What kinds of cancer treatment are available?

There are many types of cancer treatments and they all work differently. Every case of cancer is different and needs its own approach. If you have cancer, you will have your own tailored treatment plan.

Cancer treatments can help to:

• achieve remission or a cure
• improve the effects of other treatments
• relieve symptoms

Your doctor may prescribe a combination of treatments. The main types of cancer treatment used in Australia include:

• surgery
• chemotherapy
• radiotherapy
• immunotherapy
• hormone therapy
• targeted therapy
• ablation (which destroys the tumour)

Your doctor may recommend treatments based on many factors, including:

• the type of cancer
• the stage of cancer
• your age
• your general health
• your own preferences

Your doctor will discuss the benefits and disadvantages of each treatment before you decide on a treatment plan. Your treatment plan may also change based on how your cancer responds to the treatment and how your body handles any side effects.

There are other treatments constantly being developed.

Your doctor will tell you how soon treatment should start. You can take as much time as you need to discuss your options with your doctor, family and friends before making a decision. You have the right to ask another doctor for a second opinion. You have the right to say no to any treatment you don't want. You can change your mind at any stage during treatment.

Cancer Council NSW has a list of helpful questions to ask when choosing an oncologist and deciding on a treatment path.

Can surgery be used for cancer?

Surgery can be used for many types of cancer. Surgery involves a specialist doctor, called a surgeon, who performs an operation to remove or repair part of your body. Cancer surgery usually removes part or all of the tumour (sometimes called a 'lesion' or a 'lump').

If the cancer is found early, surgery might be the only treatment you need. This can happen when the surgeon is able to remove all of the cancer. If the disease is more advanced, you may also need other treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells.

Chemotherapy or radiotherapy may sometimes be used before your surgery to make the tumour smaller. This is called 'neoadjuvant therapy' and it can make it easier for surgeons to remove the cancer.

What is chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is a group of medicines often used to treat cancer. Chemotherapy can destroy or slow the growth of fast-growing cells, including cancer cells. When speaking to doctors or nurses you may hear it referred to as 'chemo'.

Read more about chemotherapy.

What is radiotherapy?

Radiotherapy — also known as radiation therapy — is a treatment that uses beams of radiation to kill or damage cancer cells so they can't grow or spread. Different forms of radiotherapy use different kinds of radiation, including:

• x-rays
• gamma rays
• proton beams
• electron beams

Radiotherapy is a localised cancer treatment because it targets the area affected by cancer.

Your medical team will be careful to minimise any damage to your healthy, cancer-free cells and the organs around the cancer.

Radiotherapy can also be given using a small radiation source inserted near or into the cancer — this is called brachytherapy.

Read more about radiotherapy.

What is immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy (also called biological therapy) is a treatment that uses medicines to help your immune system learn to fight off cancer cells.

Some cancers prevent your immune system from recognising cancer cells. Immunotherapies are designed to stop cancers from doing this, allowing your immune system to find and kill the cancer cells.

Immunotherapy is used for certain cancers. It can be very effective at treating certain types of cancer, such as melanoma, but it may not work for everyone.

Immunotherapy activates your immune system. The side effects can result from your immune system attacking your healthy cells too. Symptoms depend on the medicine used, but often include inflammation in different parts of the body.

Read more about cancer immunotherapy.

What is hormone therapy?

Hormone therapy is a treatment that uses medicine to slow or block hormones that help some cancers grow. Some cancers grow in response to certain hormones produced naturally by your body. Examples include oestrogen-dependent breast cancer or testosterone-dependent prostate cancer. By blocking these hormones, the cancer may grow more slowly.

Hormone therapy may be used with other cancer treatments. For example, it can be used to shrink a tumour before surgery or after other treatment to stop the cancer from coming back.

When the doctors test a small sample of the cancer (called a biopsy), they can test for hormone receptors. These are spots on the cells where the hormones attach. If it has these hormone receptors, your doctor may consider hormone therapy.

What is targeted therapy?

Targeted therapy uses medicines that find and attack specific features (called 'molecular targets') in cancer cells. These targets might be certain genes or mutations that make the cancer grow.

The benefit of targeted therapy is that it can attack cancer cells while causing less harm to healthy cells.

Different types of targeted therapy are used in many types of cancers, with new types being developed all the time. To know which targeted therapy is right for you, your doctor may need detailed genetic information about your tumour.

Targeted therapy is often used with other cancer treatments. It can also be used for months or even years to slow cancer growth or stop it from coming back.

What is ablation?

Ablation is a procedure that destroys a cancerous tumour. It is less invasive than surgery.

Cancers may be destroyed (ablated) using one or more of these options:

• chemicals
• heat (thermal ablation)
• cold (cryotherapy)
• electric current (radiofrequency ablation)

Ablations are usually guided by imaging. This means you might have a scan — such as an ultrasound, x-ray, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) — before or during the procedure to help the doctor find the exact location of the tumour.

During the procedure, a specialist doctor (called an interventional radiologist) will insert a needle into the tumour and apply the chemical, heat, cold or current to destroy it.

Ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that uses small cuts to the skin instead of a large one. It may be used if surgery is considered too risky. It's also used as a palliative treatment.

Can alternative and complementary therapies treat cancer?

Evidence-based conventional treatments for cancer (listed above) have been thoroughly tested and are scientifically proven to be safe and effective in treating cancer.

Alternative therapies have not been proven to treat or cure cancer. They may be harmful if used instead of conventional treatments.

Complementary therapies can be used alongside conventional cancer treatments. They can improve your wellbeing and may ease the side effects of treatments.

Some complementary therapies have research to show they can help improve your wellbeing.

These may include:

• relaxation exercises and meditation — may reduce muscle tension, anxiety and depression and improve quality of life
• counselling — can reduce anxiety, depression and distress and improve quality of life
• acupuncture — may improve pain, tingling, tiredness and hot flushes
• aromatherapy — may improve pain, anxiety, sleep and quality of life
• massage — can reduce stress, pain, anxiety, depression and tiredness after chemotherapy or surgery

Some complementary therapies may interfere with your cancer treatment and may not be safe at every stage of treatment. Speak to your doctor before you start any new treatment to make sure it's safe for you.

What are clinical trials for cancer treatment?

Clinical trials are part of the process of developing new medical treatments. By joining a clinical trial, you may have the chance to try new medicines or treatments. This helps new treatments to become available to people with cancer in the future.

New treatments must go through many stages of testing before they are considered safe and effective. Clinical trials on humans are an essential part of this testing.

Anyone who joins a clinical trial must give informed consent. This means that your health team will explain everything clearly — the possible benefits and disadvantages — before you agree to take part.

Many clinical trials compare 2 groups of people with cancer. One group gets the standard treatment and the other gets the new treatment. You usually won't be able to choose which treatment you get.

If you are interested in joining a clinical trial, speak to your doctor to see if there are any options.

Resources and support

Visit these organisations for more information on cancer treatments and support services:

• Cancer Council and Cancer Australia have information on cancer and cancer treatments.
• Cancer Australia also has a website with information about Australian cancer trials.
• Canteen is a support network for people aged 12 to 25, their families and carers.
• The McGrath Foundation supports people with breast cancer and their families.
• The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre offers information and support services.
• People with cancer and their families can join the online forum at Cancer Council Online Community.

Languages other than English

• Cancer Council NSW has information about cancer in many community languages.
• Cancer Australia also offers cancer resources in languages other than English.

Information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

• Read all about cancer for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples by Cancer Council NSW.
• Cancer Australia provides resources for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
• Our Mob and Cancer shares information on cancer treatments and living with cancer.