Treatment options depend on the type of cancer, the stage of cancer, certain characteristics of the cancer cells, and your general state of health. Your physician will also consider your personal wishes and goals when planning your treatment with you. Treatment for cancer can be either local or systemic. Local treatments affect cancer cells in the tumor and the area near it.
Systemic treatments travel through the bloodstream, reaching cancer cells all over the body.
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.