There are a number of non-surgical methods used to treat cancer. The treatment method chosen depends on the type and stage of cancer, as well as certain additional factors including the patient’s age and general health. Some patients may receive a combination of therapies, while others may only receive one. The main types of non-surgical cancer treatment options include:

• Chemotherapy. Powerful drug therapy used to destroy cancer cells. The drugs are typically taken orally or by injection, but may be provided in other methods, such as a patch. The drugs are used to treat cancers that have metastasized (spread) because they are able to travel throughout the body in the bloodstream. Chemotherapy may be used to cure cancer, prevent cancer from spreading, slow the growth of cancer, destroy cancer cells that may have spread to other areas of the body, or relieve symptoms caused by cancer. A combination of chemotherapy drugs is commonly used.
  
  
• Radiation therapy. High-energy specialized x-rays that destroy or shrink cancer cells. This treatment targets dividing cancer cells and disrupts or destroys their genetic material, preventing the cells from continuing to grow and spread throughout the body. Radiation may be delivered from a machine outside the body (external radiation therapy) or a source of radiation may be inserted directly into the body (brachytherapy). In some cases, radiation may be delivered during surgery to remove a tumor. Some types of radiation are so precise that they may be referred to as radiosurgery.
  
  
• Biological therapy (or immunotherapy). Uses substances naturally produced by the immune system to kill cancer cells, slow the growth of the cancer cells or activate the patient’s immune system to more successfully fight the disease. It may also be used to lessen the side of effects of other cancer treatments. There are several different types of biological therapy. More than one type may be used in treatment, or it may be used in combination with chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Other, less common, treatment options include:

• Bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Stem cells are cells that can re-populate the bone marrow (which makes all blood cells) after the marrow has been destroyed by treatments with high dose x-ray or chemotherapy. Transplantation of bone marrow stem cells or peripheral blood stem cells may come from a matched donor or from the patients themselves. This is not a direct treatment for cancer, but helps the body to tolerate higher levels of chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of both. In addition to destroying cancer cells, high-dose therapies also destroy normal blood cells in the bone marrow. Patients who undergo transplantation receive an infusion of healthy stem cells through a vein after high-dose therapies. As a result of the infusion, new blood cells begin to develop from the transplanted cells.
  
  
• Anti-angiogenesis therapy. Uses drugs or other substances to block angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels. By blocking this process, the treatment prevents blood from reaching the tumor. Without blood, a tumor cannot grow. One anti-angiogenesis drug has been approved for use with chemotherapy to treat colorectal cancer and another is used to treat multiple myeloma (a type of bone marrow cancer). In addition, many other drugs are being studied and some are used in clinical trials for cancer treatment.
  
  

  

• Blood product donation and transfusion. Temporarily replaces components of the blood (red blood cells and platelets) in people who are unable to produce them on their own, or have lost them from bleeding. People with cancer may need this procedure to replace blood loss due to complications of cancer or to other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery or radiation therapy.
  
  
• Photodynamic therapy (PDT). Uses a drug known as a photosensitizing agent to destroy cancer cells. The drug is either injected into the bloodstream or applied to the skin. A special light source is then applied to the area being treated. The light causes the drug to react with oxygen, forming a chemical that destroys cancer cells.
  
  
• Hormone therapy. Therapy to either reduce the levels of certain hormones in the body or prevent cancer cells from receiving hormones. Drugs may be used to interfere with the production of hormones or the action of the hormones. In other cases, glands that produce hormones may be surgically removed. This method may be used to destroy cancer cells or slow their growth.

Other therapies are being studied in clinical trials. Gene therapy seeks to treat cancer by transporting healthy genes that contain DNA that is missing or defective in the patient.

In addition to these treatment methods, a variety of complementary and alternative therapies are also available. The American Cancer Society (ACS) defines complementary medicine or methods as treatments that are used along with a patient’s regular medical care. Alternative medicines are defined as treatments that replace a patient’s regular medical care. Complementary and alternative therapies include numerous healthcare practices, systems and products that are not usually part of standard medical treatment. Examples include acupuncture, massage, vitamins, herbs and dietary supplements.

Cancer patients considering the use of complementary and/or alternative therapies are encouraged to first talk to their physician. Using such therapies may cause serious side effects, or worsen the patient’s prognosis (predicted outcome for survival) by replacing, delaying or interfering with regular cancer treatment.