Laura Deleruyelle: Working with Cancer Treatments

Laura Deleruyelle spends a portion of her career working with cancer patients. She is also an avid supporter of cancer research. Cancer is a devastating illness that, according to the American Cancer Society, affected nearly 14.5 million Americans in 2014. Cancer is an uncontrolled spread and growth of abnormal cells. It can be caused by harmful substances and factors such as heavy metal toxicity, tobacco, an unhealthy diet, and infectious organism. It is also something that can be caused by internal factors. Some people inherit genetic mutations, cancer causing hormones, and immune conditions. There are several different types of cancer, and several different types of treatments. A treatment method is usually based on the type of cancer, how aggressive it is, and the patient’s age and health.

Some cancers can be treated with surgery. This method is ideal for people whose cancer has been found early, and has not yet spread. If a cancer is localized, such as a tumor, a surgeon will often perform surgery in an attempt to remove all of the abnormal cells.

Cancers such as leukemia, can be treated with a type of stem cell transplant. Leukemia is the presence of abnormal cells in blood forming tissues such as the bone marrow and lymphatic system. Bone marrow contains hematopoietic stem cells, and one of the treatments for this cancer is a bone marrow transplant. The goal is to spread healthy bone marrow throughout the body that will produce normal blood cells rather than abnormal blood cells.

Common cancer treatments are chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is a series of strong drugs that have been used to treat cancer since the 1950s. There are over 100 different types of chemotherapy drugs, and oncologists will choose which drugs to use based on the type of cancer a patient has and how aggressive it is. The goal of these drugs is to keep the cancer from spreading and to slow its growth. They will also kill cancer cells and, hopefully, help a patient go into remission.

Radiation therapy involves bathing cancer cells or tumors in radiation that will kill them. This process will also damage healthy cells, but these cells can repair themselves and cancer cells cannot. In some cases, patients will only need radiation. In other cases, radiation is used along with chemotherapy. Patients will take chemotherapy drugs to shrink tumors or cancer cells, and then radiation will be used to kill the abnormal cells.

There is a wide array of cancer treatments. An oncologist can help a patient determine what treatment is the best option for them. Dr. Laura Deleruyelle is an advanced practice nurse who helps educate the patient about cancer treatments, immune support and to help them understand what is happening in their body.

The Author writes articles for medical and business field. He has also contributed to Wikipedia, Squidoo and Hubpages. His articles have been published in print as well as online magazines.