Alternative Treatments For Renal Cell Carcinoma
Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) also known as renal or kidney cancer is commonly diagnosed in adults, spreading its roots rapidly into the lungs and other surrounding vital organs. A person experiencing drastic weight loss or loss of appetite, bloody urine, weariness should visit the physician for early diagnosis of RCC. General causes of RCC are obesity, hypertension, smoking, past family history of RCC, etc.
One of the most common and preferred options for RCC treatment is a ‘Surgery’ that is often perceived to be the most effective and guaranteed.
However, there are other equally effective treatments for curing RCC that would be overviewed here.
- Radiation Therapy: This is often opted in by those patients who aren’t healthy enough for surgery. Here the high energy radiations pass through the body from an external source killing the cancerous cells. It also acts as a symptom eliminating agent for cancer affected patients.
- Chemotherapy: This therapy uses anti-cancer drugs administered to the patients through IV or oral, hence flushed into the blood vessels, reaches all those organs that are affected by the cells. However, its drawback is that it is a poorly active treatment, so patients hesitate to take up this resort.
- Targeted therapy: This therapy is usually taken up when chemotherapy turns out to be ineffective. These drugs treat cancer without harming the healthy cells, by a blockading growth of new blood vessels or essential proteins necessary for growth and survival of cancer cells. No such drug is ideal to cure RCC. Results obtained by combining such drugs and administering them could be far more satisfactory than giving them one at a time.
- Immunotherapy: Also known as biologic therapy that utilizes cytokines which are man-made versions of natural proteins to stimulate the immune system to tackle cancer. Cytokines that are normally used to treat Renal Cell Carcinoma are:
- Interleukin-2 (IL-2): It is the only therapy that appears to result in long-lasting responses and is given through an IV.
- Interferon-alpha: It is combined with the Targeted Drug Bevacizumab (Avastin), given via a subcutaneous injection usually three times a week.
However, this therapy wipes of cancer from the system in small proportions.
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