Involve. Supporting you. Supporting your patients with cancer
This section provides an overview of the basic therapies available for the treatment of cancer. Treatments available for specific cancer types are explored further within the Cancer Types pages. As a healthcare provider, this information may help you in your role as educator when patients are trying to understand their disease and their treatment options.
The Goals of Treatment
When it comes to treating cancer, there are 3 primary goals:
- Cure – The ultimate goal in the cancer arena, cure means that the tumor or cancer vanishes completely and that the disease does not return. This term is rarely used in the clinical setting; however, all treatments work toward a curative intent.
- Control – Control is also known as total or partial remission and is often what is meant when people are said to be living with cancer. Control means that the tumors may shrink or the cancer may be stopped from growing or spreading. In many cases cancer is not completely eradicated, but it is controlled with treatment and managed like other chronic diseases.
- Palliative treatment – In the late stages of cancer, treatment is often used to relieve the symptoms caused by the cancer, to make the patient more comfortable, and improve their immediate quality of life; this is the goal of palliative treatment.
Surgery
Surgery is designed to remove a malignant tumor and nearby tissue to help prevent the tumor from growing back. In some cases nearby lymph nodes may also be removed.
The side effects associated with surgery vary from person to person and depend on the size and location of the tumor, the type of operation, and the health of the individual.
Radiation
Radiation utilizes high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. There are different types of radiation, including:
- External radiation – A machine outside the body delivers radiation to specific sites. Treatment is usually daily for a given period of time at a clinic or hospital.
- Internal radiation – Radioactive material is placed in seeds, needles, or thin plastic tubes that are then inserted into the body at or near the site of the cancer.
- Systemic radiation – Liquid or capsules hold radioactive material that, when consumed, travel throughout the body. Systemic radiation is delivered by swallowing the liquid or capsules or given by injection.
The side effects of radiation therapy depend on the dose, the type of radiation, and the part of the body being treated. Fatigue is a common side effect of radiation, and patients often become very tired as the treatment regimen progresses. Additionally, depending on the type of cancer being treated, more localized side effects may occur (eg, skin at the site of treatment may become red or sensitive or hair in the treatment vicinity may be lost). Most radiation-related side effects resolve once the treatment is complete.
Biological Therapy (Biologics)
Biological therapy works with the patient's immune system to help fight the cancer. The exact mechanism of action of most biological therapies is not known. However, biologics are believed to:
- Stop or slow the growth of cancer cells
- Help the immune system destroy cancer cells
- Keep cancer from spreading to other parts of the body
Most biological therapies are given by injection at a doctor's office or at a transfusion center. Common side effects are rash at the injection site and flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, weakness, and nausea. Biological therapy also can cause other, more severe side effects, including blood pressure changes and breathing issues.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy is typically given orally or intravenously. Chemotherapy is designed to target rapidly growing and dividing cancer cells. However, one side effect of chemotherapy is the destruction or disruption of healthy cells in the body that grow and divide rapidly, resulting in more common side effects such as alopecia, nausea, and emesis. Chemotherapy may be used to:
- Help shrink a tumor before surgery or radiation therapy (neo-adjuvant chemotherapy)
- Destroy cancer cells left after surgery or radiation therapy (adjuvant chemotherapy)
- Help radiation or biological therapy work more effectively
- Destroy cancer cells that come back (recurrent) or spread to other parts of the body (metastatic)
- Cure cancer by destroying cancer cells to an extent that the disease is no longer detected in the body
- Control cancer to an extent that it keeps the disease from spreading, slows its growth, or destroys cells that have moved to other parts of the body
- Relieve symptoms by shrinking tumors that may be causing pain – this is also called "palliative care"
Treatment Side Effects: Grading
Many cancer treatments are associated with the potential for side effects or toxicities. Treatment side effects are graded based on severity using a scale of 1 to 5. The higher the number, the more toxic the treatment is and, therefore, the more severe the side effects:
1 = Mild side effects
2 = Moderate side effects
3 = Severe side effects
4 = Life-threatening or disabling side effects
5 = Fatal side effects
Learn about Clinical Trials in oncology.