Six Ideas for Combating Cancer, the Emperor of Maladies

– Contributed content –

(Health.mil)

13 Oct. 2018. There are a lot of illnesses and diseases in the world, but it is fair to suggest that none of them is quite as destructive or devastating as cancer. You have to think about all the cases of this in the world, and all the different forms of cancer there are in society. This is a disease that has caused so many deaths in the world, and often continues to confound the medical world.

Anybody who has had any dealings with cancer will know what a terrible disease it can be, and it is natural to lose hope with stuff like this. But, the advantage is that there are advancements in medicine every day that allow for new treatments and discoveries to emerge in the battle against cancer. Here are six different ideas that you can use to help fight cancer if you (or a loved one) have had a recent diagnosis.

1. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is one of the most common ways of treating cancer, and this is the treatment that most people are offered. There are many types of chemotherapy drug on the market, and they vary depending upon the type of cancer a person has. Chemotherapy can be administered intravenously, or via tablet form, and is generally taken in cycles. This can have unpleasant side-effects, such as nausea, hair loss, and other nasty things, but it is known to be an effective way of treating cancer.

2. Radiotherapy

Another of the treatments that people might be offered when facing cancer treatment is radiotherapy. Now, there are a lot of things that need to happen in order for radiotherapy to be an option, and it can sometimes depend on where the cancer is, and how far advanced it is. There have been great developments these days, and there are machines that can administer the most accurate radiotherapy doses possible.

3. New drug trials

Every single month there are new drug trials being carried out all across the world. And the good news for a lot of patients is the fact that there are more and more options being presented all the time to help them deal with their cancer treatment effectively. For example, recent reports show that a personalized breast cancer trial has helped to advance the use of 7 drugs that can be used to help treat those combating breast cancer.

4. More tests

In addition to the current trials and existing drugs that are being used, it is important to make sure that there are a lot of tests being carried out. There are always scientists in a lab somewhere trying to carry out tests with syngeneic mouse models in order to help them gain a better understanding of the way cancer works and what can be done to fight it. These are absolutely crucial tests that play a major role in the process of fighting this disease, and they are an excellent way of making things better.

5. Palliative care

Sometimes, if the cancer has progressed too far, it cannot be beaten back, and will eventually overcome the patient. In these situations, palliative care is the approach that needs to be taken in order to ensure that the patient is as comfortable and pain-free as possible for the duration of their care and treatment. This is often done using a variety of different painkilling drugs, as well as managing symptoms effectively too. Palliative care is an important part of the process of treating cancer, and something that must be considered for the future.

6. Positivity

Sometimes a positive mental attitude can make all the difference when it comes to battling cancer. Of course, it is not a medical treatment, and will not magically heal you, but having an upbeat mentality can help a lot when it comes to trying to get better. Make sure you always approach everything with the best possible mentality, and this will help you go a long way toward achieving this.

There are a lot of things that you need to keep in mind when it comes to cancer treatment. Of course, this is not a journey you need to take yourself, and you will have oncologists, and medical teams to help look after you. But, it is useful to know what you are dealing with, and what you have to do to help yourself through this process as much as possible. It’s going to be a tough ride, but these 6 ideas can help you go a long way toward fighting this terrible illness.

Editor’s note: The opinions in this post are the contributor’s and not those of Science & Enterprise.

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