Treatment options

Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are the three main types of cancer treatment. Any of these, alone or in combination, may be the best treatment for you.

Chemotherapy

— uses drugs to kill or control the growth of cancer cells. The drugs can be given through your vein or taken in pill form. Chemo can be given alone, several types together, or in conjunction with surgery or radiation.

Clinical trials

— studies that try to answer scientific questions and to prevent, diagnose or treat cancer. Clinical trials help determine whether new treatments are safe and effective or work better than current treatments. Talk to your doctor to see what trials might be available for you. Clinical trials are an option at Christus St. Vincent Regional

Cancer Center.

Hormone therapy

— a treatment that slows or stops the growth of breast and prostate cancers that use hormones to grow.

Immunotherapy

— drugs designed to enhance your body’s immune system to better recognize and attack cancer cells.

Precision Medicine and Targeted therapy

— can attack specific types of cancer cells with less damage done to normal cells. Doctors use genomic testing of tumors to identify DNA alterations and mutations that can occur in cancers and may recommend targeted therapy based on the results of the tests.

Radiation therapy

— uses highenergy rays to kill or shrink cancer cells. Different types of radiation may be recommended depending on the location of the tumor.

Surgery

— a procedure in which a surgeon removes cancer from your body. Radiation or chemotherapy might be used to shrink the cancer before or after surgery.