How Personal Cancer Treatments Can Improve Your Diagnosis

Your life changes drastically after a cancer diagnosis. It is estimated that 1,685,210 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2016. Hearing this diagnosis gives way to the spiritual, emotional, and physical challenges that lie ahead. After the initial shock, you must decide to live and fight your cancer. Read on to find out how personal cancer treatments can improve your cancer diagnosis.

What Is Personalized Medicine?

Personalized medicine tells a doctor more about a cancer patient's genetic makeup. It examines how a patient's tumors grow. This information helps with screening, developing effective treatment strategies, and preventing the disease.

Developing Treatment Plans

The objective of personalized medicine is to develop treatment plans that cause fewer side effects. Genetic testing is done on normal cells and cancer cells. This allows your doctor to customize treatment plans to fit your needs.

How Does It Works?

In the past, if you were in a specific stage and had a specific type of cancer, then you were given the same treatment as patients with the same diagnosis. Personalized medicine changed the way doctors treat cancer. Doctors found out that some treatments work better for some patients and not so well for others.

Here is how it works. Your doctor may choose to use a targeted treatment plant. This treatment targets certain cancer proteins and genes that allow your cancer cells to survive and grow. This information is used to test and create new drugs for the targets. Some cancers a targeted treatment plan is used for are breast cancer, lung cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, colorectal cancer, multiple myeloma, melanoma, and leukemia.

Why You Should Choose A Personalized Treatment Plan?

Genetics play a huge role in personalized medicine. There are genetic differences in cancer patients and their tumors. The genetic differences are why people respond different to the same treatment. A customized treatment plan is made around your genetic makeup. On the other hand, your doctor may still choose to use traditional treatments like surgical removal of a tumor. However, you would receive personalized treatment along with the traditional care.

It is overwhelming to receive a cancer diagnosis. You should understand that support and resources are available to help you. It is important to not fight this disease alone. You should have people around you that you trust. This group should be people you can talk to openly who won't make your fight stressful. However, all cancers do not have personalized treatment options. For more information, contact a cancer treatment center like the silver cancer institute.


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