Understanding Your Options for Cancer Treatment

After you find out you have cancer, or that cancer has come back, you may feel overwhelmed. The news might come as you recover from getting surgery to remove or diagnose a tumor. No matter when you get a diagnosis, you’ll have to decide what treatment to get.

When you start to consider cancer treatments, be sure to:

• Find out about all your treatment options.
• Talk about the details of each treatment option with your cancer care team.
• Learn as much as you can to understand the information being given to you.
• Team up with your doctor to make treatment decisions and plan your care.

How your cancer care team determines your treatment options

Your cancer care team uses information about the type of cancer and your health to guide their treatment recommendations. Depending on the type of cancer you have, there might be a limited number of treatment options or many.

Established treatment guidelines are used to figure out which options should be offered to you. These guidelines are based on research and are used all over the country. If you want to find out more about these treatment guidelines, talk to your cancer care team.

The treatment options you’re offered might be different from those presented to a person with the same or similar type of cancer as you. Some cancers have subtypes and features that might results in different treatment recommendations.

Some cancers have special features that affect their treatment and outlook. Patient factors, such as other health problems (like kidney or liver problems), can impact which options may work best.

In general, the treatment options you’re given will depend on:

• The type and subtype of cancer
• The stage of the cancer (where it is, how big it is, and whether it’s spread to other parts of the body)
• Other tests that might be done on the tumor to give more information about it, such as biomarkers
• Tests such as blood tests, x-rays or other imaging tests, or genetic testing
• Your overall health
• Other medical problems you might have
• Goal of treatment
• Types of cancer treatments you’ve had in the past
• Your personal preferences

You can learn more about treatment options for specific types of cancer in Cancer A to Z.

Some common ways to treat cancer are:

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Hormone therapy
• Targeted therapy
• Immunotherapy
• Stem cell or bone marrow transplant

Sometimes treatment options include a clinical trial. A clinical trial  is a study of new drugs (medicines), procedures, and other treatments in people.

Talk to your cancer care team to find out if a clinical trial is available for your type and stage of cancer. Ask how a clinical trial might affect your health outcome.  

A clinical trial may be a new treatment being studied for the first time. Sometimes, a clinical trial is a treatment being tested on different types of cancer  after it’s already been approved for another type of cancer. Some clinical trials might test a new combination of treatments.

There are other options to help people with cancer, too. These include:

• Palliative care: Palliative care can help any person with a serious illness, such as cancer. Its goal is to improve the quality of life by managing symptoms, side effects, and other problems. It can be offered at any time, from the point of diagnosis, during treatment, and until the end of life.
• Hospice care: Hospice care provides compassionate care for people in the last phases of incurable disease, such as advanced cancer, so that they may live as fully and comfortably as possible.

It’s important to remember that advances in the ways to treat cancer are being made every day. New drugs and other ways to treat cancer are constantly being studied, and many are approved for use each year.

Talking about your options

 Your cancer care team will talk to you about treatments options and when treatment should start. The start of treatment might depend on how long test results take to come back. Learn more about When Treatment Should Start and Biopsy and Cytology Tests.

While you wait for more details

Often, test results can take several days to come back. During that time, your cancer care team may not have enough information to give you treatment options.

If you’re waiting for test results that might affect your treatment options, you can still ask your cancer care team questions such as:

• What type of cancer do I have?
• What stage is it? If you don’t know yet, when will you know?
• Do I have a certain subtype of a cancer? Will the test being done show this?
• What tests can help find out more about the tumor I have?
• Are there any other tests that should be done?
• When will information be available about treatment options for me?

Learning about your options

When your cancer care team has the details about your cancer, they will talk with you about different treatment options. Members of your cancer care team, including  nurses, pharmacists, and others, are involved in talking with you and teaching you about treatment. 

Questions you might want to ask about these treatment options include:

• Did you use guidelines to help figure out what treatments are best for me? Is there a website or place where I can find more information about these guidelines?
• If I have other health problems, should I be concerned about any of these treatments?
• What are the benefits and risks of each treatment offered?
• Would you recommend one or more of these treatments over the others? Why or why not?
• Is there a clinical trial available? If so, is it right for me? Where can I find more information?
• Should I get a second opinion?
• When does treatment need to start?

