Cancer management depends on the type, stage, and location of the tumor, as well as patient health. The main goal is to remove or destroy cancer cells, prevent recurrence, and improve quality of life.
1. Surgery
Purpose: Remove localized tumors.
Examples:
Mastectomy (breast)
Colectomy (colon)
Often combined with radiation or chemotherapy.
2. Radiation Therapy
Uses high-energy rays to kill or damage cancer cells.
Targets localized tumors.
Can be external beam radiation or internal (brachytherapy).
3. Chemotherapy
Drugs that destroy or inhibit rapidly dividing cells.
Systemic treatment (affects the whole body).
Side effects: Hair loss, nausea, fatigue, immune suppression.
4. Targeted Therapy
Uses drugs that target specific molecules (e.g., proteins, receptors, or genes) involved in cancer growth.
Examples:
Trastuzumab (Herceptin) for HER2-positive breast cancer
Imatinib (Gleevec) for CML
5. Immunotherapy
Stimulates the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.