There are many types of cancer treatment. The types of treatment that you have will depend on the type of cancer you have and how advanced it is. Some people with cancer will have only one treatment. But most people have a combination of treatments. When you need treatment for cancer, you have a lot to learn and think about. It is normal to feel overwhelmed and confused. Talking with your doctor and learning all you can about all your treatment options can help you feel comfortable making a decision.
Here are some resources about various cancer treatments:
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the term for medical products and practices that are not part of standard medical care. Cancer patients who are using or considering using complementary or alternative therapy should talk with their doctor or nurse. Some therapies may interfere with standard treatment or even be harmful. It is also a good idea to learn whether the therapy has been proven to do what it claims to do.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that targets the changes in cancer cells that help them grow, divide, and spread. As researchers learn more about the cell changes that drive cancer, they are better able to design promising therapies that target these changes or block their effects. Most targeted therapies are either drugs or antibodies. For some types of cancer, most patients with that cancer will have a target for a certain drug, so they can be treated with that drug. However, your tumor will mostly need to be tested to see if it contains targets for which we have drugs.
What to Expect During, Before, and After Radiation Treatment
This is a series of short, informative videos that share exactly what to expect throughout the process of radiation treatment.
The Short and Long Term Side Effects of Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy protocols involve destroying cancer cells by keeping the cells from further multiplying. This treatment maximizes the elimination of cancer cells while minimizing the negative effects that these protocols have on healthy cells. However, in the process of undergoing chemotherapy protocols, healthy cells can also be affected, especially those that naturally should divide quickly.
Surgery for Cancer
When used to treat cancer, surgery is a procedure in which a surgeon removes cancer from your body. Once you are under anesthesia, the surgeon removes the cancer, usually along with some healthy tissue around it. Removing this healthy tissue helps improve the chances that all the cancer has been removed.
Stem Cell Transplants
Stem cell transplants are procedures that restore blood-forming stem cells in people who have had theirs destroyed by the very high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy that are used to treat certain cancers. Stem cell transplants do not usually work against most cancer directly. Instead, they help you recover your ability to produce stem cells after treatment with very high doses of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or both.
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy is a cancer treatment that slows or stops the growth of cancer that uses hormones to grow. It is most often used along with other cancer treatments.
Cancer and Amputation
The surgery needed to treat some cancers can sometimes involve amputation. This is only ever done if it is completely unavoidable and happens because the cancer has spread from the bone and into the nearby blood vessels.