Treatment options vary according to type of cancer, how advanced it is and the patient’s general health. The three main types of treatment offered at Tanner Health System are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, prescribed alone or in some combination. In early stages of cancer, more aggressive treatment including a combination of these three treatment modalities may be used in order to cure the cancer. For patients with advanced stages of cancer, palliative treatment may be prescribed to relieve symptoms such as pain, bleeding and shortness of breath.

Surgery:

Most cancer patients will receive some type of surgery. A biopsy may be used to determine whether or not a lump or mass is cancerous. During a biopsy, some of or the entire tumor may be removed and sent to a pathologist for diagnosis. If surgery is recommended as a treatment option, a surgeon may remove all of the tumor and surrounding tissue.

Chemotherapy:

Chemotherapy consists of medication administered orally or intravenously (through the blood). Known as a systemic therapy because the cancer-killing drug circulates through the body, chemotherapy may be a single drug or a combination of drugs.

Radiation Therapy:

Radiation therapy is the use of focused, high-energy radiation beams to kill cancer cells. Radiation destroys the DNA in cancer cells and prevents the cancer from growing. As the cancer cells die, the tumor shrinks. Some normal tissue will also be damaged, but will eventually regenerate. Since radiation therapy is a localized treatment, it destroys only the cancer in the treatment area.