cancer treatment

cancer treatment

Standard treatments for localized basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are safe and effective. Small tumors can be surgically excised, removed with a scraping tool (curette) and then cauterized, frozen with liquid nitrogen, or killed with low-dose radiation. Applying an ointment containing a chemotherapeutic agent called 5-fluorouracil -- or an immune response modifier called imiquimod -- to a superficial tumor for several weeks may also work. Larger localized tumors are removed surgically.

In rare cases where basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma has begun to spread beyond the skin, tumors are removed surgically and patients are treated with chemotherapy and radiation.

Melanoma tumors must be removed surgically, preferably before they spread beyond the skin into other organs. The surgeon removes the tumor fully, along with a safe margin of surrounding tissue. There is controversy whether removing nearby lymph nodes is valuable in certain cases. Neither radiation nor chemotherapy will cure advanced melanoma, but either treatment may slow the disease and relieve symptoms. Chemotherapy, sometimes in combination with immunotherapy -- using drugs like interferon -- is generally preferred. If melanoma spreads to the brain, radiation is used to slow the growth and control symptoms.

Immunotherapy is a relatively new field of cancer treatment that attempts to target and kill cancer cells by manipulating the body's immune system. Some of the most promising developments in the field of immunotherapy have sprung from efforts to cure advanced melanoma. Some researchers are treating advanced cases with vaccines, while others have used drugs such as interferon, interleukin-2, or Yervoy (ipilimumab) in an effort to stimulate immune cells into attacking melanoma cells more aggressively. Genetic manipulation of melanoma tumors may make them more vulnerable to attack by the immune system. Each of these experimental treatment approaches aims to immunize a patient's body against its own cancer -- something the body cannot do naturally.

The drug Zelboraf (vemurafenib), is FDA-approved for inoperable or late-stage melanoma that tests positive for the BRAF mutation, a genetic change that appears responsible for some cancers, including melanoma.

Yervoy (ipilimumab) has recently been approved by the FDA to treat advanced melanoma, with or without dacarbazine.

Chemotherapy

    Chemotherapy and You: Support for People With Cancer
 
 Information about what to expect during chemotherapy and what patients can do to take care of themselves during and after treatment.
 
 Chemotherapy Side Effects Sheets
 
 Chemotherapy fact sheets with clear medical advice from doctors and nurses, and practical tips from patients to help you manage side effects.

Radiation Therapy

    Radiation Therapy for Cancer
 
 A fact sheet that defines the different types of radiation therapy and discusses scientific advances that improve the effectiveness of this treatment.
 
 Radiation Therapy and You: Support for People With Cancer
  
Information about what to expect during radiation therapy, including the general effects of treatment and how to deal with specific side effects.
 
 What To Know About Brachytherapy (A Type of Internal Radiation Therapy)
 
 Practical information and tips to help radiation therapy patients understand brachytherapy, a type of internal radiation therapy.
  
What To Know About External Beam Radiation Therapy
  
Practical information and tips for radiation therapy patients about external beam radiation therapy.
 
 Radiation Therapy Side Effects Sheets
 
  Radiation therapy fact sheets that help patients understand their treatment and manage side effects. The fact sheets (also available in audio) have tips from patients and healthcare providers, and questions to ask providers.
 
  Radiation Therapy and Side Effects - Audio Files
 
 A list of a series of audio interviews on topics related to side effects of radiation therapy.

Surgery

    Cryosurgery in Cancer Treatment: Questions and Answers
  
A fact sheet that describes cryosurgery, the technique of using extreme cold to treat tumors. Lists the indications, risks, benefits, and side effects of cryotherapy.

Transplantation

    Childhood Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (PDQ®)
    [ health professional ]

  Expert-reviewed information summary about the use of hematopoietic cell transplantation in treating childhood cancer.
 
 Bone Marrow Transplantation and Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation
 
 A fact sheet that explains the step-by-step procedures of two types of transplantations used with high-dose chemotherapy, including their risks and benefits.

Other Treatment Methods

    Angiogenesis Inhibitors
 
 A fact sheet that describes the process of eliminating the blood supply to tumors. Lists the cancers in which this approach is being tested.
 
 Biological Therapies for Cancer
 
 A fact sheet that provides an overview of how the immune system functions and describes the actions of biological therapies.
 
 Biological Therapy
  
An introduction to biological therapy to help patients prepare to receive it for cancer treatment or managing side effects.
 
  Cancer Vaccines
 
 A fact sheet that discusses cancer vaccines. Explains how they work, how they are made, and describes research related to their use.
 
 Gene Therapy for Cancer: Questions and Answers
 
 A fact sheet that discusses research with genetic material in developing cancer therapies, including risks, benefits, and ethical issues.
 
 Hyperthermia in Cancer Treatment

   A fact sheet that defines hyperthermia (treating tumors with heat) and its side effects.

  Lasers in Cancer Treatment

    A fact sheet that describes use of high-intensity light in cancer treatment, its advantages and disadvantages, and types of procedures that use it.

    Photodynamic Therapy for Cancer

    A fact sheet that explains photodynamic therapy, how it is administered, and indications and side effects of treatment.

    Targeted Cancer Therapies

    A fact sheet that describes targeted cancer therapies, which are drugs that block the growth and spread of cancer by interfering with specific molecules involved in carcinogenesis (the process by which normal cells are transformed into cancer cells) and tumor growth.