52 Neoplasms – Other Treatments

Other Treatments for Cancer

There are other treatments for cancer in addition to those that have already been discussed on previous pages (e.g., surgery, thermotherapy, photodynamic therapy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy

These additional treatments include:

• Glucocorticoids: At times, corticosteroid (steroid hormones) such as glucocorticoids (e.g., prednisone) are used in cancer treatment due to their ability to reduce mitosis rate, increase red blood cell count, stimulate appetite, and act as anti-inflammatories.
• Hormonal therapy: Upon diagnosis, some cancers are often checked to see if they express hormone receptors that the cancer cell uses to stimulate its growth and proliferation.  The presence of hormone receptors can be used for delivering effective hormone therapies.  For example:
  • Breast (mammary) cancers are checked to determine whether they express either estrogen or progesterone receptors that are stimulated by these hormones.  Estrogen-dependent cancers may be treated with anti-estrogens. At times, androgens are used and/or oophorectomy (surgical removal of the ovaries and source of estrogen).
  • Prostate cancer may be treated with anti-androgens, estrogen, and/or orchiectomy (surgical removal of testes, and source of testosterone).
  •   Utilized for cancers dependent on hormones, such as using estrogens to slow down prostate cancer or estrogen-blocking agents for estrogen-dependent breast cancers.

• Angiogenesis inhibitors are used to inhibit the growth of new blood vessels around cancer, aiming to starve the cancer cells.  However, the negative side-effect, is that without blood vessels, the delivery of chemotherapy drugs is diminished.
• Analgesics are frequently used for pain management in cancer patients, with narcotics being used only for severe pain, although they come with side effects and risks which include (nausea, constipation, drowsiness, respiratory depression and arrest, tolerance over time, leading to larger and more dangerous doses).
• Nutrition is crucial for cancer patients that may be experiencing malnourishment due to factors like taste changes, sore mouth and throat, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), loss of appetite, nausea, malabsorption, vomiting and diarrhea from treatments.  It is currently estimated that more than one-third of cancer patients are experiencing malnutrition.
• Complementary therapies that are offered or suggested alongside conventional treatments, including massage, meditation, counseling, exercise, and therapeutic touch, to improve well-being.