• But there are many other types of cancer treatments. For example:

   

   

  • Hormonal therapy in which medication is given to block or enhance the effect of the body’s own hormones;

   

  • Anti-angiogenesis therapy in which drugs are given to inhibit the growth of blood vessels which are the lifeline of all cancers;

   

  Biological therapy (also known as immunotherapy, biotherapy, or biological response modifier therapy). This type of therapy attempts to use the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. A number of different treatments fall into this category including interferons, interleukins, colony stimulating factors, monoclonal antibodies, vaccine therapy, and gene therapy;

• Laser therapy in which high-intensity light is used to shrink or destroy tumors. Lasers are most commonly used to treat superficial cancers (cancers on the surface of the body or the lining of internal organs);

• Hyperthermia is a type of cancer treatment in which body tissue is exposed to high temperatures (up to 113°F) to damage and kill cancer cells;

• Photodynamic therapy is a treatment that uses a drug, called a photosensitizer or photosensitizing agent, and a particular type of light. When photosensitizers are exposed to a specific wavelength of light, they produce a form of oxygen that kills nearby cells;

• Targeted cancer therapies use drugs that block the growth and spread of cancer. They interfere with specific molecules involved in carcinogenesis (the process by which normal cells become cancer cells) and tumor growth;

• Cryosurgery (also called cryotherapy) is the use of extreme cold produced by liquid nitrogen (or argon gas) to destroy abnormal tissue.

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