If you or someone in your area has been diagnosed with cancer, the question of the best cancer treatment methods will certainly be of particular concern to you. Of course, the doctors involved will recommend and order suitable procedures. However, you are free in your decision. If you are not sure or have a bad feeling, you have the right to a second opinion. In any case, you should always consult a specialist who is familiar with modern cancer therapies (to the article “The best cancer clinics and cancer doctors in Germany” ). Remember that research has made great strides in recent years. Methods that were described as very stressful in the past can now be carried out much more gently.
You should know these cancer treatment methods
To date, there is nothing that can help 100% against cancer. In the face of cancer diagnosis, it is only natural that the search for the one healing remedy be accompanied by a certain despair. In addition, as a person affected, you may have the feeling that you have to make a quick decision. Then the fear of making a wrong choice is the logical consequence. Advice and warnings from the environment, based on their own experience or the experience of others, make the decision even more difficult. It is therefore important that you have doctors by your side at this stage that you fully trust. Experience reports from other people hardly help with decision-making, because the conditions here could have been completely different. The experiences made can therefore usually not be transferred at all.
The surgical intervention
Bei vielen Krebserkrankungen werden die Tumore operativ entfernt, wenn das Stadium und die Verfassung das erlauben. Wenn ein solcher Eingriff sinnvoll ist, wird der Krebs oftmals vorher einer Strahlentherapie unterzogen. Das soll ihn schrumpfen lassen, damit der Eingriff schonender durchgeführt werden kann. Der Chirurg ist bemüht, nur so viel Gewebe zu entfernen, wie notwendig. Dennoch wird er möglichst alles entfernen, was entartet ist, denn ein solcher, operativer Eingriff kann die Lebenswartung erheblich erhöhen. Je kleiner der Tumor bei seiner Entdeckung ist, umso größer ist die Chance auf Genesung. Die größte Chance auf Heilung besteht bei Hautkrebs. Bei Eingriffen im Körperinneren hat sich inzwischen die Operation mittels Endoskop durchgesetzt. Der Chirurg muss so keine großen Schnitte mehr durchführen. Stattdessen erfolgen mehrere kleine Schnitte, um die Instrumente einzuführen. Die Heilung kann so schneller erfolgen und es entsteht weniger Narbengewebe.
The radiation
The radiation is carried out using hard X-rays. Such treatment is monitored by sophisticated systems so that the healthy tissue remains largely protected. Radiation therapy is usually not used alone, but in conjunction with other procedures, but especially in combination with chemotherapy. While this type of radiation used to cause skin damage, it is rarely the case today. It is now also possible to carry out the first radiation directly after the operation. This also irradiates the tissue that may contain cancer cells.
The chemotherapy
Chemotherapy works particularly well for some tumor diseases. She has z. B. proven for testicular tumors, but also for lymph gland cancer. Young leukemia patients also respond very well to chemotherapy. The advantage of chemotherapy is that it can significantly slow down the course of cancer that is already well advanced. So no cure is possible, but the patients gain significantly more time. However, there are also cancers that respond less well to chemotherapy. This includes tumors of the digestive organs. A very new procedure is chronomodulated chemotherapy. With this treatment, the drug is injected in the phase in which the tumor cells are more vulnerable due to division processes.
Angiogenesis inhibitors for the treatment of cancer
Angiogenesis inhibitors target the blood supply to the tumors and thus prevent the tumors from growing further. Above all, the cells that are responsible for the growth of the tumor are disturbed. The blood supply to the tumor is disrupted by the action of the agent. This also means that the tumor can hardly recover after radiation or chemotherapy. This method is mainly used in addition, e.g. B. to improve the effect of chemotherapy. The process is still fairly new and has only been approved in Germany since 2007. The greatest possible success is that the tumor dies.
Immunotherapy
The body is able to repair damaged cells through its own immune system. He doesn’t succeed with cancer. The immune system needs help here. However, medicine faces the challenge of not activating the immune system too much, because an excessive reaction can trigger an autoimmune process. In the context of immunotherapy, these are undesirable side effects. Immunotherapy is also not effective. There are patients who respond very well to treatment, in other cases the procedure fails. The reasons for this have not yet been researched. Currently, immunotherapy is therefore not used as a single treatment, but in combination, e.g. B. with radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
Anti-hormone therapy
Anti-hormone therapy is often done in women with breast cancer when the tumor grows due to the effects of estrogen. Prostate cancer, cervical cancer and ovarian cancer are also hormone-dependent cancers that can be treated with anti-hormone therapy. The goal is to suppress the effects of the corresponding hormone in order to control tumor growth.
Alternative forms of therapy
In addition to classic therapies, there are a variety of alternative treatment approaches that can support classic therapy. It is important to discuss all measures with the doctor treating you.