Depending on the type of transplant, patients may be hospitalized for a few days or up to several months. Those undergoing transplants are hospitalized in one of four special BMT rooms in the Batson Cancer Care Center. Surgery Two out of three people with cancer will have some type of surgery. Cancer surgery may be curative, meaning it is likely that all the cancerous tissue can be removed, or it may be palliative. Palliative surgery is intended to relieve discomfort or disability associated with a cancer-related condition.
Physicians also use surgery to determine if a patient has cancer.
Sometimes, preventive, or prophylactic, surgery is recommended for people at high risk for certain cancers. Most cancer surgery is done on an inpatient basis, although some surgeries may be performed on an outpatient basis. Radiation More than 50 percent of all cancer patients will receive some kind of radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high doses of radiation to destroy or damage cancer cells. It is the primary treatment for many types of cancer.