Treatment Modalities of Cancer
When most people think of cancer treatments by a cancer specialist at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, chemotherapy comes to mind. However, there are a lot of new ways in recent years of how cancer can be treated. Depending on the size, location, and age of the individual the top cancer doctor in Mumbai will have several options to pick from with more on the way.
Some patients will have only one treatment while others have a combination of treatments depending on how far cancer has progressed. It is normal to feel confused and scared but the first step for successful cancer treatment is being open to your oncologist about how you feel and the types of treatments that can help you get better. Here is a list of options given by the best cancer specialist in Mumbai to consider:
- Surgery
Surgery comes in various forms, like curative, preventative, diagnostic, staging, palliative, and restorative. Each type of surgery is designed depending on the location of the tumor and the stage at which it has progressed. Top cancer doctors in Mumbai use this procedure to remove the tumor from your body and in some cases is used along with other treatment methods like radiation. This is done to ensure the patient feels some relief.
- Radiation
Radiation therapy is used in high doses to kill cancer cells and reduce the size of the tumor. This cancer treatment can help treat many types of cancers and even shrink early-stage cancers that completely go away. Radiation is often used before surgery to shrink the tumor and keep it from coming back again. This treatment causes minimal damage to the body and is often preferred.
- Chemotherapy
Used by the best cancer specialist in Mumbai, Chemotherapy is one of the most commonly used treatments to kill cancer cells and stop them from spreading to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy is used alone or in combination with other treatments and can be administered orals, or through an IV infusion. It helps the patient regain their strength, grow new cells, and even improve their symptoms depending on the course of treatment.
- Immunotherapy treatment
Immunotherapy uses your natural immune system to fight illnesses such as cancer. It has been a key treatment used by a cancer specialist in Tata Memorial Hospital Mumbai for decades not only for cancer but other illnesses as well. Immunotherapy works for certain types of cancer only such as bladder cancer, brain cancer, breast cancer, and cervical cancer wherein your T-cells are genetically modified to help your body destroy the cancer cells.
- Targeted cancer therapy
Targeted cancer treatments focus on specific parts of cancer cells that help them grow and spread. Targeted therapies like small molecule medicines and monoclonal antibodies are small enough to slip inside cancer cells and destroy them. This has been approved for more than 15 types of cancer and only works if the right area is targeted. Targeted treatments can stop working if cancer finds its way around the treatment and increases.
- Stem-cell transplants
Stem cell transplants are a lifesaver if you have blood cancer or bone marrow cancer or are exposed to high doses of chemotherapy – it helps your body replace cells damaged by cancer which your body’s natural system isn’t able to do. For some patients, it is the only approach to help them survive. Stem cells grow inside your bone marrow and the soft tissue of your bones as well as in your blood. Your body requires enough platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells to continue its functions and stem cell transplants do just this.
Conclusion
There are a variety of other specialized surgeries and treatments used for cancer like laser surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, and microscopically controlled surgery. Each type of treatment is decided by the doctor after running tests and individual assessments.
