Surgery and radiation therapy are types of local treatment. Chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and biological therapy are examples of systemic treatment. Sometimes surgery is done on an outpatient basis, or the patient may have to stay in the hospital. For some types of cancer, radiation therapy may be used instead of surgery as the primary treatment. Radiation also may be used alone, or along with other types of treatment, to relieve pain or other problems if the tumor cannot be removed.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells.
The doctor may use one drug or a combination of drugs. Hormone therapy is used against certain cancers that depend on hormones for their growth. Hormone therapy keeps cancer cells from getting or using the hormones they need. This treatment may include the use of drugs that stop the production of certain hormones or that change the way they work. Monoclonal antibodies, interferon, interleukin-2, and cancer vaccines are some types of biological therapy.