The Frequency of Treatment for Cancer

Cancer refers to a broad range of diseases which share in their basic salient characteristic---the development of mutant cells within the body that will cause the death of the patient if left untreated. Cancer patients are faced with a number of choices once a diagnosis is made; there are many treatment options available, each having its own specified frequency, benefits and side effects.

Cancer Treatments

• There are three general types of conventionally accepted treatments for cancer: surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Surgery consists of the manual excision of the cancerous parts of the body through either an invasive or minimally invasive operation. Radiation therapy consists of the use of targeted beams of high-energy radiation to remove the cancer cells' ability to reproduce. Chemotherapy consists of the application of poisonous drugs to kill the cancer cells.

General Time Frame

• The frequency of treatment will vary depending on the treatment methodology chosen by you and your attending physician. Surgical procedures are generally one-off affairs, necessitating only a single procedure to attain the goal. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy, on the other hand, are more prolonged procedures, necessitating multiple applications of treatment before the desired result can be attained.

Chemotherapy

• According to the American Cancer Society, chemotherapy frequency of treatment can vary depending on a number of different variables: drugs to be used; patient condition; treatment goal; and type of chemotherapy used (regional or systemic). Generally, chemotherapy treatment must be administered around once a week for "blocks" of a month or more at a time, after which you will be given a temporary break from treatment before resuming it again.

Radiation Therapy

• According to the National Cancer Institute and the ACS, radiation therapy frequency can also vary depending on the type of radiation therapy used, the area to be affected and the size and state of the cancer. Certain types of internal radiation therapy are simple procedures to implant a small amount of radioactive material in your body, and it slowly emits radiation without any further active coaxing. External radiation therapy (administration of X-rays and other forms of radioactive energy) often require at least several sessions to be deemed complete, and may possibly need additional rounds of therapy depending on how effective it was in treating the cancer.

Considerations

• Consult with your doctor if you are having apprehensions about the possible level of frequency required for a chosen type of treatment. Many of these treatment types can work somewhat interchangeably, so there may be leeway in treatment methods if a certain level of treatment frequency proves incompatible with your current situation.