canccertreatment

                   

                       Cancer treatment

What is cancer?Cancer cells are abnormal cells that grow out of the cells in your body.Cancer cells have a long life expectancy, and can cause other bodily functions to become affected, such as skin cancer.In addition, some types of cancers are more common among specific groups, including children and older adults.In order for cancer treatment to be successful, it is important to identify and treat cancerous tumors early.Early detection is important since treatment will likely result in remission for most people with cancer. However, many patients may need chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or both to cure their cancer.Chemotherapy is given to tumor cells directly. A type of chemotherapeutics called anticancer drugs can help kill the cancer cells or slow them down. Anticancer treatments include either surgery to remove the cancerous cells or radiation to shrink them so they cannot spread and become cancer. Some anticancer treatments require two rounds of chemotherapy to cure tumor cells.These two main types of drugs are cyclophosphamide (coumadin) and fluorouracil. Both types of anticancer drugs stop cell growth and tumor progression by causing double-stranded DNA breaks that allow the tumor cells to die. The goal of anticancer therapy is to avoid chemotherapy side effects that can affect any organ in the body, including heart, liver, kidney, and bone cancer.The first type of chemotherapy drug, cyclophosphamide, is used to treat several different forms of blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other cancers of the blood

Fluorouracil is often used when treating myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and other acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Fluorouracil also was used in the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia during the 1980s, but today is primarily used to treat hematologic malignancies. Fluorouracil is also used to treat an uncommon blood cancer called follicular lymphoma.This chemotherapy drug was originally developed and then modified to destroy cancer cells by damaging their DNA. Fluorouracil treatment uses high doses of chemotherapy to attack cancer cells before they begin growing. When the cancer cells mutate and multiply uncontrollably, they start producing new copies of themselves at much higher rates than normal.In addition to chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, there are four major types of treatment for cancer. There is surgical treatment to remove cancer cells or surrounding tissue.Chemotherapy therapy can slow tumor growth by making it harder for these tumors to survive or grow out of control, so they die and stop multiplying and then die.Radiation therapy is used when cancer is spreading quickly and needs immediate treatment, usually within a few days. This type of cancer treatment also involves destroying cancer cells with X-ray beams of electromagnetic waves, which create heat and ionizing radiation that kills cancer cells.Another way to get rid of cancer cells is to use targeted therapies. These treatments focus on one kind of cancer cell, such as tumor cells, by killing and preventing them from coming into contact with healthy cells and tissues.These targeted therapies target the tumor cells and not normal healthy cells.Targeted therapies work best in some types of cancer and can sometimes cause severe side effects and sometimes do not cure cancer.Surgery is the only form of treatment that removes cancer cells from the body, such as those cancers that involve the lungs, liver, or bones

What are the symptoms of cancer?The following symptoms may also appear as a result of cancer:

Cough

Tiredness

Chills

Shortness of breath

Mouth ulcers

Nausea

Vomiting

Loss of appetite

Loss of consciousness

If you have a persistent pain and swelling in your head, neck, shoulders, back, legs, abdomen, rectum, or abdomen area

You should see your doctor to find out what's wrong.

How does cancer spread?Most cancers spread through the bloodstream. Cancer cells in the bloodstream travel throughout your veins, then can get into or travel through blood vessels in your lung, where they may end up in your lungs or abdomen, leading to serious problems if not treated immediately.Symptoms associated with cancer that may make you feel tired or run a fever, headache and rash, such as:

Unusual chest pain

Fever

Cough

Coughing up phlegm

Dark stool

Shortness of breath

If you notice any of these symptoms, contact your healthcare provider.

What causes cancer?Most cancers are caused by environmental factors, such as:

Genetic mutations

Environmental chemicals

Immune system changes

You should talk to your health care provider about why you think the cancer might have been caused. You may also want to check your family history to see if you have inherited any genes that may play a role in your risk of developing cancer.