why do we combine modalities in treatment of cancer?
Surgery versus chem vs radiation and others?
Cancer - 2 Answers
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1 :
We have learned that it is seldom that we can catch all the cancer with just one treatment. If it is large, you want to cut out as much as possible so you don't need to be on other treatments as long. Also it you miss even a small part it comes back, and sometimes very fast. In math we would look at it as. If each treatment has a 90% chance of working, and you use two modes at the same time you get a 99% chance of success, if it is 99% success for each you now get 99.99% combined success rate. Basically they don;t want to see you come back with it. They also use this strategy against HIV. I think they should use it in all treatments, it would decrease the chances of super bugs ever forming.
2 :
Reason #1: Surgery and radiation are local therapies- they treat where you apply them. They would not treat cancer cells that had left the original site (breast --> liver, for instance). Chemotherapy goes where blood flow goes, basically everywhere, so it could theoretically get those cells. Reason #2: Chemo and radiation frequently work synergistically together, that is you get a greater than the expected additive effect (1 + 1 = 3 instead of 2), and hence get greater toxic damage to cancer at the expense usually of greater toxicity to the patient as well.
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Title : why do we combine modalities in treatment of cancer
Description : why do we combine modalities in treatment of cancer? Surgery versus chem vs radiation and others? Cancer - 2 Answers Random Answers, Cri...