Finding and treating cancer

Doctors use a variety of different methods to confirm that someone has cancer. Often they will try and take a picture of the inside of the body using an X-ray or a scan that can show the position of a tumour. The most common way to prove that cancer is present is to take a sample of cells, called a biopsy, and look at the cells under the microscope. Cancer cells look and behave differently from normal cells. Scientists are always looking for better ways to detect cancer.

How do doctors treat cancer?

We often hear people talking about a 'cure' for cancer. Unfortunately its not that simple. Because there are many different types of cancer they have to be treated in different ways.

Some cancers are more difficult to treat than others and cancers can grow and spread at different rates. Most cancers are easier to treat if they are detected in the early stages, before they have spread to other parts of the body.

The main types of treatment are described below. Sometimes more than one of these treatments may be needed to make sure that all the cancer cells are destroyed.

Surgery

Cancer patients may have to have surgery, which is an operation to remove the cancer. This can be very effective if the cancer is just in one place and all the harmful cells can be removed.

Chemotherapy

Drugs are sometimes given to cancer patients to stop or slow down the growth of the cancer, this is called chemotherapy. Chemotherapy drugs are very toxic. They may be given alone, or a combination of two or more drugs may be given together.

Our scientists developed a special type of drug that contains platinum compounds. These drugs interfere with the structure of DNA and stop cells from dividing. Platinum drugs are being used successfully to treat testicular cancer.

Radiotherapry

Ionising radiation, or radiotherapy, is sometimes used to kill the cancer cells. Radiotherapy can be given in different forms, including X-rays. The radiation causes breaks in the DNA, and if these are not repaired they will cause the cancer cells to die.

Our scientists are designing specialised forms of radiotherapy that cause less damage to the healthy cells surrounding a tumour. This treatment combines a high dose of radiation directed at the centre of the tumour with a lower dose that is directed at surrounding tissues. This treatment is already being used to treat one type of lung cancer.

Side-effects

Most cancer treatments cause some side-effects. This is because cancer treatments can sometimes damage healthy cells as well as cancer cells. Some common side-effects caused by chemotherapy drugs are hair-loss and sickness. If the side-effects are very bad the patient may be given additional medicines. Scientists want to improve cancer treatments so that only cancer cells are killed and normal cells are left unharmed, resulting in fewer side-effects.