Cancer Treatment:
The specialty of oncology has greatly developed over the years, and there are
many treatment modalities available to treat
cancers. These include: surgery, radiation, chemotherapy,
hormonal therapies, and biologic and immune mediated therapies.
Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy entails using specific medications administered to destroy
cancer cells. While normal cells in the body grow and die in a
controlled way, cancer cells tend to grow in an uncontrolled fashion
and do not die when they should. Anticancer drugs are designed to stop
these cells from growing and multiplying. Unfortunately, anticancer
drugs can frequently injure other (normal) dividing cells in the body,
which constitutes side effects of chemotherapy.
Researchers and clinical Oncologists (cancer doctors) have found that cancers can frequently
be treated more effectively
by using multiple chemotherapy drugs at one time (combination chemotherapy).
The
specific chemotherapy that is chosen for each patient is based upon
what type of a tumor is being treated. While there is some overlap
among the chemotherapies used for different cancers, combinations of
medications for different tumors are usually different.
Always ask your oncologist (cancer doctor) and nurses any questions
that concern you. You may even wish to keep notebooks to write down
your questions so that you are sure that all of your questions are
answered. The medical and nursing staff at Chesapeake Oncology
Hematology Associates are always eager to answer your questions.
The following links contain selected, quality medical information :