Cancer

 
There are many different types of cancers out there and if you or someone you love has been diagnosed with cancer, it’s important to learn as much as you can about the available treatment options. Your doctor will talk with you about what options are available to you and what your best choice will be. It’s normal to feel frightened and uncertain during times like these but the more you know about cancer treatment options, the better the process will be.

The main categories of cancer treatment options include:

• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Surgery
• Other/ alternative treatment options  

 Chemotherapy comes in many different types. It includes a combination of drugs designed to kill the cancer cells within the body. It also comes with a great number of side effects, most of which reverse themselves once the chemotherapy treatment is over. 

Radiation therapy, as the name implies, uses radiation to try to kill or remove the cancerous cells in the body. There are different types and it can only be used with certain types of cancers in certain locations. Often it is tried with other cancer treatment options are not working or can not be used. Radiation therapy also has side effects on the body.

Surgery is sometimes performed where a surgeon literally goes in and cuts the cancer out. Sometimes one or more surgeries are required to completely remove the cancer. There are also other therapies such as biological therapy, bone marrow transplants, laser treatments, photodynamic therapy and other targeted cancer treatments.

Sometimes multiple cancer treatments are need to complete remove a cancer from the body. Sometimes one treatment is tried and it doesn’t work so another method is tried. Some people choose natural or alternative therapies to try to help their cancer or if other treatment methods have been tried but didn’t work.

Also see chemotherapy treatment and cancer radiation treatment.