Advancements in Cancer Treatment
By. Nathan Ahn
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Seoul International School recently held an event called the “Terry Fox Run.” The Terry Fox Run event was in memory of the man who ran across Canada to fund cancer treatments for children. He had a prosthetic leg, which made it even harder for him to finish this goal, but he was able to run the distance before he died of lung cancer. The purpose of this marathon event was to raise money for research of cancer treatment. Cancer is a disease when cells in your body cannot seize cell division, leading to an uncontrollable growth rate of the cells. How is it cured? In what ways is cancer treated? This article will explore some of the different ways cancer is treated around the world.
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One of the most common ways of treating cancer is chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the usage of drugs and other medicine to kill the cancer cells, which is paired with other types of treatment such as surgery and radiation therapy. However, chemotherapy also kills healthy cells that divide and grow quickly. This can lead to loss of hair and the cells inside the mouth and intestine, which are some noticeable physical side effects the treatment brings. It can also cause people to become fatigued and feel exhausted, but these side effects usually disappear after finishing chemotherapy.
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Another type of treatment that is used is radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy. This method is utilized when cancer cells are killed by focusing radiation such as x-rays that help shrink the cancer cells, and there are two major types of this: internal and external radiation therapy. Internal radiation therapy is used when an implant or liquids placed inside the body emit radiation, thus killing the cancer cells. An example of internal radiation is brachytherapy. When the internal radiotherapy involves using a liquid, then it is called systemic therapy. It travels through the blood and kills cancer cells that it finds. External radiation therapy is a machine outside of the body that emits radiation. It sends small amounts of radiation from different directions that centralize on the tumor. The use of radiation therapy depends on the area of the cancer tumor, type of cancer, and medical history of the patient.
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The most recent type of treatment for cancer is immunotherapy. This method uses the natural immune system in a person’s body to eliminate all the cancer cells. Lymphocytes(TIL) and the T-cell transfer therapy are the two main types of immunotherapy that is used by the majority of medical centers. The white blood cells, also known as lymphocytes, patrol the body until they find abnormal cells in the body. Once they find cancer cells, they penetrate and attack the tumors and send signals to weaken the immune system, so immune checkpoint inhibitors were developed to stop those signals and allow the immune system to fully attack the tumors. As for the T-cell transfer, biologists in Columbia Engineering have found probiotics that create synthetic targets on cancer tumors that make T-cells target and attack, which allows our body to fully utilize the strong T-cells that are produced naturally by the human body. Immunotherapy is one the most recent treatments for cancer so it is not as commonly used as chemotherapy and surgery.
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These are just some of the treatments for cancer. There are many more such as hormone therapy and targeted therapy that are used to treat different forms of cancer. Scientists and doctors are working hard to find new innovative ways to treat cancer, and the support of people all around the world is vital for the growth and development of cancer research.
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Work Cited:
“Comprehensive Cancer Information.” National Cancer Institute, 1937, www.cancer.gov/.
Columbia University School. “Engineered Bacteria Paint Targets on Tumors for Cancer-Killing T Cells to See.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 12 Oct. 2023, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231012161702.htm.
Columbia University School. “Car T-Cell Therapy.” Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) - New York, 20 Apr. 2021, www.cancer.columbia.edu/cancer-types-care/care/car-t-cell-therapy.
