What types of cancer respond well to chemotherapy?

Blood cancer, lung cancer and other types of cancers that can be treated with chemotherapy.

Just like some of the medications work well for a particular condition, there are certain types of cancers, which respond well to chemotherapy. And these types of cancer are known to show a lot of improvement, post chemotherapy, in the overall well-being of a person suffering from cancer. To know what types of cancer respond well to chemotherapy, we asked Dr Tejinder Singh, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Fortis Hospital Mulund, Mumbai about the same. Here is what he has to say.

Dr Tejinder Singh says, 'When it comes to cancer, one thing that ever person needs to bear in mind is that there are lots of options available to treat it. Right from chemotherapy and radiation to targeted therapy and hormonal therapy, different types of cancers respond differently to different treatment options.' However, there are certain types of cancer that are known to respond highly to chemotherapy. These include all three major types of blood cancer namely leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Here are 3 types of blood-related cancers you should know about. In addition to this, lung cancer, bone cancer, ovarian cancer and testicular cancer have been known to respond well to chemotherapy. This is because the action mechanism of chemotherapy (medications to treat cancer) is to stop or slow down the growth of the cancerous cells. As the treatment approach of chemotherapy is systemic (meaning it affects the entire body), it shows significant results in the treatment of lung cancer and blood cancer. Moreover, the stage of the cancer also plays a key role in choosing the treatment modality for cancer. You may also like to read latest research and advances in cancer treatment.

As far as cancers that affect the endocrine glands, hormonal therapy is the treatment modality (preferred treatment option) for it. The common types of cancers that require hormonal therapy are the cancers affecting the reproductive system. Breast cancer responds well to oestrogen and progesterone hormones) and prostate cancer to the hormone testosterone. And hence, in the treatment of hormone-dependant cancer, hormonal therapy in addition to chemotherapy or vice versa, is recommended depending upon the improvement in the condition and the response to the treatment. It is very difficult to tell how the cancer will respond to a particular treatment as it varies from person to person, the spread to other organs and the stage of the cancer.

However, your doctor will be the right person to tell you what will work best for you. Hence, always discuss the pros and cons of any type of cancer treatment before going in for one. Here are 10 dos and don ts during chemotherapy.

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