How is cancer treated?
Specific treatment for cancer will be determined by your physician(s) based on:
your overall health and medical history
extent of the disease -- type, grade, stage, and location
your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
expectations for the course of the disease
your opinion or preference
What are the four goals of treatment?
successful treatment
prevention
prolonged life
palliation (Palliation is treatment for a symptom of the cancer, such as pain. It is not a treatment for the cancer itself. The goal of palliation treatment is to improve the quality of life, not longevity.)
What are the standard types of treatment?
Listed below are the conventional, primary methods of treating cancer:
surgery
radiation therapy
chemotherapy
immunotherapy
hormone therapy
biological therapy
Cancer may also be treated with:
adjuvant therapy - combining two or more treatments
prophylactic or preventive treatment - treatment is sometimes given even when cancer has not appeared or all the cancer is thought to have been removed, if there is a significant statistical risk that the cancer will reappear later.