgery” due to their non-invasive and precise nature.
• Proton Beam Therapy: Proton therapy treats patients using protons rather than X-rays. It can provide a high dosage of radiation to the tumor while exposing neighboring healthy tissues to as little radiation as possible. Proton therapy is frequently used to treat pediatric malignancies and tumors close to vital tissues.

2. Brachytherapy (Internal Radiation Therapy):

• Brachytherapy entails inserting radioactive sources directly into or around the tumor. This enables the delivery of a large dose of radiation while protecting healthy tissue in the surrounding area.
• High-dosage Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy: This type of brachytherapy uses transient radioactive sources to provide a high dosage of radiation in a short amount of time.
• Low-Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy: For prostate cancer treatment, LDR brachytherapy involves the insertion of permanent radioactive seeds, such as in the prostate.

3. Systemic Radiation Therapy (SRT):

• Systemic radiation therapy is ingesting orally or intravenously radioactive material throughout the body to target cancer cells. Radioactive iodine (I-131) is a typical type for treating thyroid cancer.

4. Total Body Irradiation (TBI)

It is a radiation therapy used to prepare for bone marrow or stem cell transplantation. It uses radiation to destroy cancer cells and weaken the immune system throughout the body.

5. Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT)

It delivers a single, high radiation dose to the tumor location during surgery. It is frequently used to treat specific types of breast cancer and abdominal malignancies.

6. Radio-immunotherapy and radio sensitizers:

• Radio sensitizers make cancer cells more sensitive to radiation therapy, increasing effectiveness.
• Radio-immunotherapy combines radiation therapy and immunotherapy by targeting cancer cells with radioactive antibodies.

To provide comprehensive cancer care, radiation therapy is frequently utilized as a stand-alone treatment or in conjunction with surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy.

The radiation oncologist and the interdisciplinary care team will choose the best radiation therapy approach for each patient.

What is a Bone Marrow Transplant(BMT)?

This medical technique replaces damaged or destroyed bone marrow stem cells with healthy ones.

The bone marrow is a spongy tissue found within the cavities of certain bones, such as the hip bones and the sternum (breastbone). It produces red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

A bone marrow transplant is commonly used to treat a variety of medical disorders, including:

• Malignancies: Blood-related malignancies such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma are often treated with bone marrow transplantation. It can also be used to treat certain solid cancers.
• Bone Marrow abnormalities: BMT can treat conditions such as aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and some genetic bone marrow abnormalities.
• Hematological illnesses: Bone marrow transplantation can treat some non-cancerous blood illnesses, such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia.
• Immune System Disorders: BMT may replace or repair the immune system in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and some autoimmune illnesses.

Kinds of bone marrow transplants:

• Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant (Auto-BMT): An autologous transplant involves the collection of a patient’s own bone marrow or stem cells, generally before high-dose chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The cells are then reinfused into the patient to replace the damaged or destroyed marrow. This transplant is frequently used to treat malignancies such as lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
• Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant (Allo-BMT): An allogeneic transplant obtains bone marrow or stem cells from a compatible donor, such as a family member, an unrelated donor, or cord blood from a newborn’s umbilical cord. To reduce the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which occurs when the donor’s immune cells assault the recipient’s tissues, the donor’s cells are precisely matched to the recipient’s. Allo-BMT is a treatment option for leukemia and other hematological illnesses.

Steps in the Bone Marrow Transplant:

• Preparation: Patients may be subjected to conditioning therapy, which may involve chemotherapy and/or radiation, to eliminate cancer cells and provide a place for the transplanted cells. Before this phase in autologous transplants, the patient’s stem cells are collected and frozen.
• Transplantation: Similar to a blood transfusion, healthy bone marrow or stem cells, whether from the patient (autologous) or a donor (allogeneic), are infused into the patient’s bloodstream.
• Engraftment: The injected cells migrate to the bone marrow and begin the production of new blood cells. Engraftment is a process that can take several weeks.
• Recovery and Monitoring: During the recovery period, patients are constantly evaluated for potential complications like infections, GVHD (with allogeneic transplants), and other side effects.

Bone marrow transplantation is a difficult and possibly life-saving treatment but is fraught with dangers and consequences.

The transplant’s success is determined by factors such as the patient’s overall health, donor compatibility, and the treatment condition. It is usually done in specialist medical centers specializing in hematology and transplant medicine.

Difference between Targeted Therapy, Immunotherapy, and Precision Medicine

Targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and precision medicine are all novel approaches to cancer and other diseases treatment, but their methods of action and applications differ:

Targeted Therapy:

• Mechanism: Targeted therapy involves using medicines or other treatments specifically targeting certain molecules or proteins involved in cancer cell growth and spread. Because these chemicals are frequently altered or overexpressed in cancer cells, they are excellent targets.
• Specificity: Targeted therapies are intended to be extremely specific, focusing on cancer cells with specific genetic or chemical changes while sparing normal, healthy cells.
• Applications: Targeted therapies are employed largely when a specific genetic or molecular defect in the malignancy has been found. Examples are drugs that target EGFR in lung cancer, HER2 in breast cancer, or BRAF in melanoma.
• Efficacy: Targeted medicines can be extremely effective in people with targeted cancer cells. However, if the target is missing or the tumor develops resistance, it may not work well.

Immunotherapy:

• Mechanism: Immunotherapy combats cancer by utilizing the body’s immune system. Checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and CAR-T cell therapy are examples of techniques that improve the immune system’s ability to fight cancer cells.
• Specificity: Immunotherapy is not confined to particular genetic or molecular changes. It instead relies on the immune system’s ability to recognize cancer-specific signals.
• Applications: Immunotherapy is used to treat a wide variety of cancers, with particular success in treating melanoma, lung cancer, and some kinds of leukemia and lymphoma.
• Effectiveness: Immunotherapy has demonstrated extraordinary success in some patients, resulting in long-term remissions. Immunotherapy, however, does not work for all people and can cause immune-related adverse effects.

Medical Precision:

• Approach: Precision medicine is a broad approach to medical treatment that considers individual patient features such as genetics, molecular profile, and other variables. It tries to personalize medical care to the particular needs of each patient.
• Applications: Precision medicine has applications in various medical sectors, including cancer treatment. Precision medicine in cancer entails discovering genetic and molecular anomalies in the tumor and then picking the best treatment based on these discoveries.
• Integration: Precision medicine includes both targeted therapy and immunotherapy. When precise genetic or molecular targets are found, targeted medicines are used. In contrast, immunotherapy can be considered part of a precision medicine strategy because it considers the patient’s immune system response.

Parting Words

Cancer treatment is a complex process. Knowing about it beforehand helps the patient to be prepared in advance to fight the battle. We hope this article answered your query.