Cancer can be treated by any or all the following methods depending upon the site and the stage of the disease.
1. Surgical removal
2. Radiation therapy
3. Chemotherapy
4. Hormonal therapy
Which method should be used in a particular case, depends essentially on:
1. The type of cancer, and
2. The stage of the disease when diagnosed
It is necessary to see and recognise the cancer cell before a decision can be taken about the method of treatment. Some cancer cells respond to radiation, others don’t; some cancer cells respond to one drug, others to another; many cancer cells respond better to a combination of drugs.
The stage of the disease at which a patient presents himself to the doctor, is very important in deciding the line of treatment. This is because survival rates are better for cancers that are localised or at primary stage than for those which have spread or at secondary stage.
The internationally recognised staging system is known as the TNM classification in which T defines the extent of the primary tumour, N defines the extent of the regional lymph node involvement, and M defines the presence or absence of metastases.
The patient’s history and physical examination provide a starting-point for planning treatment It is usually necessary to perform specialized investigations to determine the type of cancer and extent of its dissemination or spread prior to selecting the treatment process.