Cancer is a disease that occurs due to abnormal cell growth in the body. It may affect any part of the body. Its symptoms vary depending on the type of cancer. However, the most common symptoms are night sweats, unexplained weight loss, fever, lump or tumor growth, blood in the saliva and stools, constant fatigue, and headaches.

A cancer treatment will be prescribed depending on the type of cancer and the extent to which it has spread within the body. Here are some of the standard cancer treatments available today.

• Surgery
  Surgery works best in the initial stages of cancer. Doctors may choose to follow it up by chemotherapy. Surgery is generally used to treat cancer that is localized in one area and has not spread to the other organs of the body. Surgery can use lasers, or it may be invasive like an open surgery. Many doctors opt for minimally-invasive surgery which requires limited small cuts instead of a single large one as these cuts heal faster.
• Chemotherapy
  Popularly known as “chemo,” this is the most widely known method of treating cancer. Chemotherapy consists of medications that are administered intravenously or orally. These drugs kill cancer cells, stop cancer from spreading, and slow the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy is administered through phases known as cycles. However, this treatment method comes with various side-effects including weight loss, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and hair loss.
• Radiation therapy
  Radiation therapy, as the name suggests, uses radiation beams to kill cancer cells within the body. Also known as radiotherapy, this form of cancer treatment often follows surgery or is employed in stages of advanced cancer (stages III and IV) where surgery is impossible. Radiation therapy may use an external or internal beam. The entire procedure is painless. The radiation beams can find and kill cancer cells by destroying their DNA.
• Stem cell transplant
  Stem cell transplants are procedures that restore vital blood-forming cells within the body. These cells then work to produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. This procedure is advised for patients who have low levels of healthy blood cells because of chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Stem cell transplant is suggested for the treatment of specific cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
• Immunotherapy
  Immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Based on the science of immunology, the medicines used in this form of treatment activate the immune system and enables it to sense the presence of cancer cells. Thus, the immune system attacks cancer cells while sparing the healthy ones. Cancer cells have certain types of protein that helps them hide from the immune system. Immunotherapy helps the immune system overcome this drawback and successfully slows down the growth of cancer cells.
• Targeted therapy
  A new form of chemotherapy, targeted therapy for cancer works by identifying and attacking specific proteins in cancer cells. In this method of treatment, medicines may be administered intravenously or orally. These medicines specifically target cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched. Targeted treatment focuses on destroying protein and enzymes in cancer cells, blocking the supply of blood to cancer cells, and studying the DNA of cancer cells.
• Clinical trials
  Patients diagnosed with cancer are often offered the option to participate in clinical trials. A clinical trial for cancer is a research study conducted to explore the effects of newer cancer medicines. Quite often, the medicines in the trials have higher rates of efficiency as compared to standard treatments that are already available. A patient is not obliged to stay in the trial, and they can leave it at any time.