Your Best Options for Cancer Treatment in Singapore

When you get diagnosed with cancer, it may feel like the end of the world. Cancer is regarded as one of the most terrifying diseases to ever hit humanity. When you visit a cancer doctor in Singapore and receive a positive confirmation for your condition, hopelessness or depression is not an uncommon feeling to have. Unfortunately, we are not close to solving the dilemma that has plagued humanity for many millennia.

Cancer is still one of the leading causes of death in the world. In 2020, scientists estimated that a whopping one out of every six recorded deaths is due to cancer, or roughly 10 million people worldwide. Many people have attributed the rise in cases to our lengthened lifespans. Modern medicine allows us to thrive, but it also drastically increases our risk of cancer hitting our systems.

What are some ways to combat cancer?

We need ways to combat an issue which can rapidly turn fatal. Thankfully, many paths are available to people who need treatments to address cancer and other similar issues. You can combat the growth of cancer using treatments like the ones below.

1) Surgery

Surgery is combined with other treatments that help in eliminating cancer growth. It usually involves the removal of as many of the cancer cells as possible, though some may remain. We remove the remaining cancer cells via other methods. Surgery is often an indispensable part of cancer treatment.

2) Stem cell transplant

Also known as a bone marrow transplant, this cancer treatment in Singapore has the possibility of saving many cancer patients’ lives. The bone marrow is the spongy inside of your bones that produces blood from blood stem cells located deep within the body. A bone marrow transplant can come from your body or a donor’s. Doctors use this treatment in conjunction with chemotherapy, which allows them to use higher doses of chemicals.

3) Hormone therapy

Hormone therapy is what it says on the tin: it manipulates or controls hormones to kill your cancer cells. Hormones are proteins or chemicals that control how specific cell types work. For example, stress and happiness hormones flood your brain during some triggers, and other parts of your body are affected by certain sex hormones.

Other hormones affect our food intake, energy production, and more. Some examples of these hormones are insulin and testosterone, and cancer relies on these hormones to grow. When we deprive them of hormones or control the hormone levels in our body, we have a chance of killing off the cancer cells.

4) Immunotherapy

Also called biological therapy, this type of cancer treatment in Singapore harnesses the power of your immune system to combat deadly cancer cells. The problem with your immune system is that cancer cells trick immune cells into ceasing their attacks on them because they are technically part of your body. But tumours and other growths can make your body suffer without any outside assistance. Enter immunotherapy, which allows your immune system to “see” the threat of the cancer cells and start targeting it.

5) Targeted therapy

We also call targeted therapy ‘targeted drug therapy’ for a good reason. It uses powerful drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific abnormalities or cancer types. With targeted therapy, the procedure is done by itself or combined with other treatments like chemotherapy. Combining therapy can increase the odds of survival for the patient.

6) Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is short for radiation therapy in Singapore. It is one of the most common treatment methods cancer patients use, though it is not foolproof. The success rate of the treatment can be at or over 90% when done properly. You can choose between internal or external radiation therapy— and if doctors catch cancer in its early stages, you may walk away scot-free.

Why choose radiotherapy to combat cancer?

Your doctor might recommend multiple options other than radiation therapy for treating medical conditions. Radiation therapy might be one of your options. So the question of whether you might need this type of therapy could be personal and an exclusive decision only the patient should make.

Consult your oncology doctor first before you make any choices. Some therapies work better for some individuals than others and are not one size fits all cases. There are clinical trials and research dedicated to solving the mystery of cancer and how to stop its progress. They are still ongoing up to this day.

But if you look at the success rates of all the treatments, radiation therapy is one of the most effective ones you can find. While not 100% effective, it still boasts a high success rate. The successfulness of the treatment will vary from case to case. Please research and ask your doctor for more details before deciding which type of treatment is right for you.

Do not dismiss radiation therapy completely, though. Unlike other types of cancer treatment, radiation therapy can address several conditions. Some cancer treatments only work on certain types of cancer. Radiation therapy in Singapore can be subdivided into external and internal beam radiation therapy. The first is great with general treatment, while internal beam (or brachytherapy) is most effective when treating cancers in the head, neck, breast, prostate, and other sensitive areas.

The possibilities of radiation therapy in Singapore help you survive whether you have early or late-stage cancer. Ask your doctor about internal and external beam therapy types when facing radiation therapy. Patients may take some of them orally, while doctors administer others through bursts from a machine. Be careful about the side effects, and this type of treatment may benefit you the most if you do.

When dealing with serious illnesses, maybe cancer treatment in Singapore is your only hope. Seek a radiation specialist to know more about how radiation therapy can help you. Reach out to Dr Johann Tang for more information about how to beat your condition.