Cancer treatment DUMMY
Conventional methodsThe conventional medical approaches to treating cancer includeradiation therapy, chemother-
apyandsurgery.- Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is the use of high energy electromagnetic radiation to kill cancer cells. The
radiation damages the DNA inside the cancer cells, causing them to die. Radiation damages
healthy cells too; therefore the treatment is targeted directly at the tumour.Figure 4.5: Radiation therapy uses high energy electromagnetic radiation to kill cancer cells.- Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of special drugs to treat cancer. Most chemotherapy drugs are
cytotoxic (toxic to cells) and work by damaging the cell’s DNA. Chemotherapy specifically
tries to prevent cell division, and so it is very toxic to cancer cells which are characterised
by uncontrolled cell division. However, unfortunately, these drugs also damage healthy cells
that divide rapidly, such as blood cells and cells found in hair follicles, lining the mouth,
stomach and intestine and the skin. Because of the damage to rapidly dividing healthy
cells, the side-effects from chemotherapy include hair loss, mouth ulcers, nausea, sores,
anaemia and infections due to a lowered immune system. A combination of drugs which act
in slightly different ways to halt cell division are often given together. Patients often receive
chemo according to a regime, where they receive doses of chemo for a time period, followed
by a break that allows the healthy cells in their bodies to recover. Usually a chemo regime
consists of a few cycles of chemotherapy doses and breaks for recovery.106 4.4. Cancer