Also, ask questions that address your personal concerns and situation. For example, you may want to address your religious or spiritual beliefs. Or you may need to talk to your cancer care team about your dietary restrictions. Check to see if any of these will affect your cancer treatment options.

If you’re worried about being able to get transportation to treatment, ask about where to get help. If you have trouble taking care of yourself at home, bring up these concerns with your cancer care team.

Getting answers to these kinds of questions can give you a better understanding of what to expect during treatment.

Doing your own research

Your cancer care team will explain your treatment options. They can guide you to other trusted sources where you may be able to find additional information. However, use caution when researching cancer treatment online. Also, be wary of advice that other people may offer. Misinformation and even outright scams could be harmful.

When doing your own research, think about these important points:

• Your cancer care team knows your situation best. Write down your questions as you think of them. Bring all your questions to your cancer care team. Write down the answers you’re given.
• Ask your cancer care team where you can find credible, honest, and factual information about the treatment options you’re offered. If you’ve already started researching on your own, bring information you’ve found and ask if it’s correct and trustworthy.
• Consider asking a family member or friend to be with you when you talk to your cancer care team. In addition to offering support, they can also help you remember what questions to ask and the answers given.

Learning all you can about your cancer and your treatment options can help you make a decision that’s best for you and that you can feel good about. Learn more in Finding Cancer Information on the Internet.

Making a treatment decision

You should make your treatment decision after getting all the information you need and once you’ve had time to ask questions and have them answered. This process is called informed consent  and allows people to play an active role in making decisions that affect their health.

Treatment decisions may be impacted by:

• The type of cancer. Some types only have a limited number of treatment options.
• The timeframe to start treatment. It might need to be started quickly.
• Whether you want to get a second opinion and if time allows for it

Remember that you have the right to a second opinion. You can learn more in Seeking a Second Opinion.

Shared decision-making

Shared decision-making is a process where decisions about your care are made with you, rather than for you. Shared decision-making involves doctors and other members of your cancer  care team working with you and your family or caregivers to make decisions together.

It's not always easy to get everyone's input, but shared decision-making can help make sure you get the right tests and treatment. It considers risks, benefits, and costs of treatment, along with any other concerns you might have. Also, it helps to make sure you get the best care.

If you're not sure you want to get treatment

Not everyone diagnosed with cancer will decide to get treatment right away or at all. You can choose to decline or delay treatment. But if you do, make sure you understand why. It’s normal to feel anxious and overwhelmed by the amount of information you’ve been given. Get answers to all your questions so you can clearly understand what will be most likely to happen if you get treatment or if you don’t.

You might hear things like, “Cancer treatment is worse than the cancer itself.” Getting through cancer treatment can be tough. However, not getting treatment allows some types of cancer grow unchecked. Depending on the type, untreated cancer can lead to new and worse symptoms. It can spread to other areas of the body and stop them from working properly, which can lead to serious problems like organ failure and even death.

For most types of cancer, treatment is more likely to be successful if it starts soon after diagnosis. Waiting to start until the cancer is worse can mean the treatment might not work as well.

If you or a loved one are thinking of not getting or delaying cancer treatment, talk with your cancer care team. It might also help to talk to someone who has been treated for the same type of cancer you have. Look for local or online support groups or join a cancer survivor community to connect with others.

When the decision has been made

After learning about treatment options and making a decision, keep communicating with your cancer care team. Ask questions as they come up.

Here are some things to think about:

• Ask any specific questions about the treatment you’ll be getting before it starts. Even if you’ve asked the same questions before, you might feel better getting the answers again.  
• If you don’t understand something, speak up. Ask your cancer care team to explain it better.
• If you forget something, ask about it again.
• Bring up questions as you think of them at every treatment visit.
• Plan for side effects. Each type of treatment has its own set of expected side effects. It’s important to know about them, how to manage them, when to tell someone about them, and when to get help for them.
• Ask your cancer care team to share information about your care with other members of your health care team. These might include your primary care team, any specialists you might see, and anyone else involved in your care.
• Find out the best way to get in touch with your cancer care team. Get the phone numbers to call during weekdays, at night, and on weekends. Ask about who to call for any emergency situations, too.
• Ask if your health records will be available via an online patient portal. You may also be able to use this tool to send messages to your cancer care team. Check to see when you should send a message online and when you should call.