Skin Cancer
People who are at risk for skin cancer, and those who live in climates with sunshine much of the year, are advised to examine their skin regularly or have this done by a health care provider. Prompt reporting of skin changes, such as a new mole or change in the appearance of a preexisting mole, can lead to early detection of skin cancer.
1.11 Cancer Treatment Options
Currently, there are many kinds of cancer treatments available, depending on the type of cancer and how advanced it is. Some cancer patients only require one type of treatment, whereas others may need more than one – including surgery, chemotherapy, medication, or radiation therapy – provided in a variety of specific combinations and timings [37–82].
1.11.1 Surgery
It is the physical removal of cancer from the body. In some cases, this may be a simple outpatient procedure, requiring an hour or two in a specialist's office. In other cases, it may involve a major operation with a few nights in the hospital and intense therapy treatments afterward.
“Clear margins” is a term well known for its association with cancer surgery. When the cancerous tissue is taken out, it is ideal to have a “clear margin” (clear of cancerous matter) surrounding the affected area targeted during the surgery. Depending on the location of the cancer, specific measurements are used to define “clear” in this regard. Basically, since cancer cells may have been in contact with tissues around them, surgeons take a section of healthy tissue around the cancerous parts in order to be certain all of the cancer has been removed.
Preparation for cancer surgery varies depending on the procedure. The surgeon's office contacts patients well in advance to go over special instructions, not only for what to do beforehand, but also for what to expect on the day of surgery and during recovery afterward. Many large hospitals even provide cancer patients access to local networks offering counseling, housing, and other services for patients and their relatives during treatments.
1.11.2 Radiation Therapy
It is another modality of cancer treatment during which high‐intensity radiation is used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors [48,49]. Depending on several factors, such as the location of cancer, and the age and health of the patient, radiation can be an effective therapy. It is often used in conjunction with other treatment methods, e.g. reducing the size of a tumor prior to surgery or irradiating diseased bone marrow before a transplant.
Radiation treatments take place in special facilities, with the number and length of each dose taking place in accordance with each individual's treatment plan. Specialists monitor patients' response to treatment and often adjust the plan to best meet an individual's needs.
Side effects of treatment also vary according to the individual, with hair loss, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting being among the most common. Some patients don't experience any of these, have different side effects, or even have none at all.
1.11.3 Chemotherapy
It uses drugs to kill cancer cells. The chemicals used are cytotoxic, i.e. capable of halting the replication or growth of cancer cells, resulting in cell death [47,53,56]. Depending on the type of cancer and how the chemotherapy is combined with other treatments, it can come in many forms – pills, liquids, or injectables administered at home or under supervision in a facility. The specific cancer‐killing agent used, and the number and length of treatments, varies according to the type of cancer and the special circumstances of each patient, including their response to the therapy. Although chemotherapy drugs are designed to kill cancer cells, which reproduce more rapidly than normal cells, healthy tissues can also, unfortunately, be affected. This gives rise to certain side effects, which also vary by individual. The most common are hair loss, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. Again, though, not all patients experience these particular effects, and may encounter different ones entirely or even none at all.
1.11.4 Targeted Therapy
It is similar to chemotherapy in that it utilizes drugs to attack and kill cancer cells; however, targeted therapy is designed to work specifically on mutated proteins found only in the cancer cells, thereby reducing the potential damage to other healthy tissues. Targeted therapy is often used in combination with other treatment modalities [53–55,57,60,67]. Although a seemingly ideal method to eliminate cancer, it still requires exposure to powerful chemicals, which can result in side effects such as hair and skin problems and high blood pressure.
1.11.5 Immunotherapy
It is a relatively new treatment option compared to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Over the past few decades, scientists have discovered new ways to boost the human body's immune response to cancer. Currently, immunotherapy consists of either stimulating the immune system to more effectively overcome cancer or supplementing the immune system with special synthetic proteins or other tools that work against cancer cells [47,52,53,62,63]. An example of immunotherapy is the development of the HPV vaccine, which is now recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
1.11.6 Hormone Therapy
It is a consideration for some cancers, such as breast or prostate cancer, that are sensitive to hormones. Drugs are available, which block the body's normal signals to produce certain hormones, preventing hormone‐dependent cancers from continued growth. Although this sounds simple, any drugs that change the natural processes of the body include risk of side effects. Hormone therapy is frequently used with other treatments, and specialists work with each patient to determine when and how to administer it, the amount and duration of doses, and to gauge individual responses to treatment [65,66].
1.11.7 Stem Cell Transplant
It is a method used to restore the body's ability to produce new blood cells after a patient has undergone other forms of aggressive cancer treatment [5]. For certain types of cancer, very high doses of chemotherapy or radiation are required to destroy the cancer cells, but cells that produce blood are also destroyed in the process. In this case, stem cells are administered along with a blood transfusion. Stem cells are collected either from the patient before cancer treatment or from a donor. After stem cell treatment, it takes two to four weeks for an individual's body to recover and begin producing blood cells again. As with other treatments, there are risks involved, including the possibility that the stem cells will not settle in the bone marrow and begin producing blood cells as intended. When that occurs, it is deemed a failed treatment, and the process may be repeated.
1.11.8 Precision Medicine
It differs from other forms of cancer treatment in that it is focused on genetic changes particular to each individual's cancer to determine the most effective treatment options for countering it. Although precision medicine may involve various forms of traditional cancer treatment, it considers the genetic particularities of each individual's cancer to offer a more specialized treatment plan [68–74].
References
1 1 Nandini, D.B. (2017). Cancer cell nucleus: an insight. J. Mol. Biomark. Diagn. S2: 026.
2 2 Papetti, M. and Herman, I. (2002). Mechanisms of normal and tumor‐derived angiogenesis. Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 282 (5): C947–C970.
3 3 Eales, K., Hollinshead,
