Treatment
There are many types of cancer and many ways to treat it. A treatment plan should be developed for each individual depending on several factors, including the type of cancer, stage or how far it has spread, location, and the general health of the patient. Often the best treatment is a combination of strategies.
Many patients and families often ask about prognosis, or likely outcome or course of disease. However, it is important to understand that prognosis is only a prediction based on statistics. No two patients are alike; their response to treatment will vary based on many factors including stage, age and general health. It is important to talk about this information with your doctor and make an informed treatment decision together.
The following are possible treatment options for many cancers:
- Surgery or an operation to remove the cancer and sometimes surrounding tissue or lymph nodes if the cancer has spread.
- Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. The rays may come from external machines aimed at the cancer. Alternatively, radioactive material is sealed in needles, seeds, wires or catheters and placed inside the body directly in or near the tumor. Radiation therapy may be given alone, along with other types of therapy, or to relieve pain.
- Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer. The drugs are most often given through an injection into a vein (IV), but sometimes the drugs are given by injection into a muscle or under the skin, and some are given as a pill and taken by mouth. Chemotherapy may be given alone, along with other types of therapy, or to relieve symptoms of disease. Chemotherapy is generally given in cycles of a treatment period followed by a recovery period.
- Hormone therapy is used for cancers that require hormones for their growth. This therapy may include the use of drugs to stop the production of hormones or change the way they work. It may also involve the removal of organs responsible for producing the hormones, such as ovaries or testicles.
- Biological therapy, or immunotherapy, helps the body’s immune system fight the cancer or helps protect the body from the side effects of other cancer therapies.
- Bone marrow or stem cell transplantation replaces damaged or destroyed stem cells from the cancer or other therapies with healthy stem cells - immature cells that mature into blood cells. These stem cells may be a person’s own stem cells that were saved prior to beginning treatment or donated by another person.
- Clinical trials evaluating promising new therapies are often an important treatment option for people with cancer to consider. These research studies aim to find treatments that are more effective in controlling cancer with fewer side effects. You should ask your physician if clinical trials are a treatment option for you.
Also, once you select a treatment plan and begin your treatment, you may experience side effects that vary from person to person. The side effects often occur because of the healthy cells affected by the therapy in addition to the cancer cells. Loss of hair, nausea and vomiting, infertility and a reduced ability to fight infection are common side effects. Possible side effects should be among your considerations in selecting a treatment.
To help you decide which treatment is best for you, you may want to ask your doctors some questions. Because of the shock and stress that often accompanies cancer, you may want to write some of these questions down before your appointment, take notes during your conversation, and have a family member or caregiver accompany you. Below is a list of questions to get you started:
- 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?
More information:
Drug Information (MedlinePlus)
Cancer Symptoms.org (Oncology Nursing Society)
Chemotherapy Care and Beyond (Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center and Scott Hamilton CARES Initiative)
Clinical Cancer Advances 2005: Major Research Advances in Cancer Treatment, Prevention and Screening (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
Coping with Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
How is Cancer Treated? (American Cancer Society)
Preparing for Treatment (American Cancer Society)
Treatment (National Cancer Institute)
Understanding Prognosis and Cancer Statistics (National Cancer Institute)