Around the world, a wide variety of diseases can be found. Some of them can be treated and others, sadly, can’t. A lot of them are not fatal while some others can greatly affect someone’s health to the point of changing their lives completely or even causing death. Among those diseases, cancer is probably one of the most feared diseases worldwide.
Cancer is one of those diseases that has been around for quite some time, regardless of what people believe. The history of this particular disease goes back to ancient Egypt since there have been discoveries of mummies suffering from brain tumors and references of this specific condition have been discovered in several ancient cultures.
Sadly, cancer is one of those diseases that affect a large part of today’s world’s population, and although there are indeed ways of treating it, it is one of those conditions that can be considered fatal because of the great amount of strain the body undergoes during its ailing.
Although there are cases in which these tumors can be treated with surgery, there are multiple occasions in which the treatment is only possible through very harsh procedures. Some, of course, are much gentler than others, but the way condition is treated depends entirely on its type and its gravity.
In this article, we will cover the most important aspects of cancer as briefly as possible as well as cover two specific types of treatment: Biotherapeutics and chemotherapy.
First of All, What is Cancer, Actually?
Cancer itself is a very extensive word, but it can be simply described as the condition in which the body undergoes an uncontrollable growth or division of body cells, as showcased over here. The effects of cancer pretty much determine its type and gravity, but they all enter the category of multiplying body cells at a fast rate or dividing them at a much slower pace.
The consequences of this particular condition naturally range based on the type. For example, some specific types of cancer can actually grow in the form of tumors and can be easily visualized, while others do not and only affect the body from within.
The way cancer works are simple. Our body has a wide variety of physiological functions, and one of them is the act of ordering cells to die, which is a good thing since these cells are then replaced by completely functional cells. This is how most bodies work, and this cycle makes sure that our bodies remain functional.
However, cancer alters this cycle and creates cells that do not die, thus, multiplying the cells and using resources that would otherwise be used by more healthy, newer cells. This unrestrained form of cell reproduction ends up wasting the body and creating tumors along the way, greatly affecting a wide range of other physiological functions necessary for us to remain healthy.
Causes of Carcinogenic Cells
Sadly, there’s a lot of causes behind carcinogenic cells, and most of them can’t even be manipulated by us, so we can’t prevent them. Good examples of these are the ones caused by genetic problems.
However, it is a fact that, through living healthy lives, we can greatly reduce the chances of suffering from cancer, since poor lifestyles are one of the main reasons behind cancer. Good examples of this include things like heavy alcoholism, smoking, excessive body weight, and poor overall nutrition.
The best thing we can do to avoid this horrible condition is live healthy and engage in regular exercises, while also avoiding harmful substances like nicotine and alcohol.
Methods of Treatment
Thankfully, new technologies have been applied and research has discovered new methods of treatment over the last couple of decades, improving their efficiency with each passing year. Still, the specific method of treatment applied for each patient depends entirely on the type of cancer, its stage, and the person’s condition.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, as the word itself proclaims, is the type of therapy that relies on chemicals to target carcinogenic cells. It is, as said over https://www.healthline.com/health/chemotherapy, a very aggressive form of therapy infamous for causing very harsh side effects, greatly affecting a person’s condition and mental health in the process.
However, as it is now, is one of the most reliable and undergone methods of treatment all over the world when it comes to dealing with carcinogenic cells. This specific technique does not only rely on chemicals, but also drugs, surgery, radiation therapies, and even hormone therapies, based on the type of cancer and its severity.
It is also considered a systemic form of therapy since it affects the whole body and its many physiological functions, which is the reason why it generally affects the health of the patient.
Although it is true that it can target the carcinogenic cells and erase them from the body, a harsh truth to face is that chemotherapy is not always efficient, and its results depend entirely on the type of cancer being treated as well as the way the patient reacts to the procedure.
Biotherapeutics
Here’s where biotherapeutics enter the play, a new form of treatment that has been gaining popularity over the years. A lot of people are unfamiliar with this type of treatment and might ask what is biotherapeutics, and it is true that in comparison to other forms of treatment like chemotherapy, biotherapeutics are fairly uncommon.
The main definition of biotherapeutics is drugs derived from actual biological sources that are used in cell different types of cell therapies, including inflammatory diseases like cancer.
The main objective of biotherapeutics when it comes to this specific condition is to aid the body and its immune system to activate itself in a way that fights it back, and the greatest benefit of biotherapeutics is that, in comparison to chemotherapy, it results in fewer side-effects and causes way less damage to the system.
The great thing about biotherapeutics is that there’s still a lot of room for improvement and new techniques are been developed over the years, which will improve our chances of success against carcinogenic cells.