Surgery

Surgery is the primary treatment for most types of cancer. A surgeon will remove the tumor along with a margin of healthy tissue around it. The surgeon may also remove some nearby lymph nodes. Surgery may also be combined with other cancer treatments to increase its effectiveness, and it may also be used to relieve symptoms.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to target rapidly growing cells in an effort to eliminate cancer cells. Doctors give chemotherapy to shrink the tumor before surgery and destroy any traces of cancer left after surgery. In more advanced stages in which the cancer has spread, chemotherapy may be the best treatment option to relieve symptoms and improve survival. Chemotherapy medications may be given through the vein (intravenously) or by mouth (orally).

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is the use of high energy waves that destroy cancer cells. It is directed towards the cancer site and can be used to shrink the tumor before surgery or, eliminate any traces of cancer left after surgery. For some cancers, such as head and neck tumors, radiation can be used as the main therapy rather than surgery and can also be used in combination with chemotherapy. Radiation is sometimes used to control pain at certain sites as well.

Hormone Therapy

Some cancers, such as breast cancer and prostate cancer, need hormones to grow. Hormone therapy lowers the levels of these hormones or blocks their effect in order to slow down cancer cell growth.

Targeted therapies

Targeted therapies or precision medicines are designed to block a specific target, usually a protein or genetic change, that can influence the growth and development of cancer cells. Since targeted therapies directly attack the cancer cells, they tend to have less side effects than traditional medications such as chemotherapy, which target all rapidly-dividing cells.

The two main types of targeted therapy are small-molecule drugs and monoclonal antibodies.

• Small-molecule drugs can enter cancer cells and target certain proteins and enzymes that are involved in key cell functions such as growth and division. Small-molecule drugs can block these substances, and prevent them from stimulating tumor growth.
• Monoclonal antibodies function very much like the antibodies that the body produces naturally in response to infection and disease. Monoclonal antibodies bind to harmful substances in the body, such as cancer cells, viruses, and bacteria, and signal the body's immune system to find and destroy the harmful substances.

Immunotherapies

Immunotherapy is a new cancer treatment that stimulates the body's immune system to attack cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies are considered a type of immunotherapy, as well as a type of targeted therapy, because these medications cause the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. Two other common types of immunotherapy are interferons and interleukins. Interferons stimulate the immune system to fight cancer or infections. Interleukins help immune cells to grow and reproduce quickly.

Stem-cell Transplantation

This procedure allows patients to receive extremely high doses of chemotherapy and radiation that destroy both cancer cells and normal blood cells. The patient then receives blood-forming stem cells that help the body form new, healthy blood cells. When stem cells are collected from your own body prior to treatment, it is called an autologous stem cell transplant. These are often used in the treatment of multiple myeloma and lymphomas. When stem cells are taken from a separate donor, it is called an allogeneic stem cell transplant. These are sometimes used for the treatment of leukemias and other types of blood disorders.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials allow patients to try a new treatment before it is available to the general public. In some cases, this may be a new drug that has not been used in humans before, or it may be a drug or drug combination that is not currently used for that specific type of cancer. Early phase clinical trials are often used to test side effects of a drug or drug combination, while later phase clinical trials are used to see how effective a new treatment might be for a certain type of cancer. Clinical trials allow doctors and researchers to improve the treatment of cancers with possibly more effective therapies. A clinical trial may be a new, groundbreaking drug or it may have no effect. It is important to talk with your doctor about the pros and cons of clinical trials for your particular situation.