Cancer treatment

Cancer treatment
A patient prepared for radiation therapy
Specialty	Oncology
ICD-10-PCS	110000053
[edit on Wikidata]

Cancer treatments are a wide range of treatments available for the many different types of cancer, with each cancer type needing its own specific treatment.^[1] Treatments can include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy including small-molecule drugs or monoclonal antibodies,^[2] and PARP inhibitors such as olaparib.^[3] Other therapies include hyperthermia, immunotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and stem-cell therapy.^[4] Most commonly cancer treatment involves a series of separate therapies such as chemotherapy before surgery.^[4] Angiogenesis inhibitors are sometimes used to enhance the effects of immunotherapies.^[5]

The choice of therapy depends upon the location and grade of the tumor and the stage of the disease, as well as the general state of the patient. Biomarker testing can help to determine the type of cancer, and indicate the best therapy.^[6] A number of experimental cancer treatments are continuously under development. In 2023 it was estimated that one in five people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime.^[1]

The primary goal of cancer treatment is to either cure the cancer by its complete removal, or to considerably prolong the life of the individual. Palliative care is involved when the prognosis is poor and the cancer termed as terminal. There are many types of cancer, and many of these can be successfully treated if detected early enough.^[1]