After a cancer diagnosis, you may have questions about the available treatments and how they work. While your doctor or oncologist will explain the suitable options with you, including their risks and benefits, based on your individual circumstances, we’ve outlined an overview of some of the most common treatments for cancer in Australia.
What determines the type of treatment you receive?
The treatment you receive will depend on a few factors, such as the type of cancer, where it began, whether it has spread, your general health, your suitability for clinical trials, as well as your personal preferences.
Depending on your circumstances, the aim of the treatment may be to cure the cancer, as a temporary control to stop the cancer from spreading, for symptom relief, or to help other treatments work.
The most common cancer treatments
Most cancers are treated by surgery, radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy (drug treatment). Immunotherapy and hormone therapy may also be suitable for certain cancers. Often more than one type of treatment is used.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy (or “radiotherapy”) is the controlled use of radiation to kill or injure cancer cells so they cannot keep growing.
Radiation is localised, so it generally affects only the area being treated and does as little harm as possible to healthy cells near the cancer.
Radiation therapy may be used before or after surgery, to destroy cancer cells that cannot be removed surgically. In some cases, radiation therapy is used in combination with chemotherapy.
