Mention any four methods involved in the treatment of cancer.

Explanation

(i) Surgery : Cancers in organs like the breast, prostate and testicles can be cured by the removal of those parts through surgery. This is the oldest known treatment option, which is effective if metastasis has not taken place and if cancer is localized to a small portion of the body. It cannot be employed for leukaemias.
(ii) Radiation therapy : This is the most commonly used therapeutic option against cancer. During this therapy, high-energy X-rays created in special machines and high-energy gamma-rays emitted from radium are focused specifically on the cancerous cells. These high energy radiations damage the molecules making up the cancerous cells. This treatment can independently shrink the tumor size or obliterate the cancer cells.
(iii) Chemotherapy : This therapy involves the use of chemicals which can inhibit the active cell division process, so that the process of apoptosis (cell death) gets stimulated within the cancer cells. This treatment is generally chosen as an option in case of cancers which have spread to different parts of the body as medicines and can travel to different parts of the body.
(iv) Immunotherapy : This novel therapeutic option aims to boost up the immune system so that it can attack the tumours. For example, in Radioimmunotherapy, radioisotope linked monoclonal antibodies are used for the treatment of cancer. A significant success has been achieved in the treatment of breast cancer through immunotherapy.