With intraoperative radiation therapy , high-dose radiation is directed at the tumor site immediately following surgical removal of the tumor. The x-ray beam targets the affected area, leaving surrounding tissues unharmed. Radiosurgery is a technique for treating brain or spinal tumors that are inaccessible or unsuitable for surgery. This technique minimizes the radiation dose to the rest of the brain or the spine. Radioactive seed implants are used to treat prostate cancer.
Some cancers resist treatment with standard doses of chemotherapy or radiation.
BMT is a procedure that makes it possible for patients to receive higher, more effective treatment doses. These high doses damage the bone marrow, the body's source for blood cells. Gene Therapy Gene therapy is a research treatment intended to fight cancer by stimulating the body's natural defense system or altering a tumor's behavior. Under normal conditions, white blood cells attack foreign substances such as bacteria, viruses, or toxins. When it comes to fighting cancer cells, white blood cells often are fooled into inaction.