What is medical cancer treatment?

Medical cancer treatment is a collective term for a number of various types of treatments that are either given alone or as a combination together. It could be chemotherapy that’s given alone or with something else, e.g. antibodies. Sometimes, medical cancer treatment is combined with radiation therapy. Medical cancer treatment works by slowing or stopping the cancer cells’ growth, or by killing them completely. In that way, the treatment can slow the cancer down or at least prevent it from progressing.

Antibodies are a special type of medicine that can sometimes work by specifically regulating the cancer cells’ growth. The medication given for various types of cancers varies. For example, some medication is most effective on breast cancer, while another works better on bowel cancer.

Medical cancer treatments can have different purposes. In some situations, treatment is given to completely cure the disease, so you are disease free. In other situations, treatment is given to reduce the disease, or to slow it down and prevent it from growing more. In other situations, medical cancer treatment is preventative, after an operation, to prevent the cancer from returning.

Medical cancer treatment is given in different ways. It can be given as an infusion via a drip in a vein, as tablets, or as a combination of the two, and by far the most treatments are outpatient treatments. The number of treatments given, how often they’re given, and how long they last varies. Some take an hour, others more than 4 hours, and others are given over several days. This means that you must continue the treatment at home, and take special pumps home with you. For some people, the treatments may be finished after a few months, while others may need to continue treatment for several years.

Your oncologist will decide, in consultation with you, which treatment you should be offered. Specialist nurses help to guide you through what will happen, and are there to help administer the treatment. The efficacy of the treatment will most often be assessed based on CT scans and blood samples. The doctor determines when to conduct them, and it varies from treatment to treatment.

Here at the Health Profile you can also watch a film about the side effects of medical cancer treatment, a few films about what you can do to ease the discomfort caused by the cancer treatment, and you can watch a film about how medical cancer treatment is conducted in practice.