Gene Therapy and Hormone Therapy For Cancer Treatment
Gene Therapy For Cancer Treatment
Genes are the hereditary biological units. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the molecule, forming genes. Genes affect factors like hair, physical strength, eye colour, oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, etc. Gene therapy is an advanced level of treatment where the patient's genetic materials are altered or new genetic materials like (DNA, RNA) are introduced in the cells to fight the disease.
Scientists are working to invent improved methods of treating cancer through gene therapy. In gene therapy either the healthy cells are made active to fight the disease or the targeted cells are attacked to stop their growth. In one of the methods, a blood sample is taken out of the patient's body, where genes are inserted which helps producing proteins like TCR. These are then inserted into the white blood cells. The white blood cells produce TCR. TCR attaches itself to the molecules found on the tumour cells and finally activates the white blood cells to kill the cancer cells. Research on gene therapy is also aiming at the cancer cells to stop their growth of blood vessels.
Genes cannot be directly inserted into a person's body it is done with the help of vectors. Viruses are the most commonly used vectors in gene therapy as they have the capability of identifying the targeted cells and thus can easily insert the genetic material into them. However, risks are also associated with this process, as virus damages some of the other type of healthy cells. Even the risk of insertion of the new DNA into wrong cells cannot be avoided which can be very harmful for the patient's body.
Scientists must bring forth more effective ways of treatment through gene therapy. Even vectors, which will not harm the healthy cell and will only focus on the targeted cells, is needed to help gene therapy to work in a more efficient and effective way.
Hormone Therapy For Cancer
Hormone therapy is one of the major treatments of cancer problems. This is effective for treating those hormone problems, where tissues are affected by the hormones. Hormones are chemicals secreted from the various glands of the body. Hormone therapy , either stop the growth of the cancer cells, kill them or make them grow slowly. The medication process during hormone therapy stops the growth of hormones. In case of surgeries the hormone producing glands are removed to stop the formation of hormones.
Doctors suggest hormone tests to the patients to check whether the cancer cells are affected by the hormones. To detect whether the hormones are affecting the cancer cells or not, test on the presence of certain proteins in the cells are cunducted. A positive result indicates that the hormones are helping the cancer cells to grow and vise versa. In case of positive result, the physician may stop the process of production of the hormones like estrogen, proqesterone, testosterone, or keep the hormones away from the cancer cells.
Hormone therapy can be given either at the beginning of the treatment, which is known as neoadjuvant treatment or after applying some primary treatments, which is known as adjuvant treatment. In the first case, it enhances the effectiveness of the primary treatment, whereas in the other case, it improves the chance of cure. National Cancer Institute (NCI) has stated that hormone therapy may not entirely cure the disease but it stops its growth for years.
Several side effects can follow hormone therapy, which depends on the given type of therapy to the patient. As the therapies are different for each patient, their side effects will also not be similar. It can be either absent, mild or severe. Both surgery and medication may cause problems like fatigue, hot flashes, nausea, vomiting, headaches or skin irritations.
Genes are the hereditary biological units. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the molecule, forming genes. Genes affect factors like hair, physical strength, eye colour, oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, etc. Gene therapy is an advanced level of treatment where the patient's genetic materials are altered or new genetic materials like (DNA, RNA) are introduced in the cells to fight the disease.
Scientists are working to invent improved methods of treating cancer through gene therapy. In gene therapy either the healthy cells are made active to fight the disease or the targeted cells are attacked to stop their growth. In one of the methods, a blood sample is taken out of the patient's body, where genes are inserted which helps producing proteins like TCR. These are then inserted into the white blood cells. The white blood cells produce TCR. TCR attaches itself to the molecules found on the tumour cells and finally activates the white blood cells to kill the cancer cells. Research on gene therapy is also aiming at the cancer cells to stop their growth of blood vessels.
Genes cannot be directly inserted into a person's body it is done with the help of vectors. Viruses are the most commonly used vectors in gene therapy as they have the capability of identifying the targeted cells and thus can easily insert the genetic material into them. However, risks are also associated with this process, as virus damages some of the other type of healthy cells. Even the risk of insertion of the new DNA into wrong cells cannot be avoided which can be very harmful for the patient's body.
Scientists must bring forth more effective ways of treatment through gene therapy. Even vectors, which will not harm the healthy cell and will only focus on the targeted cells, is needed to help gene therapy to work in a more efficient and effective way.
Hormone Therapy For Cancer
Hormone therapy is one of the major treatments of cancer problems. This is effective for treating those hormone problems, where tissues are affected by the hormones. Hormones are chemicals secreted from the various glands of the body. Hormone therapy , either stop the growth of the cancer cells, kill them or make them grow slowly. The medication process during hormone therapy stops the growth of hormones. In case of surgeries the hormone producing glands are removed to stop the formation of hormones.
Doctors suggest hormone tests to the patients to check whether the cancer cells are affected by the hormones. To detect whether the hormones are affecting the cancer cells or not, test on the presence of certain proteins in the cells are cunducted. A positive result indicates that the hormones are helping the cancer cells to grow and vise versa. In case of positive result, the physician may stop the process of production of the hormones like estrogen, proqesterone, testosterone, or keep the hormones away from the cancer cells.
Hormone therapy can be given either at the beginning of the treatment, which is known as neoadjuvant treatment or after applying some primary treatments, which is known as adjuvant treatment. In the first case, it enhances the effectiveness of the primary treatment, whereas in the other case, it improves the chance of cure. National Cancer Institute (NCI) has stated that hormone therapy may not entirely cure the disease but it stops its growth for years.
Several side effects can follow hormone therapy, which depends on the given type of therapy to the patient. As the therapies are different for each patient, their side effects will also not be similar. It can be either absent, mild or severe. Both surgery and medication may cause problems like fatigue, hot flashes, nausea, vomiting, headaches or skin irritations.
