Читать книгу The Cancer Directory - Dr. Daniel Rosy - Страница 72

Once you know about your cancer and have assessed your situation and the level of risk, you can consider the treatment options.

Generally speaking, the aim of cancer doctors is to attempt to remove the primary tumour before it has spread, then to destroy any stray cells around the site of the primary with radiotherapy, or more distantly spread cells with chemotherapy. With blood cancers, attempts are made to destroy the cancer cells in the blood with chemotherapy and then to remove the abnormal parent cancer cells from the bone marrow, replacing them with healthy cells. This involves bone marrow grafts, which use healthy new marrow from a donor after the patient’s unhealthy bone marrow is destroyed.

Nowadays, cancer treatments tend to be more aggressive, offering the whole gamut of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy right from the start of the treatment process. In the 1970s and 1980s, it was more usual to treat the primary tumour only, saving radio-and chemotherapy for recurrences. However, the thinking these days is that it is better to go for complete eradication or cure from the outset rather than allowing the cancer to become established in the body.

Because doctors want to ‘nip cancer in the bud’ as soon as it has been diagnosed, there is often an enormous sense of rush and panic at the time of diagnosis. And being on the receiving end of this can be traumatic. While you are still reeling from the news and going through an emotional reaction, those around you are busy trying to get on with starting your treatment. So again, it should be stressed how important it is that you slow them down until you have made the right choice for you and are ready to undergo your well-considered treatment.

On occasions, you may be advised to have chemotherapy first to shrink and contain the primary tumour before attempting to remove it surgically. Sometimes, the primary or secondary tumours may be deemed inoperable – in which case, the treatment offered is usually chemotherapy. If the tumour is widespread throughout the body, the treatment given may be palliative – intended to deal with the symptoms rather than cure the disease. This usually amounts to shrinking the tumour with radio-or chemotherapy to buy vital time for you to get your own integrated health creation programme together.

When thinking about treatment, the following are the questions you need to ask:

• What treatments are suggested for my cancer and why?

• What are the chances of the tumour being cured?

• What are the side-effects of treatment in the short and long term?

• What are the risks of treatment?

• Do I trust my cancer consultant or do I need to seek a second opinion?

• Is my hospital able to give me access to the most up-to-date treatment for my type of cancer, or should I be looking further afield?

• Which are the centres of excellence for my particular kind of cancer nationally and internationally?

• Are there treatment research trials going on for my kind of cancer and, if so, would I like to be entered into one of those trials?

• Do I want to go straight into medical treatment of my cancer or do I need time to prepare myself mentally, physically and practically first?

• If the results with conventional medical treatment are not likely to be good, do I want to keep medical treatment on hold as an option while I work entirely on improving my health with alternative cancer treatments and holistic health promotion?

• If I wish to defer treatment while trying to work with natural methods, am I sure that I am not putting myself at undue risk in doing so?

• You may also wish to ask: If the tumour cannot be cured, what is the likely progression of the disease and my life expectancy?