The 4 modalities for cancer treatment

In general, there are four main cancer treatment modalities: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapies (in which drugs target specific molecules in the tumor tissue). 

These treatments can be used individually or in combination with each other.

How is cancer defined? Cancer is a term used to describe a group of diseases characterized by the abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells that can invade surrounding tissues and spread to other parts of the body.

According to the company Nanobiotix, surgery remains the primary method for the eradication of solid cancers that are discovered at an early stage. 

Surgery aims to remove not only the tumor, but also a ring of surrounding healthy tissue (known as the surgical margin), to try to ensure that all cancer cells are removed. 

Surgery may not be a viable option depending on the patient’s health or the characteristics of the patient’s cancer. 

For example, when a patient’s cancer has spread or metastasized, surgery alone may not be adequate to remove the cancer. 

When surgery is an option, it is often combined with radiation therapy or chemotherapy, either before surgery, in an effort to try to reduce the size of the tumor so that it is easier to remove with clean margins, or after surgery, in an effort to eliminate residual cancer cells.

Cancer Treatment

Radiation therapy is the administration of ionizing radiation, which are high-energy particles or rays such as x-rays, gamma rays, electron beams or protons, to destroy or damage cancer cells by blocking their ability to grow, divide and multiply. 

Radiation therapy is administered over a period of several days to several weeks at a specific dose. 

Typically, patients receive a fraction of the dose per day. The duration and dose of radiation therapy is based on the specific standard of care for the cancer indication.

Nanobiotix reports that in developed countries with access to radiotherapy, approximately 60% of all cancer patients will receive radiotherapy at least once, either alone or as part of a more complex treatment protocol.

Nanobiotix

With its lead product candidate, NBTXR3, designed to improve local control of solid tumors, Nanobiotix is a late-stage clinical biotechnology company.

This company is focused on developing first-of-its-kind physics-based product candidates that use its proprietary nanotechnology to seek to improve treatment outcomes for millions of patients worldwide.