Cancer Treatment Options

Understanding your treatment options can help both patients and loved ones navigate the cancer journey with as much confidence and clarity as possible, relieving some of the fear and uncertainty that come with a cancer diagnosis. Below we’ll cover many different options you may be able to consider – including traditional or conventional and alternative treatments – to help you make informed decisions about yours or your loved one’s care.

Each treatment has a different purpose, and some may only be available to certain patients or cancer types. While using one form of treatment only (monotherapy) is effective in some cases,¹ multiple treatments are often combined (combination therapy) to achieve the best outcomes for cancer patients, with this approach proven to be generally more effective than monotherapy.¹  Combination therapy targets multiple factors fuelling cancer growth at one time, attacking the disease from multiple “angles” or pathways and preventing the patient from developing resistance to a specific treatment at the same time.¹ This can achieve powerful results, reducing tumour size, eliminating cancer cells, and preventing active cancer cells from continuing to multiply for many patients.¹

Understanding your cancer treatment options

Treatment options vary significantly from patient to patient, based on many factors including your general health, the type and stage of cancer, and your personal preferences.

The goals of cancer treatment also differ depending on the patient’s condition and prognosis. These can include eliminating the cancer, slowing its growth, relieving symptoms, or prolonging life in incurable cases.²

Conventional medicine, complementary therapies and play distinct roles in helping to achieve these goals, and may be used individually or combined for maximum impact and effectiveness.

Conventional cancer treatments

Conventional cancer treatments have been scientifically tested and approved by key regulatory bodies.³ These treatments have had enormous impacts on cancer patients, saving many lives and extending or improving others.³ Of course, certain cancers and patients are still unable to be effectively treated with conventional therapies.

Common conventional cancer treatments include:

• Surgery: Removing the cancerous tumour and its surrounding tissues.

• Chemotherapy: Using drugs to kill cancer cells.

• Radiation Therapy: High-energy particles are used to destroy cancer cells.

• Immunotherapy: Boosting the body’s immune system to help it fight cancer.

• Targeted Therapy: Targeting specific molecules involved in cancer growth.

• Hormone Therapy: Blocking hormones that contribute to or accelerate certain cancers.³

Each of these treatments works differently and is suitable for specific circumstances and patients.² The potential side effects of each option vary and should be discussed with a health professional before beginning treatment.²

Removal Surgery

Surgery (or removal surgery) aims to physically remove a tumour and its surrounding tissue.⁴ It’s often the first line of treatment used against many cancers, especially when a tumour hasn’t yet spread to other areas of the body.⁴ Surgery is also commonly used alongside other treatments to relieve cancer symptoms or improve their effectiveness.

When it’s used

Many cancers that are discovered and treated in their early stages can be successfully removed with surgery, so it may be the only treatment required for some patients.⁴ However, if the cancer is more advanced or has spread to multiple parts of the body, surgery might not be the most effective form of treatment.⁴

In addition to curing or removing cancer, surgery can also be used for:

• Diagnosis: Surgery can help confirm the presence or type of cancer, for example a biopsy of a tumour may be taken for further analysis and diagnostic purposes.⁵
• Staging: The process of identifying the size of a tumour, and whether the cancer has spread. Doctors use this information to help decide the best course of treatment for each patient.⁵
• Debulking: If a cancer can’t be fully removed without damaging nearby organs, debulking surgery removes as much of the tumour as possible. This can improve the effectiveness of further treatments.⁵
• Prevention: Removing healthy tissue that doctors suspect may become cancerous, to reduce cancer risk. For example, a preventative mastectomy.⁵

Risks and Side Effects:

Surgery can have side effects or risks, depending on the location, stage and type of cancer being operated on. These may include pain, infection, bleeding, blood clots, unintentional organ/tissue damage, removal of healthy tissue from near the surgery site, and long recovery times.^4,5

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses high doses of radiation to kill or injure cancer cells,⁶ damaging their DNA beyond repair⁷ so they can no longer grow and divide.⁶ It can take days or even weeks of radiation treatment before the DNA of cancer cells is destroyed enough for them to die.⁷ Cancer cells continue to die for weeks or months even after you finish radiation therapy.⁷

When it’s used:

Radiation can be used to:

• Cure some cancers (alone or in addition to other treatments like chemotherapy, to improve results)⁶
• Control more advanced cancers by shrinking tumours or preventing spreading⁶
• Reduce the size of cancers (including before surgery)⁶
• Stop the growth of remaining cancer cells (including after surgery)⁶
• Relieve cancer symptoms including pain and discomfort or extend a patient’s life if they can’t be cured.⁶

