Cancer can occur in any part of the body when one of the body’s cells starts to grow abnormally and spread throughout the body. The damaged cells form tumours that can invade tissue and spread throughout the body (metastasis).
There are over 100 types of cancer which are usually named by the organs or tissues where the malignancy first originated and the cell type.
Cancer treatment varies depending on the type of cancer, location, and stage of the disease progression. Common treatments include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy, and laser treatments.
Below we will explore the most common types of medications used to treat cancer.
Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy is a form of drug treatment used to kill malignant cancer cells. There are many diverse types of chemotherapy drugs. The goal of chemotherapy is to kill the cancer cells but the drugs also harm normal cells.
The type of drugs used will depend on the following factors:
Depending on the chemotherapy medication used, the drugs will be administered in the following ways:
Targeted Chemotherapy – Targeted chemotherapy involves the use of disk-shaped wafers containing chemotherapy drugs that are often placed near the tumour during surgery. The drugs are then released slowly to kill the cancer cells. The drugs target only the cancer cells and do very little damage to normal cells. The medication causes the cancer cells to stop processing, growing, and spreading so that the cancer dies.
Immunotherapy – Immunotherapy is made up of substances that the body naturally makes. It encourages the body’s immune system to target cancer and rid the body of the malignancy. The drugs stop and slow the growth of the cancer cells and help prevent them from spreading to other parts of the body. It also boosts the body’s immune response. The drugs effectively seek out cancer cells. Depending on the drug type, it may contain radioactive substances. Immunotherapy is administered via an intravenous line.
Hormonal Therapy – Hormones are used to treat cancers such as the ovarian, breast, or prostate. The drugs stop or block the body’s natural production of hormones which helps to slow cancer’s growth. The hormones are given either with injections or pills.
Photodynamic Therapy – A drug is administered with photodynamic therapy that is sensitive to a special light. The cancer cells absorb the drugs so that the light emitted from a laser can target the cancer cells. The light alters the drug so that it can kill cancer cells.
Radiation Therapy – The use of radiation therapy to treat cancer dates back to the 19th century. The process relies on the use of high-dose radiation targeting the tumour to damage the DNA of the cells causing them to shrink and die. A specific number of radiation treatments is used depending on the type of cancer being treated. Often radiation therapy is used to shrink the tumour before surgery. It is also used after surgery to kill any missed malignant cells. Radiation therapy is often used with chemotherapy.
There are several types of external beam radiation therapy used depending on the type of cancer being treated:
Cancer medications are used in combination with radiation therapy and surgery. It is common to combine chemotherapy drugs to gain greater results and better target particular cancer types. Examples of chemotherapy drugs that have proven effective in combinations include CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) to treat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. BEP (bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin) is used to treat testicular cancer.
Cancer medications can cause many unpleasant side effects such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, fatigue, infections, anaemia, sores in the mouth, memory problems, sleep problems, loss of appetite, weight loss, infertility, diarrhoea, and skin and nail problems. Radiation therapy can cause skin changes.
Hundreds of cancer medications exist that are used singularly and in remarkably diverse combinations to treat malignancies. Upon diagnosis, your doctor (oncologist) will determine the best cancer medications to target the cancer type.