Oncological treatment
Oncological treatment is the use of physical and biological methods to destroy tumor cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissues. The main biophysical principles involve the interaction of ionizing radiation, electromagnetic energy, and particles with biological tissues.
It targets cancer through a combination of therapies tailored to the specific type, stage, and biology of the disease.
A common treatment method is:
1. Surgery
This is a common and one of the first way to get rid of a tumor if in a accessible location often accompanied by other methods to fully eradicate any tumor cells.
2. Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy uses ionizing radiation (X-rays, γ-rays, electron beams) to destroy cancer cells.
Principle
Ionizing radiation transfers energy to atoms and molecules, producing:
- ionization
- excitation
- free radicals (especially from water)
These effects damage cellular components, particularly DNA.
CITATION: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/cancer-treatment
Biological Effect
- Single-strand DNA breaks
- Double-strand DNA breaks
- Chromosomal damage
- Cell death or loss of reproductive capacity.
3. Chemotherapy
- Although primarily pharmacological, its biophysical effect is interference with:
- DNA replication
- RNA synthesis
- protein synthesis
Rapidly dividing tumor cells are affected most strongly.
4. Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy blocks or reduces hormones that fuel cancer cell growth. Some cancers grow more rapidly in the presence of sex hormones, like androgens or estrogen.
Providers treat some types of prostate cancer, breast cancer and gynecological cancers (uterine and ovarian cancers) with hormone therapy.
5. Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy helps your immune system identify and destroy cancer cells. Healthy immune systems do a good job of identifying threats, like germs, and getting rid of them. Cancer cells thrive because they can hide from your immune system, so your immune system doesn’t attack the cancer cells. Immunotherapy can keep cancer cells from escaping your body’s natural defenses.
- Usually used in combination with other therapies.
6. Ablation therapy
Ablation therapy uses extreme hot or cold energy to kill cancer cells. Some types are called “surgery” because although there aren’t physical cuts, the methods allow providers to remove tissue with near-surgical precision.
7. Hemopoietic stem cell (bone marrow) transplant
A stem cell transplant replaces immature blood cells that are (or could become) cancerous with healthy cells.
8. Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy treatments interfere with specific processes that allow some cancer cells to thrive. Cancer cells develop and multiply because of genetic mutations (changes) in their DNA. The mutations often cause cancer cells to make abnormal proteins that spur cancer cell growth. Targeted therapy drugs home in on the specific proteins, preventing them from fueling cancer cell growth.
9. Nuclear Medicine
Radioactive isotopes are used for targeted therapy.
Examples:
- Radioiodine (I-131) for thyroid cancer
- Radionuclide therapy for metastatic tumors
Radiation emitted directly inside the body damages tumor tissue.
