Treatment Option Overview
How the Ewing’s family of tumors are treated
It is important for patients to be evaluated by several specialists as early as
possible so that treatment may be coordinated effectively from the beginning.
These specialists may include: a radiologist , chemotherapist, pathologist ,
surgeon , or orthopedic oncologist and a radiation oncologist . Before treatment
decisions are made patients will probably be required to undergo several
diagnostic tests including tissue sampling, x-rays , magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) scans , and computed tomography (CT) scans.
There are treatments for all patients with one of the Ewing’s family of tumors .
Three kinds of treatment are used:
Surgery may be used in certain cases to try to remove the cancer and some of
the tissue around it. Surgery may also be used to remove any tumor that is
left after chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Radiation therapy uses x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells
and shrink tumors. Radiation for the Ewing’s family of tumors usually comes
from a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy ). Clinical trials
are evaluating radiation given inside the body during surgery (intraoperative
radiation therapy ).
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by
pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in a vein or muscle.
Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the blood
stream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the
body. When more than one drug is given to kill tumor cells, the treatment is
called combination chemotherapy . Treatment for the Ewing's family of tumors may include surgery or radiation to remove or shrink the tumor as much as possible, followed by chemotherapy to kill any cancer cells that remain in the body.
A supplement to the treatment options listed above is myeloablative therapy
with stem cell support. Myeloablative therapy is a very intense regimen of
chemotherapy designed to destroy all cells that divide rapidly. These cells
include some blood cells and hair cells, as well as malignant (cancer) cells.
Stem cells are self-renewing cells that create all of the other various types
of blood cells. Stem cell support involves enriching the stem cells to
increase the number of these important cells circulating in the blood after the
chemotherapy has been given to kill the remaining tumor cells.
Treatment for the Ewing’s family of tumors depends on where the cancer is
located, how far the cancer has spread, the stage of the disease, and the age
and general health of the patient.
A patient may receive treatment that is considered standard based on its
effectiveness in a number of patients in past studies, or may choose to go into
a clinical trial . Not all patients are cured with standard therapy and some
standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired. For these
reasons, clinical trials are designed to find better ways to treat cancer
patients and are based on the most up-to-date information. Clinical trials for
the Ewing’s family of tumors are ongoing in many parts of the country. If you
want more information, call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER
(1-800-422-6237); TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
To Learn More
Call
For more information, U.S. residents may call the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Deaf and hard-of-hearing callers with TTY equipment may call 1-800-332-8615. The call is free and a trained Cancer Information Specialist is available to answer your questions.
Web sites and Organizations
The NCI Web site provides online access to information on cancer, clinical trials, and other Web sites and organizations that offer support and resources for cancer patients and their families. There are also many other places where people can get materials and information about cancer treatment and services. Local hospitals may have information on local and regional agencies that offer information about finances, getting to and from treatment, receiving care at home, and dealing with problems associated with cancer treatment.
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The NCI has booklets and other materials for patients, health professionals, and the public. These publications discuss types of cancer, methods of cancer treatment, coping with cancer, and clinical trials. Some publications provide information on tests for cancer, cancer causes and prevention, cancer statistics, and NCI research activities. NCI materials on these and other topics may be ordered online or printed directly from the NCI Publications Locator. These materials can also be ordered by telephone from the Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
LiveHelp
The NCI's LiveHelp service, a program available on several of the Institute's Web sites, provides Internet users with the ability to chat online with an Information Specialist. The service is available from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Information Specialists can help Internet users find information on NCI Web sites and answer questions about cancer.
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About PDQ
PDQ is a comprehensive cancer database available on NCI's Web site.
PDQ is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. Most of the information contained in PDQ is available online at NCI's Web site. PDQ is provided as a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the federal government's focal point for biomedical research.
PDQ contains cancer information summaries.
The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries are available in two versions. The health professional versions provide detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions provide current and accurate cancer information.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are developed by cancer experts and reviewed regularly.
Editorial Boards made up of experts in oncology and related specialties are responsible for writing and maintaining the cancer information summaries. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made as new information becomes available. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") indicates the time of the most recent change.
PDQ also contains information on clinical trials.
In the United States, about two-thirds of children with cancer are treated in a clinical trial at some point in their illness. A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about new treatments, the risks involved, and how well they do or do not work. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard."
Listings of clinical trials are included in PDQ and are available online at NCI's Web site. Descriptions of the trials are available in health professional and patient versions. For additional help in locating a childhood cancer clinical trial, call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
The PDQ database contains listings of groups specializing in clinical trials.
The Children's Oncology Group (COG) is the major group that organizes clinical trials for childhood cancers in the United States. Information about contacting COG is available on the NCI Web site or from the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
The PDQ database contains listings of cancer health professionals and hospitals with cancer programs.
Because cancer in children and adolescents is rare, the majority of children with cancer are treated by health professionals specializing in childhood cancers, at hospitals or cancer centers with special facilities to treat them. The PDQ database contains listings of health professionals who specialize in childhood cancer and listings of hospitals with cancer programs. For help locating childhood cancer health professionals or a hospital with cancer programs, call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
