How To Treat Neuroendocrine Tumors

Chemotherapy

With chemotherapy, a therapy administered by oncologists, medication is used to destroy the tumor cells. The goal is to stop the cells from being able to divide and grow. Chemotherapy treatments can be given both intravenously and orally. Intravenous chemotherapy involves a tube being inserted into a vein, while oral chemotherapy involves swallowing a capsule or pill. A chemotherapy regimen generally follows a predetermined number of sessions over a pre-scheduled period, and patients are given a combination of drugs simultaneously. Many clinical trials are currently underway to find new medications that are effective against neuroendocrine tumors. Chemotherapy, of course, comes with some side effects, which vary widely depending on the dose and the individual. Patients might be fatigued, have an increased infection risk, experience nausea or vomiting, lose their hair, experience appetite loss, and have diarrhea. In most cases, the side effects subside after the treatment is completed.

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Radiofrequency Ablation

Radiofrequency ablation is not used to treat cancer itself, but it can be used to treat the symptoms, and the goal of the procedure is to reduce a patient's overall pain. Ablation is used in many chronic pain conditions, including arthritis. During the procedure, a radio wave will produce an electrical current, which will heat a small, focused part of an individual's nerve tissue. The result is a decrease in the pain signals sent from that area. The amount of pain relief patients experience varies from case to case, and the pain's location has an impact as well. Radiofrequency ablation generally provides pain relief for periods ranging from six to twelve months. There have been cases reported where the relief lasted for several years. Over seventy percent of patients who undergo radiofrequency ablation treatment have reported pain relief.

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