What are the Different Types of Pancreatic Cancer Treatment?

There are various kinds of pancreatic cancer treatment that patients may undergo after a cancer diagnosis. The type of treatment used may depend on how far progressed the cancer is and whether or not it is confined only to the pancreas. Pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest types of cancer to treat, but if caught early and treated aggressively, many patients will survive.

The first type of pancreatic cancer treatment is surgery. This is the cutting away of a tumor from the pancreas to either remove the cancer entirely, prevent it from spreading, or to make the patient more comfortable. In some cases where the cancer was located only in the pancreas, little or no further treatment is necessary. Most of the time, however, additional therapies will be used.

Radiation is another common type of pancreatic cancer treatment. This treatment uses concentrated radio waves to kill cancer cells. Unfortunately, it cannot target only enemy cells and also destroys healthy ones. For this reason, and because radiation can cause skin burns and bodily damage, it is generally only used in more progressed cancers.

Chemotherapy is the last common type of pancreatic cancer treatment. It involves the use of chemical agents and medications to kill cancer cells. Like radiation, chemotherapy does not have the ability to target cancer cells in particular. This causes many painful side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.

There are also many alternative cancer treatments being used by various practitioners around the world. One of these is ozone therapy, which is the process of giving a patient concentrated ozone. This has been shown to help more closely target cancer cells, while causing little harm to the rest of the body. Although it is not yet widely used, this is a promising therapy in pancreatic cancer treatment.

The concentrated use of vitamins and minerals is another form of alternative pancreatic cancer treatment. Often these vitamins are highly potent and delivered to patients via intravenous drip. This type of treatment is controversial among traditional medical practitioners, but many holistic and alternative medicine practices claim that they are far more effective than chemotherapy and comparable treatments.

Patients should keep in mind that whatever treatment they choose is entirely up to them. Some patients who are not given much of a chance at survival would prefer to have minimal medical intervention and die more peacefully at home. Others fight until the end, while still others fight and survive. In many cases, a combination of therapies, both traditional and alternative, is the best chance at a positive outcome.