Cancer affects millions of people all over the world, young and old. Today's modern science has developed new methods of treatment for cancer, but there are still great strides that need to be made to improve recovery, healing, and overall quality of life. Since there are so many treatments available, it really depends on several things as to which treatment the patient will receive. The first factor is the severity of the cancer.

The oncologist will need to determine how bad the cancer is, and how large the tumor has become. In addition, they will also look to see if it has spread to other areas of the body or if it is just confined to one place. The types of cancer as well as what stage it is in are also factors, as well as the patient's overall health. Older patients may require a different form of treatment than younger ones simply because elderly people handle things differently and are usually more sensitive.

The basic types of treatment for cancer are: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, and targeted therapy. Obviously, many of these treatment types also depend on the type of cancer, such as hormonal therapy. Surgery is not only used to help treat cancer, it is often used to diagnose it. Doctors often perform surgery on patients to get a “sample” of the possible cancerous tissue. Once discovered, particularly in the case of a tumor, surgery is performed to try and remove as much cancer as possible from the body.more...

Article From : http://www.medicalonline.com.au