In regional chemotherapy, doctors take a different approach. Usually when doctors go for other types of chemotherapy then they inject the chemo drugs in the bloodstream.
This does not happen with regional chemotherapy. Regional chemotherapy treatment is different from other types of chemotherapy in a sense that in this chemotherapy only a tumor suffers. This means that in this type of chemotherapy oncologists only target a particular cancerous tumor or cancerous cells. If the cancerous tumor is in the bladder then oncologists will go for the bladder and they wont touch the other areas.
Regional Chemotherapy
This is the treatment, which stands out from the other treatments. Regional chemotherapy treatment is drug therapy and in this treatment, doctors do not use the standard drug for cancer patients. Instead, there are different types of chemotherapies, which work differently for different patients. Regional chemotherapy works on the principle of it is a tumor that should suffer not the patient.
What is regional chemotherapy?
Regional chemotherapy is a different kind of chemotherapy. It does not work like other chemotherapies. The ultimate goal of this treatment is to make sure that doctors destroy or reduce the size of extensive cancerous tumor. Doctors try to shrink the cancerous tumor through highly concentrated regional chemotherapy treatment methods.
Cancer has an eerie way of growing inside a human body. Cancerous cells are abnormal cells and they grow very rapidly inside a human body. Once a single cancer cell is in the human body then they starts multiplying like crazy. They take the form of a tumor very soon.
Through regional chemotherapy, doctors make sure that they shrink that tumor. Doctors remove the traces of Cancer, which are still in the body after the shrinking of cancerous tumor.
Working principal of Regional Chemotherapy
The procedure of regional chemotherapy started in 1950 in the USA. It is an amazing type of chemotherapy and it is the most effective one. In regional chemotherapy oncologist, restrict the chemotherapy drugs to one region of the body or to one organ. Chemotherapy treatment is a very effective treatment. Oncologist gives the drugs of regional chemotherapy treatment via artery. In this treatment, doctors target the artery, which supplies a specific tumor. Doctors make sure that they isolate a tumor and then target it with powerful dosage of specific medication.
Because in this treatment the target is one tumor so there are more chances that, the cancerous tumor will absorb more and more cytotoxic agents, which are present in the medication of regional chemotherapy. After going through the procedure of medication the patient, go through the process of chemo filtration of the blood. Through this procedure, oncologists make sure that they remove the excess of medication from the bloodstream.
Advantages and Disadvantages of regional chemotherapy
Because in regional chemotherapy oncologists target a single body region or organ, so this treatment delivers excellent results. The concentration of cytotoxic drugs makes sure that the tumor is no more. After the treatment of regional chemotherapy, oncologists perform chemo filtration. This way the blood stays safe from toxic medications of regional chemotherapy treatment of regional chemotherapy treatment. Chemo filtration also makes sure that it debilitates the side effects of regional chemotherapy.
Regional chemotherapy is an effective treatment. The people who choose this type of chemotherapy for their cancer have better chances of Survival than those patients who do not choose this treatment method for their cancers. In regional chemotherapy, doctors target just a tumor. This means that all the medications only affect a certain tumor.
Side effects of regional chemotherapy
Because doctor performs chemo filtration after every regional chemotherapy treatment, so the side effects do not surface as much as they surface in other treatments of chemotherapy.
There are certain side effects of regional chemotherapy, which include nausea, vomiting, tingling, and damaging of nerves, loss of either all, or few hairs, low concentration of white blood cells but not all these Side Effects surface much in regional chemotherapy because of chemo filtration. The amazing chemo filtration rid the body of toxic chemotherapy medication. Because of chemo filtration, the regional chemotherapy is much more potent for cancer patients.
Sometimes in regional chemotherapy treatment, oncologists use Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. It is one of the procedures of regional chemotherapy. In this procedure, doctors infuse warm anti-cancer drugs in the peritoneal cavity, which is abdomen for a short period. Keeping drugs in abdomen has a positive effect on cancer patients.
List of regional chemotherapy drug include drugs like
- Avastin
- Herceptin
- Rituxan
- Opdivo
- Gleevec
Out of all the chemotherapy treatments, regional chemotherapy stands out because when a person is going through this type of chemotherapy he does not fear that, his normal cells will collapse along with the cancerous cells. This treatment makes sure that it does not attack the normal cells at all. Regional Chemotherapy treatment is the most effective treatment of chemotherapy and patients who go through this type of chemotherapy actually have more chances of Survival
It is the most effective treatment of treating the cancer patients because in this treatment only the tumor suffers and the not the patient. There are huge chances that the tumor is out of the body at the end of this treatment
There are cases when patients mention that they feel much better after going through regional chemotherapy treatment. At the end of the day, make sure that your health is your priority. Health is the greatest wealth from The Almighty and it is our duty to make sure that our body is healthy. A regular check-up is the only way through which we can make sure that our body is cancer free. If you are not going to the doctor on regular basis then you are missing out. Make sure you go to your doctor regularly. Make sure that your health is your priority. It is always better to be safe than sorry.