Cancer Treatments and Side Effects
As most people are aware, there is no known cure for cancer, but every day the medical industry makes strides in treatments, in hopes that one form of treatment might be the magical elixir that will cure everyone. Despite not having an actual cure, there are many forms of treatment for cancer that have saved hundreds of thousands of lives across the world, persuading those who have been diagnosed with the disease to not lose hope.
Cancer Treatments & Side Effects
When an individual is diagnosed with cancer, the physician will diagnose them with a stage, typically ranging between 1 and 4. These stages describe how aggressive cancer’s current state is. Finding the right treatment for an individual typically revolves around what stage cancer the person has, as well as what type of cancer they are suffering from. Although these treatments work wonders for many patients, they also come along with a slew of unpleasant side effects. Here are the 3 most common treatments for cancer, and the coinciding side effects to expect:
Surgery
There are many different subcategories to surgical treatment, some including preventative surgery (i.e. colonoscopy), diagnostic (i.e. biopsy), and staging surgery, which shows how far cancer has spread in an individual, but for the sake of removing cancer, the most common form is curative surgery. Curative surgery is used if an individual has a cancerous tumor and it can be removed. It may often coincide with radiation or chemotherapy, to ensure that cancer has not spread to other areas of the body.
Side Effects - Side effects of curative surgery are similar to that of most invasive surgeries. The individual will be put under anesthesia, which makes most people feel hazy, lethargic, and even nauseous at times. Physical activity will be limited following surgery, especially depending upon the placement of the surgery.
Radiation
According to the American Cancer Society, radiation is the use of high-energy waves (gamma rays, x-rays, protons, etc.) to destroy or damage the cancer cells within an individual’s body. Radiation is probably the most common form of cancer treatment but is usually paired with either chemotherapy, surgery or both.
Side Effects - The side effects of radiation therapy are usually more severe than other forms of treatment, but as always, it depends on how the individual’s body responds to the treatment. Here are some of the symptoms to expect:
- Fatigue
- High Fever/Chills
- Skin Irritation
- Nausea/ Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Headaches
- Seizures
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of medical drugs to treat cancer. Chemotherapy, or chemo for short, is typically given to individuals whose cancer has spread throughout the body. This is because it works through the entire body, unlike surgery, radiation and other forms of treatment that target one area. What type of chemotherapy drugs are used depend wholly on the individual’s type of cancer, stage of cancer, as well as age and many other factors.
Side Effects - The side effects of chemotherapy range greatly in severity. Here’s a list of the most common side effects to expect during this type of treatment:
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Hair Loss
- Changes in skin and nails
- Changes in Weight
- Bladder and/or Kidney Problems
- Prone to Infections
- Easy Bruising and/or Bleeding
- Inability to focus or concentrate
- Problems with Fertility
It’s important to remember that the scientists and researchers studying cancer have new breakthroughs every day. Similarly, these forms of treatment change rapidly, although all have proven to help send the disease into remission.
