Treatment OptionsCancer Treatment: What Are the Options?

You and your doctor will decide what treatment is best based on the type of cancer, where it is, and how far it has spread.

Cancer Surgery

If you have cancer, you may have surgery at some point. Sometimes, it can completely treat the disease.

Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine can help diagnose and treat different conditions, including some forms of cancer.

New Ideas in Cancer Treatment

A lot has happened in recent years to transform how cancer is, and will be, treated.

If Your Cancer Treatment Is Working?

How will your doctor track how well your treatment works? Your doctor will do tests every few months or so during treatment.

ChemotherapyHow Chemotherapy Works

Chemotherapy uses certain drugs to kill cancer cells or to stop them from growing and spreading to other parts of your body.

Chemotherapy vs. Radiation

Chemotherapy uses special drugs to shrink or kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy kills these cells with high-energy beams.

The Costs of Chemotherapy

When your doctor says you need chemotherapy, you'll have lots of questions, but you might also have concerns about the cost.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Chemotherapy

Learn these surprising chemo facts, and you'll be better prepared for what's ahead.

How to Take Chemo Drugs

Most people take their chemo drugs through an infusion port, a medical device placed beneath the skin that connects to a vein.

What Is a Chemo Port?

A chemo port gives health care workers one-stop access to your veins: They poke the port, not your skin.

Antimetabolite Drugs

Antimetabolites are a form of chemotherapy drug. They’re one of the most commonly used therapies to treat cancer.

Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC)

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a treatment that pumps warm chemotherapy drugs into your abdomen.

Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosolized Chemotherapy (PIPAC)

Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) gives chemo in the form of a spray into the abdominal cavity.

Intrathecal Chemotherapy

Intrathecal chemo is used often to treat cancers that involve the brain or spinal cord or have a high risk of spreading there.

Chemotherapy Checklist

To make you more comfortable as you recover, think about how you’ll take care of yourself at home before you go in for chemo.

What to Bring to a Chemo Treatment

When you go to the hospital chemo, your appointment may take a while. Packing a bag with necessities can help you feel at ease.

Prepare Your Home for Chemo

Here are precautions you and your family can take to keep you safe while you're undergoing chemotherapy.

When Your Chemotherapy Changes

Here are some reasons you might switch chemotherapy treatments and how these changes can affect your health.

Daily Tips for for Chemo

Chemo drugs can make you less able to fight infections. Here are some ways to lower your risk of infection.

Living With Chemotherapy

Everyone’s reaction to chemo is different. Here’s an overview of what you can expect while you’re getting chemo.

Chemo Side EffectsChemotherapy Side Effects

Chemotherapy drugs can cause side effects, but they don’t have to take over your life.

Managing Chemo Side Effects

The type of chemo drugs you use can affect your experience. Try these tips to help manage some common side effects.

How to Prepare for Hair Loss

Hair loss from chemotherapy is one of the side effects people dread most. Though temporary, it can bring up big feelings.

How to Handle Chemo Hair Loss

Many drugs that treat cancer cause hair loss. Here are 12 things you can do while you wait for your locks to grow back.

Chemo Brain

It’s common for you to have a cloudy mind, called "chemo brain," during and after treatment.

Managing Chemo Brain

You don't have to let chemo brain stop you from a productive day. Learn some simple techniques that can sharpen your mind

Chemo Fatigue

Cancer treatment can take a lot out of you, both physically and emotionally, so it’s common to feel tired.

Foods to Eat After Chemotherapy

You might not feel hungry when you're having chemotherapy, but it’s important you keep eating well.

Remedies for Chemo Rash

Chemo rash is one of the most common side effects of therapy. It may show up on your face, neck, scalp, upper back, and chest.

Chemo Mouth Sores

Chemo can cause dryness, tenderness, and sores inside your mouth that make it hard to eat or even talk.

Chemotherapy and Nausea

Nausea and vomiting are less common with chemotherapy today, thanks to newer cancer drugs.

How Chemo Affects Your Body After Treatment

Some side effects of chemotherapy can linger for months or years or may never completely go away.

RadiationRadiation Therapy

Radiation therapy a common treatment that shrinks tumors and kills cancer cells -- and might be the only one you need.

Proton Therapy

Proton therapy, sometimes called proton beam therapy, is a type of radiation used to treat cancer.

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

IMRT is short for intensity-modulated radiation therapy. In IMRT, doctors use a computer to send radiation right to the tumor.

Radioembolization

Radioembolization is a cancer treatment in which radioactive particles are delivered to a tumor through the bloodstream.

Radiation Sickness

Radiation sickness happens when a large dose of high-energy radiation goes through your body and reaches your internal organs.

Radiation Enteritis

Radiation enteritis is small intestine inflammation that from radiation therapy to the rectum, abdomen, or pelvis.

Radiation Burn

A radiation "burn" or rash is a common side effect of radiation therapy for cancer. It’s also called radiation dermatitis.

Radiation Doses from CT Scans

A CT scan exposes your body to some radiation. That involves a small amount of risk, and it’s important to understand the issues.

Cancer Caused by Radiation Therapy

It’s rare, but these high doses of radiation could trigger another cancer called second primary cancer.

ImmunotherapyTypes of Immunotherapy

Some types of immunotherapy boost your disease-fighting powers. Others teach it to attack specific cells found in tumors.

Cutting-Edge TreatmentsTraditional vs. Precision Medicine

Western or conventional medicine and precision medicine are two approaches doctors use to treat disease.

Epigenetics and Cancer Treatment

Cancer can develop when epigenetic changes go wrong. They can affect the two main groups of genes with cancer connections.

Is GcMAF a Potential Cancer Treatment?

GcMAF isn't approved for cancer, and researchers aren’t investigating it as a possible treatment.

Complementary & Alternative MedicineKnow the Limits of Holistic Care

Holistic care has its limits. And it can harm you if you give up mainstream medicine for alternative treatments.

Is Amygdalin a Safe Cancer Treatment?

Amygdalin is a compound found in the pits or seeds of apricots, apples, peaches, plums, red cherries, and other fruits.

Graviola for Cancer Treatment

Graviola contains chemicals called acetogenins (ACGs). ACGs seem to work to kill, block, or fight different types of cancers.

Apricot Seeds for Cancer Treatment

Some people believe that the cyanide from apricot seeds can kill cancer cells. But there is no evidence that this works.

Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) for Cancer

Rick Simpson Oil, an oil made from the flowers of the cannabis plant, gets attention from people who claim it treats cancer.

Cancer and Vitamin D

There are still no definite answers about whether vitamin D can prevent cancer or play a role in its treatment.

Can Turmeric Fight Cancer?

Some studies suggest the curcumin in turmeric has a variety of health benefits, including fighting cancer cells.

Artemisinin for Cancer Treatment

Some people believe that artemisinin may be an alternative to more aggressive cancer treatments.

Rife Machines and Cancer

You may be willing to try anything that you think could cure your cancer. One therapy you may have heard of is a Rife machine.

The Budwig Diet

No research has shown that the Budwig can prevent or treat cancer, however. It is also risky as it is restrictive.

Top doctors in ,

Find more top doctors on

Health Solutions from Our Sponsors

More from WebMD

Related Links