Cancer treatment

Overview

Cancer treatment includes surgery, radiation, medicines and other therapies. The goal of cancer treatment is to cure or shrink a cancer or stop it from spreading.

Many cancer treatments exist. You may receive one treatment or a combination of treatments. Your cancer treatment plan may be based on your type of cancer and your situation.

Why it's done

The goal of cancer treatment is to cure your cancer and help you live a typical life span. That may or may not be possible depending on your specific situation. If a cure is not possible, treatments are used to help shrink your cancer or slow its growth. Those treatments may help you live without symptoms for as long as possible.

Cancer treatments may be used as:

Primary treatment

The goal of the primary treatment is to completely remove the cancer from your body or kill all the cancer cells.

Any cancer treatment can be a primary treatment. The most common primary treatment for most cancers is surgery. Some cancers may respond very well to radiation therapy or chemotherapy. If so, you may receive one of those therapies as your primary treatment.

Adjuvant therapy

The goal of adjuvant therapy is to kill any cancer cells remaining after the primary treatment. The aim is to lower the chance of the cancer returning.

Any cancer treatment can be used as an adjuvant therapy. Common adjuvant therapies include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy.

Neoadjuvant therapy is similar. But neoadjuvant therapy is given before the primary treatment. It can make the primary treatment easier or more effective.

Palliative care

The goal of palliative care is to help you feel better. If you have cancer, palliative care can help relieve pain and other symptoms. Palliative care is done by a team of healthcare professionals. This can include doctors, nurses and other specially trained professionals. Their goal is to improve the quality of life for you and your family. You can have palliative care at the same time as strong cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Risks

Cancer treatments can cause side effects. The side effects depend on the type of treatment you receive. Your healthcare team knows which side effects are likely with your treatment. They are prepared to treat and control the side effects. Their goal is to keep you comfortable during treatment.

Talk to your healthcare team before your treatment starts to understand what to expect. Also ask how you can prepare for side effects.

How you prepare

To prepare for cancer treatment, take time to understand what you can expect. You may wish to:

Talk with your healthcare team about your treatment options. Write down your questions before your appointments. Bring someone along who can help listen and take notes.
Think about getting a second opinion about your treatment plan from another healthcare professional before starting treatment.
Talk with other people who have cancer through support groups in person or online. They can share support and advice about treatment and side effects. Ask your healthcare team about support groups in your area.
Get support from professionals who are trained in helping people with cancer. Ask your healthcare team to connect you to a counseling professional who can offer support, such as a psychologist or a social worker.
Prepare your body for cancer treatment. Ask your healthcare team about services that can help with this, such as nutritional counseling and fitness classes.

What you can expect

Many cancer treatments exist. Your treatment will depend on several factors. They include the type and stage of your cancer, your general health and your preferences. You and your healthcare team can weigh the benefits and risks of each cancer treatment to determine the best choice for you.

Cancer treatment options include:

Surgery. The goal of surgery is to remove the cancer or as much of the cancer as possible.
Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy treats cancer with strong medicines. Many chemotherapy medicines exist. Most chemotherapy medicines are given through a vein. Some come in pill form.
Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy treats cancer with powerful energy beams. The energy can come from X-rays, protons or other sources. Most often, the radiation comes from a machine that directs the treatment to precise points on the body. This is called external beam radiation. Sometimes the radiation is placed inside the body to treat the cancer. This type of radiation is called brachytherapy.
Bone marrow transplant. A bone marrow transplant, also called a bone marrow stem cell transplant, involves putting healthy bone marrow stem cells into the body. These cells replace cells damaged by chemotherapy and other treatments.
Immunotherapy. Immunotherapy for cancer is a treatment with medicine that helps the body's immune system to kill cancer cells. The immune system fights off diseases by attacking germs and other cells that shouldn't be in the body. Cancer cells survive by hiding from the immune system. Immunotherapy helps the immune system cells find and kill the cancer cells.
Hormone therapy. Some types of cancer are fueled by the body's hormones. Hormone therapy treatments remove those hormones from the body or block their effects in order to stop the cancer cells from growing.
Targeted therapy. Targeted therapy for cancer is a treatment that uses medicines that attack specific chemicals in the cancer cells. By blocking these chemicals, targeted treatment can cause cancer cells to die.
Cryoablation. Cryoablation is a treatment that kills cancer cells with cold.
Radiofrequency ablation. Radiofrequency ablation treatment uses electrical energy to heat cancer cells, causing them to die.
Clinical trials. Clinical trials are studies of new treatments. These studies provide a chance to try the latest treatments. The risk of side effects might not be known. Ask your healthcare team if you might be able to be in a clinical trial.

Other treatments may be available to you, depending on your type of cancer.

Results

During and after your treatment, your healthcare team monitors your results. You may meet with your team regularly to discuss progress. Tell your healthcare team about any treatment side effects or cancer symptoms you have. Bring a list of questions you want to ask. It may help to bring a friend or family member with you to help listen and take notes.