Within these broad classifications, cancers are often divided into more specific categories based on the cell subtype and the affected organ. An invasive cancer has spread to surrounding tissues. A metastasized cancer has invaded distant sites in the body. In diagnosing cancer, a doctor takes all these aspects of classification into account to arrive at a decision on what type of cancer a patient has and what stage it is in. Proper diagnosis and treatment depend on accurate classification.
Cancer treatment can take many different forms and it is always tailored to the individual patient.
The goal of treatment can be cure or relief from disease symptoms. The four major types of treatment are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy . These treatments are sometimes used alone and sometimes in combination. When one treatment is used to supplement another, the supplementary treatment is called adjuvant therapy . If a tumor has spread, the nearby tissues and lymph glands are removed along with the malignant growth in an operation called radical surgery .