Cancer treatment

The main forms of cancer treatment forms are surgery, radiation treatment and cancer drugs. Less common treatment modalities are laser, cryo and radioisotope therapy. These treatment modalities may be combined.

An important part of cancer treatment is adequate pain management. If you have pain, please come forward and tell your doctor. It is better to start treating pain when it is mild than to wait for it to become severe. Drugs for treating pain should be taken as prescribed and preferably regularly.

Cancer is not always curable. Various forms of treatment may be used to retard the spread of advanced cancer. As the disease progresses, the effect of these therapies will inevitably decline and the need for palliative care will increase.

Palliative care means providing treatment that reduces symptoms. The aim of palliative care is to alleviate the physical, psychological and social sufferings to the patient caused by the disease and to maintain the quality of life of the patient and the patient's family. During the final weeks of life, the patient is in palliative terminal care.