The doctors may decide to use one type of treatment alone or a combination of treatments. The choice of treatment depends on the type and location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, the patient's general health, and other factors. Before starting treatment, you may want another doctor to review the diagnosis and treatment plan. Some cancer patients take part in studies of new treatments. Often, clinical trials compare a new treatment with a standard one so that doctors can learn which is more effective.
Clinical trials offer important choices for many patients.
Cancer patients who are interested in taking part in a clinical trial should talk with their doctor. Although your chances of getting cancer increase after age 50, there are things that you can do to prevent it. Tobacco causes cancer. In fact, smoking tobacco, using smokeless tobacco, and being exposed regularly to involuntary tobacco smoke are responsible for one-third of all cancer deaths in the U.S. each year. Avoid the harmful rays of the sun.