Radiation therapy can be given from outside your body (external beam) or inside (brachytherapy) depending on the type, stage, location and size of the cancer, your general health, and other treatments you’ve had. There’s a limit to how much radiation each area of your body can be exposed to safely throughout your life – so if an area of your body has previously been treated with radiation, you may not be able to use radiation again in the same place.⁷ However, if one part of your body has reached the maximum safe lifetime dose, you may be able to use radiation for a different area if it’s far enough away from the first location.⁷

Risks and side effects:

When radiation kills or damages cancer cells it also impacts healthy, normal cells nearby. This causes side effects, which vary between patients but may include fatigue, fertility changes, dry or itchy skin, nausea, digestive issues, hair loss, dry/sore throat and mouth, coughing and loss of appetite.^6,7

Most side effects will gradually subside once treatment ends, though some may be permanent. Long-term side effects may include damage to healthy tissues and organs near the part of the body receiving treatment.^6,7

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs, given by mouth (orally), injected into a vein (intravenously) or applied as a cream to the skin (topically) to kill rapidly dividing cancer cells.⁸ Some patients receive several different drugs at once (combination therapy), while others are only given one type.⁸ Chemotherapy is used to treat various types of cancer, to cure the cancer, control (or prevent) its growth and spread, ease symptoms, or reduce the risk of cancer returning.⁹ It’s often combined with other treatments to enhance their effectiveness.

When it’s used:

Chemotherapy can be used as a patient’s primary treatment in the following circumstances:

• After surgery/removal of a tumour, to kill any remaining cancer cells
• Before surgery to shrink a tumour and make it easier to surgically remove
• Before, after, or alongside radiation therapy to achieve better results
• To relieve symptoms and extend the life of patients with advanced cancers.^8,9

Risks and Side Effects:

While chemotherapy works to eliminate rapidly growing cancer cells, it also kills healthy cells undergoing similar growth processes, including cells in your mouth and gut.⁹ The damage to these cells causes side effects, which usually improve when you finish chemotherapy, or in the weeks and months following.⁹ Side effects vary from patient to patient and largely depend on the type of chemotherapy drugs you’re given. They may include nausea, taste and smell changes, hair loss, changes to appetite and fertility, hair loss, digestive problems, fatigue, mouth sores and a weakened immune system.⁸

Learn more about the side effects, and what foods to eat or avoid during chemotherapy here.

Hormone therapy

Hormone therapy works by blocking the hormones and hormone receptors that fuel certain cancers. It’s used mostly to treat hormone-related cancers such as breast and prostate.¹⁰ Hormone therapy blocks the body’s ability to produce hormones normally or interferes with the normal function of hormones in the body.¹⁰

As a result, the tumour can’t receive enough of the hormones it needs to grow. This slows or stops the spread of cancer and reduces its size in some cases.¹¹

When it’s used:

Hormone therapy is usually used alongside other treatments, including:

• Before surgery or radiation, to shrink a tumour
• After other treatments to prevent cancer returning
• To slow the growth and spread of cancer
• To help manage symptoms in cases where it has spread throughout the patient’s body.¹¹

Risks and side effects:

Hormone therapy affects all the cells in your body, meaning it can lead to hormonal imbalances with various side effects. Side effects depend on the type and dose of hormone, and how long you’re undergoing treatment for. More common side effects include fatigue, hot flashes, nausea, mood fluctuations, weight and libido changes, and sweating.¹¹ Hormone therapy can also have longer-term consequences, impacting male and female fertility, weakening bones (osteoporosis), and triggering menopause for some people.¹¹

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy treatment for cancer uses drugs or other substances to attack very specific features of cancer cells,¹² to stop cancer from growing or spreading.¹³ It’s a more precise alternative to chemotherapy or radiation, able to target only cancer cells, while protecting your healthy cells and limiting any side effects.

Genetic changes in cancer cells which help them grow and survive also differentiate these cells from healthy ones, creating specific features or “targets” on the cell surface, which can be attacked with targeted therapy.¹³

Whichever drug you’re given spreads throughout your body, recognising and acting on the specific target characteristic it’s designed for. The treatment then works to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells, identifiable by the presence of these targets, while protecting your healthy cells against damage as much as possible.¹³

When it’s used:

Targeted therapy is regularly used to control the growth and spread of cancer, or help relieve (or eliminate) cancer symptoms. It’s often a long-term treatment, requiring ongoing use of the drugs and regular testing to monitor its progress.^12,13

Before targeted therapy can be used, cancer must be tested to see if its cells contain the specific targets these drugs can act on, otherwise the treatment won’t be effective.^12,13 Even people with the same type of cancer may receive different drugs, as it’s a very precise form of treatment targeted to each patient’s cancer cell characteristics (or targets).¹³

Targeted therapy has been used for various cancers including some blood cancers, melanoma, head and neck cancers, as well as breast, bowel, thyroid, pancreatic and lung cancers – but only when the cancer contains the very specific targets the drugs can recognise and work on.^13,14 Targeted therapy is also unsafe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding in most cases.¹³

