However, this is not always possible. Radiation therapy is a procedure that uses high energy rays to treat cancer. A normal course of radiation therapy depends on the type of cancer diagnosed. In general, most types of cancer require a five to six week course of radiation therapy including five treatment sessions per week. External radiation delivers the radiation ray by a machine from the outside of the body to the internal tissues, whereas internal radiation is the placement of the radioactive material inside a body cavity or opening or directly touching the outside of the body.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells.
Chemotherapy can be given in a doctor's office, an outpatient clinic, or a hospital. Depending on the type of cancer, chemotherapy can be given over a period of time from months to years. Biological or immunotherapy is the newest form of treatment which uses the body's own immune system to fight the disease. Immunotherapy is based on the idea that the human immune system has a role in destroying cancer cells because it is designed to eliminate and destroy only foreign substances from the body. If you or a loved one has cancer, discuss all possible treatment options and their side effects with an oncologist, who is a doctor who specializes in cancer treatment.