TABLE OF CONTENTS After cancer has been detected, diagnosed, and staged, a treatment regimen is considered. Like detection of cancer, treatment of cancer also involves input from various technological disciplines. Treatment may consist of any one or a combination of major therapies such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and surgery. Several treatments that are under experimental stage are offered to volunteers through clinical trial programs. An ideal treatment accomplishes complete removal of cancer without any collateral damage to the body, and without any patient discomfort. If cancer has spread beyond redemption, palliative therapy is considered to improve the quality of life of the patient. Palliative therapy takes care of symptoms such as pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and hemorrhage. Palliative care may require multidisciplinary specialties.
This chapter describes various therapies and engineering advances, such as role of robotics and nanotechnology, in cancer treatment.
If a malignant tumor has been detected before metastasis, surgical removal of tumor is the best available option. As a precautionary measure, a large amount of healthy tissues surrounding the tumor are also removed. If the tumor is located within a vital tissue or is in close proximity of a vital tissue, removal of healthy tissue or even complete removal of tumor may not be possible.
| Note | To learn more about metastasis, see Appendix E. |
Surgery has been frequently resorted to in removal of breast tumors through mastectomy, and removal of tumors in the prostate through prostatectomy. A removed tumor is subjected to pathological examination to ensure that...
