Cancer Treatments
Treatment options depend on the type of cancer, the stage of cancer, certain characteristics of the cancer cells and your general state of health. Your physician will also consider your personal wishes and goals when planning your treatment with you.
Treatment for cancer can be either local or systemic, depending on your diagnosis. Local treatments affect cancer cells in the tumor and the area near it. Systemic treatments travel through the bloodstream, reaching cancer cells all over the body. Surgery and radiation therapy are types of local treatment. Chemotherapy, hormone therapy and biological therapy are examples of systemic treatment.
Types of treatment
- Surgery
Surgery is therapy to remove the cancerous tumor; the surgeon may also remove some of the surrounding tissue and lymph nodes near the tumor. Sometimes surgery is done on an outpatient basis, or the patient may have to stay in the hospital.
- Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. For some types of cancer, radiation therapy may be used instead of surgery as the primary treatment. Radiation therapy also may be given before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) to shrink a tumor so that it is easier to remove. In other cases, radiation therapy is given after surgery (adjuvant therapy) to destroy any cancer cells that may remain in the area. Radiation also may be used alone, or along with other types of treatment, to relieve pain or other problems if the tumor cannot be removed.
- Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. The doctor may use one drug or a combination of drugs.
- Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy is used against certain cancers that depend on hormones for their growth. Hormone therapy keeps cancer cells from getting or using the hormones they need. This treatment may include the use of drugs that stop the production of certain hormones or that change the way they work.
- Regional perfusion therapy
Perfusion therapy is a new treatment that involves administering chemotherapy directly to the organ or area affected by cancer. Perfusion is used most commonly in treating sarcoma and melanoma in the limbs, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, and cancers of the pleura. The treatment has been shown to be more effective for certain cancers than traditional chemotherapy, while avoiding many of chemotherapy's side-effects.
- Biological therapy
Biological therapy (also called immunotherapy) helps the body's natural ability (immune system) to fight disease or protects the body from some of the side effects of cancer treatment. Monoclonal antibodies, interferon, interleukin-2 and cancer vaccines are some types of biological therapy.
- Stem cell transplantation
Stem cell transplantation (SCT) may also be used in cancer treatment. The transplant may be autologous (the person's own cells that were saved earlier), allogeneic (cells donated by another person), or syngeneic (cells donated by an identical twin).
- Clinical trials
Clinical trials (research studies) offer important treatment options for many people with cancer. Research studies evaluate promising new therapies and answer scientific questions. The goal of such trials is to find treatments that are more effective in controlling cancer with fewer side effects.
Preparing for treatment
Many people with cancer want to take an active part in decisions about their medical care. They want to learn all they can about their disease and their treatment choices. However, the shock and stress that people often feel after a diagnosis of cancer can make it hard for them to think of everything they want to ask the doctor. Often it is helpful to prepare a list of questions in advance. To help remember what the doctor says, patients may take notes or ask whether they may use a tape recorder. Some people also want to have a family member or friend with them when they talk to the doctor -- to take part in the discussion, to take notes, or just to listen.
These are some questions a patient may want to ask the doctor before treatment begins:
- What is my diagnosis?
- Is there any evidence the cancer has spread? What is the stage of the disease?
- What are my treatment choices? Which do you recommend for me? Why?
- What new treatments are being studied? Would a clinical trial be appropriate for me?
- What are the expected benefits of each kind of treatment?
- What are the risks and possible side effects of each treatment?
- Is infertility a side effect of cancer treatment? Can anything be done about it?
- What can I do to prepare for treatment?
- How often will I have treatments?
- How long will treatment last?
- Will I have to change my normal activities? If so, for how long?
- What is the treatment likely to cost?
Patients do not need to ask all their questions or remember all the answers at one time. They will have many chances to ask the doctor to explain things and to get more information.
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