Cancer therapies attempt to destroy all cancer cells. Around a third of cases are one hundred per cent successful, while other therapies lead to relapses and chronic progression of the disease.

Each type of cancer tumour has its own prognosis. Depending on the progression of the cancer stage at the start of treatment, a person with chronic cancer can live with the disease for many years. There are many possible therapies for treating cancer, some of which are described here.

Cancer therapies

Surgery. During surgery, the affected area is treated directly and the tumour is removed. If no metastases have yet formed, this is the safest method of removing the cancer cells.

Radiotherapy. Cancer cells are specifically destroyed using radioactive rays. However, the success of radiotherapy depends on the sensitivity of the cancer cells to the radiation and the severity of the side effects depends on the condition of the healthy surrounding tissue.

Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy refers to the use of certain cell toxins (cytostatics) that can destroy both cells affected by cancer and healthy cells. The cytostatic agents inhibit the growth and division of cells, which mainly affect hair cells, mucous membrane cells and haematopoietic cells. The drugs are swallowed or injected into the bloodstream. Due to the variety of drugs available, the doctor can tailor the therapy to the patient and the type of cancer.

Immunotherapy. Immunotherapy describes various therapy methods that strengthen the immune system in order to fight cancer. These include stimulation therapies and autologous blood therapies as well as stimulating the immune system with immunostimulants. These measures work in individual cases, but are generally rather controversial.

Fever therapy. The cancer patient is given substances that cause fever in order to activate the body's own defences. The body's defence cells are extremely active during a fever.

Phytotherapy. Mistletoe and wheatgrass juice are phytotherapeutics because they have cancer-inhibiting properties. However, as the effect is not medically proven, the use of mistletoe and wheatgrass juice is only recommended as an additional therapy.

Nutrition. Dietary measures can contribute to the healing of cancer. Sensible dietary changes include fat reduction and a vegetarian wholefood diet. Exercise therapy and relaxation measures are useful in conjunction with nutritional therapy.