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When a group of cells in the body grow and multiply abnormally, it forms what is known as a tumor. The tumor could be cancerous. If it is, then the infection may spread to other parts of the body through the blood lymph system and can even jeopardize the vital organs of the body, resulting in the death of the patient.
All malignant tumors are cancerous and may differ in size and appearance. They even respond differently to treatment. There are more than a hundred different types of cancers and the names relate to the part of the body affected by it. The most dangerous thing about cancer is that it is almost undetectable till it reaches an advanced stage, and then the probability of a complete cure is minimal. The success of treatment depends solely on how early it is detected and how strong the patient's immune system is.
Conventional treatments available for cancer are surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy. There are also some experimental treatments which are viewed as supplementary or alternatives to these conventional methods. Most are theoretical and controversial. The efficacy of these treatments are not widely accepted by the scientific community, they still need to be proven scientifically.
Some of the alternative treatment methods are listed below:
Bacterial Treatments
Anaerobic bacteria, when combined with chemotherapy are said to help penetrate the core of the tumor, which may otherwise remain unaffected by chemotherapeutic drugs. This is because the core cells have poor blood supply and hence poor oxygen stores. These bacteria consume the core and then die. So the rest of the body is not harmed.
Photodynamic Therapy
In this therapy, photosensitive drugs are triggered by light which is of a specified wavelength. There is no invasion on the patient's body.
Insulin Potentiation Therapy
If Insulin is given along with chemotherapy, it increases the absorption of chemotherapeutic drugs into the malignant cells. This reduces the side effects of chemotherapy (like hair loss) because the total drug dose is reduced.
Virotherapy and Gene Therapy
Viruses are programmed and used to attack cancerous cells only, leaving healthy cells undamaged. Oncolytic virus infects cancer cells and directly destroys the tumor. Tumor growth can be restricted to a certain extent with the help of tumor suppressing genes also. Enzymes are introduced to cancerous cells which makes them more receptive to chemotherapeutic drugs.
Hyperthermia Therapy
Application of heat, locally and to the whole body, can be effective in treating malignant tumors. It can kill cells within the tumors. Applying just the required amount of heat to the patient's body is the actual challenge, along with positioning of the devices which deliver heat.
HAMLET (Human Alpha Lactalbumin)
Human breast milk is found to contain a molecular complex which is capable of killing tumor cells. It has shown positive results when tested on bladder cancer and skin cancer patients.
Telomerase Therapy
Telomerase is a protein which gives the malignant cells immense power while not doing much for the healthy tissues. Theoretically, if telomerase can be inactivated, it can help anti cancer drugs work better on the tumors. Any evidence of success of this therapy is not known yet, though human clinical trails are in progress.
