Therapies for the Treatment of Liver, Breast, and Kidney Cancer
As with any type of cancer, treatment for liver, breast or kidney cancer depends on the type of cancer you have and how far that cancer has spread or metastasized. It also depends on what stage of cancer you are in. It depends, too, on how healthy you are as a person and what you want personally. Treatment options abound for all three types of cancer.
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Surgery or Invasive Procedures
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Liver cancer is usually best treated with surgery. If your cancer is caught early, your doctor may choose to remove part of your liver with the tumor; this is controversial, though, as many patients with liver cancer will relapse when only part of their liver is removed. A liver transplant may be the best option. There are other invasive techniques that are sometimes used to treat liver cancer, including cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation. In cryoablation, the doctor will insert liquid nitrogen into the tumor and freeze the cancer cells. Radiofrequency ablation is the opposite of cryoablation; it uses heat and electricity to kill the cancer cells. Your doctor may also choose to inject alcohol into the tumor, thereby killing the cancer cells.
Breast cancer can be treated with surgery. It depends on how far the cancer has spread. The doctor may perform a lumpectomy, where the part of the breast that is affected by the tumors is removed. Of course, you may have to undergo a mastectomy, where all of your breast is removed, sometimes including muscle underneath. Lymph nodes may also need to be removed, ensuring all of the cancer is removed.
Surgery is also often used to treat kidney cancer. Your doctor may recommend a nephrectomy, which involves the removal of a kidney, sometimes also including the adrenal gland and surrounding lymph nodes. Your doctor may just want to remove the tumor or the part of the kidney that contains the tumor. Cryoablation can also be used for kidney cancer as well as embolization. Embolization involves stopping up the main artery to the kidney, thereby suffocating the tumor and keeping it from receiving nutrients it needs to survive.
Chemotherapy
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Chemotherapy is a common treatment for many types of cancer. In the treatment of liver cancer, chemoembolization may be used, which uses the same technique as embolization, in which the main artery that supplies the liver is stopped up. Then, between that stoppage and the liver, the chemo drugs are delivered by way of injection.
In breast cancer, chemo may be used along with surgery, or it may be used alone. Sometimes it's used before surgery to help shrink the tumor down to a more manageable size, so that it might be more easily removed. Sometimes chemo is used after surgery as a preventative technique to make sure all of the cancer is destroyed. If your cancer has metastasized throughout your body, chemo drugs may be used to keep the cancer at bay or help relieve the symptoms you may be feeling.
In kidney cancer, chemotherapy is used more often if the cancer has metastasized, or spread. Chemo may not work as well for kidney cancer, as it does for other types of cancer. -
Targeted/Hormone/Biological Treatments
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Nexavar is a type of targeted drug therapy used in some liver cancer patients. It helps to stop the tumor from gaining more blood vessels, thus cutting off blood supply to the tumor.
There are certain targeted drug therapies available in the treatment of breast cancer as well. Herceptin is one type that blocks the HER2 protein, thus destroying the cancer cells. Avastin may also be used to cut off blood supply to the cancer cells. Hormone therapy may also be used in the treatment of breast cancer, especially after surgery or if your cancer has spread. Examples of hormone therapy include Tamoxifen and Arimidex.
In the treatment of kidney cancer, biological or targeted therapies may be used. Biological treatments help to fight the cancer by getting your immune system involved. Targeted drugs can also be used, including Nexavar and Sutent. These two drugs aid in cutting off blood supply to the tumors. Torisel is also another form of targeted therapy that has destructive effects on the cancer. The targeted therapies work by blocking necessary signals for the cancer cells.
Radiation
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Radiation can be used in all three forms of cancer and is used on the area where the tumor is located. It uses strong forms of energy in the form of beams aimed at the tumor and surrounding tissue. It is sometimes used before surgery to help shrink the tumor's size, making it easier to remove. Sometimes it is used after surgery to help rid the body of any leftover cancer cells. It can also be used to help control the cancer and keep the symptoms at bay.
Alternative Treatments
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Alternative treatments are often used not to treat the cancer itself, but to help you relieve some of your cancer symptoms and effects of the treatments on your body. Acupressure and acupuncture are two ways of doing this. You might also get involved in yoga or some other sort of activity that helps you to relax. Getting involved in a support group can also be a wonderful emotional form of therapy when you are enduring such a harsh course of treatments.
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