Systemic treatment is understood as the interaction and integration of systemic therapeutic interventions, which include chemotherapy, hormone therapy and biological therapy. Systemic treatment is used in cases of disseminated cancer[1]
Chemotherapy is the treatment with cytostatics. Cellular kinetics indicate that for cancer conditions where tumour cells are sensitive to the effects of chemotherapy, it is an essential method. With appropriate drug doses, the chances of a cure increase.[2]
Hormone therapy in cancer patients is used for a variety of reasons. It can be the primary therapy for hormone-dependent cancers (such as prostate cancer). Hormones are also administered when the effect of abnormal hormone secretion needs to be reduced, as well as supportively by reducing inflammation or oedema.
Biological therapy is a component of systemic treatment, based on immunology and knowledge of the action and function of tumour cells. This therapy uses methods that interfere with the cell cycle and affect the pathways by which signals are transmitted within the cell. Biological therapy is immunotherapy directed at destroying cancer cells with the help of the immune system. This treatment method uses cancer vaccines, lymphocyte immunotherapy or immunocytokinins.
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Another method of biological therapy is targeted therapy, the name of which, however, is a very general statement, as the premise of this therapy is not to capture the exact point, but to inhibit the growth of tumour cells. This is achieved using monoclonal antibodies or small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors.[3]
