There are a number of cancer treatments. Doctors often use several type of treatment in conjunction. Some of the most common treatments include:
Surgery
Surgery removes the malignant tumor, as well as the surrounding cells, to prevent the cancer from spreading. The surgeon may also remove some nearby lymph nodes. Learn more about cancer surgery.
Radiation
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Learn more about radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs that kill cancer cells. Most patients receive chemotherapy by mouth or through a vein. Learn more about chemotherapy.
Recently, doctors have also been using biological therapy for some cancers. Some biological therapies help the body's own defenses kill cancer cells. Other biological therapies block the chain of events in and around cancer cells so that they die or stop growing.
Questions to Ask About Cancer Treatment
You may want to ask the doctor these questions before treatment begins:
- What is my elderly parent's diagnosis?
- Has the cancer spread? If so, where? What is the stage of the disease?
- What is the goal of treatment? What are the treatment choices? Which do you recommend for my elderly mom or dad? Why?
- What are the expected benefits of each kind of treatment?
- What are the risks and possible side effects of each treatment? How can side effects be managed?
- What can I, as a caregiver, do to prepare my aging parent for treatment?
- How often will my mom or dad have treatments? How long will treatment last?
- What is the treatment likely to cost? Will my parent's insurance cover the costs?
- What new treatments are under study? Would a clinical trial be appropriate for my elderly parent?
Cancer Specialists
People with cancer often see different specialists. These may include a medical oncologist (specialist in cancer treatment), a surgeon, a radiation oncologist (specialist in radiation therapy), and others. The doctor may talk with you about using one type of treatment alone or two or more treatments together. The choice of treatment depends on the type of cancer your parent has, where it is in the body, and the stage it is at. You and your doctor will also take into account your parent's overall health and any specific health problems they may have.
You may have heard that older people cannot have the same treatments as younger people with cancer. But studies show that treatments used in younger adults are often safe and work just as well in older adults.
Before starting treatment, you may want another doctor to go over the diagnosis and treatment plan. This is called getting a second opinion. Some insurance companies require a second opinion; others may pay for a second opinion if you ask for one.
Some cancer patients take part in studies of new treatments. These studies -- called clinical trials -- are meant to find out whether new treatments are safe and whether they work or work better than other treatments. If your parent is a cancer patient and is interested in taking part in a clinical trial, talk with your doctor.