How is cancer treated?
Many years ago, cancer was incurable. Now there are many ways to treat cancer. You may be overwhelmed by the choices, so here is a very brief summary of the main treatments and how they work.
The main treatments for cancer are:1,2
Surgery
- Is used to remove all or part of a tumour or lesion, or to reconstruct part of your body after treatment1–3
- During surgery a surgeon will operate on you; the operation might take place via a cut and a lighted tube inserted into your body; this is known as “keyhole surgery”3
Radiation therapy
- Uses invisible high-energy particles or rays to attack rapidly-dividing cells, such as cancer cells.4
- May also kill or damage healthy rapidly-dividing cells, such as hair cells; however, normal cells usually recover from the damage, unlike cancer cells which are generally less able to repair themselves5
- In “external beam radiotherapy” or “external radiotherapy” the radiotherapist gives you radiation treatment from the outside of your body5
- In “internal radiotherapy” radioactive material is put into your body or directly into the tumour2,5
- “Brachytherapy” is the use of solid radioactive material placed inside the body2,5
- “Radioisotope” therapy is the use of liquid radioactive material; this may be injected into a vein or swallowed as a capsule5
Chemotherapy
- Is a treatment with one or more drugs that can attack rapidly-dividing cells, such as cancer cells.6
- May also kill or damage healthy rapidly-dividing cells, such as hair cells; however, normal cells usually recover from the damage, unlike cancer cells which are generally less able to repair themselves.6
- Is usually given via an infusion directly into your bloodstream but may be given by mouth, in the form of capsules or tablets, or as a cream7
Targeted therapy
- Is a fairly new form of cancer treatment1
- Uses specialised medicines to target specific cancer cells, focusing on their particular abnormalities or characteristics1,2,8
- Interferes with the way the cancer cells grow and divide6
Immunotherapy
- Is a treatment that uses drugs to encourage your body to use its own immune system to target the cancer1,2
- These drugs help your body “recognise” the cancer as something that has to be attacked and killed2
Each type of treatment can be used by itself, or in combination with other treatments. They may be given to:2
- Cure the cancer
- Prolong your life
- Ease side effects of the cancer itself or of other treatments, and thus improve your quality of life
Research means that new cancer treatments are being developed all the time; your medical team may suggest something that is not on this list.1
Glossary