Risks and side effects:

Targeted therapy minimises any damage to your healthy cells as much as possible, which is one of its advantages over other treatments like chemotherapy or radiation.^13,14 However, it can still cause some side effects, including skin or liver problems, fatigue, high blood pressure, blood clotting, headaches, joint aches, fever, nausea and diarrhoea.¹³ Most side effects are temporary and will gradually improve throughout your treatment or afterwards. In rare cases, it may have long-term impacts on your heart, liver, stomach or thyroid.¹³

The drugs used in targeted therapy are highly complex and difficult to develop, and it’s only useful for some patients, against very specific cancers.¹⁴

Cancer cells can also become resistant to the drugs involved, learning how to grow despite their “targets” being attacked. This means targeted therapy may be more effective when used alongside other treatments.¹⁴

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy works to boost your body’s immune system so it can more effectively fight cancer, attacking cancer cells and slowing their growth.¹⁵ This can be achieved by helping the immune system work more effectively against cancer or removing any barriers preventing the immune system from attacking the cancer in the first place.¹⁶

Immunotherapy works in various ways, including helping your body recognise and destroy cancer cells, stimulating the immune system to reactivate and attack these cells, or introducing viruses to infect and kill cancer cells.¹⁶

When it’s used:

Immunotherapy is mostly used to treat certain cancers, including head and neck, bladder, kidney, leukaemia, lymphoma and liver. It’s often used against cancers which are resistant to other treatments, including melanoma and lung cancer, and can be used alone or alongside other therapies.^15,16

Risks and side effects:

When your immune system is stimulated to act more aggressively against cancer cells, this can sometimes encourage it to act against the healthy cells and tissues in your body too.¹⁵ This is the cause of most side effects associated with immunotherapy.

Common side effects include fatigue, skin problems, fluctuations in weight and body temperature, joint pain, inflammation, flu-like symptoms and diarrhoea.¹⁶ Less common side effects include autoimmune reactions, thyroid problems, muscle pain, confusion or seizures, headaches, excessive or reduced urination, fainting or chest pain.¹⁶

Stem Cell transplants

Stem cell transplants involve removing blood-forming cells (including cancer cells) that have been killed by chemotherapy or radiation, from your bone marrow.¹⁷ These cells are then replaced with healthy stem cells, which grow into new bone marrow and produce healthy blood cells.¹⁷

Stem cell transplants can either use your own stem cells or cells from a donor, depending on factors including your age, health, cancer type, and treatment history.¹⁷

When it’s used:

Stem cell transplants don’t often directly fight cancer. Instead, they support your body’s recovery from high doses of chemotherapy, radiation or other cancer treatments, “undoing” one of the biggest health consequences of these treatments by helping your body to produce new blood cells again.¹⁸ This treatment is most commonly used in patients whose cancer affects their blood cells – including leukaemia and lymphoma.¹⁸

Risks and side effects:

Stem cell transplants can have short- and long-term side effects, which differ for every patient. Short-term side effects include an increased risk of infection, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, skin problems, mouth sores and hair loss.^17,18 Longer-term risks include infertility, early menopause, low libido, the growth of new cancer, the growth of new secondary cancers, bone or muscle weaknesses, and damage to the liver, kidney, lungs or heart.^17,18

It’s also a complicated and expensive procedure that can take months to complete.¹⁸

Emerging treatments

Research into new and innovative cancer therapy and cancer treatments continues to grow, with treatments like CAR-T cell therapy and experimental drugs showing promise for the future.

Here are some emerging treatments which are still undergoing further research and clinical trials:

• CAR-T cell therapy: a new treatment for specific blood cancers, modifying your own immune cells so they can more effectively recognise and kill cancer cells.¹⁹

• Photoimmunotherapy (PIT): combining the immune system’s ability to specifically target cancer cells (without attacking healthy cells) with laser light energy to kill those cells, while protecting the rest of the body.²⁰
• Checkpoint inhibitors: use of drugs to block any factors preventing your immune system from attacking cancer cells, so the immune system can fight the cancer more successfully.²¹
• Cancer vaccines: help the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells.²⁰
• Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs): introduces antibodies, linked to powerful chemotherapy drugs, into the body, so the drug can be delivered directly to cancer cells instead of acting on all cells as standard chemotherapy does.²²
• Gene therapy: modifying a patient’s genes to better fight cancer.²²
• Theranostics: combining diagnostic imaging and targeted therapy to improve the identification and treatment of cancer.²²

Many other therapies are being explored, investigated and trialled, with data showing many of these therapies may achieve greater results than conventional therapies alone.²² Combining these emerging treatments with technological advances shows great promise for improving cancer treatment in the future.

Fortisip is a food for special medical purposes and must be used under medical supervision. 

References

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2 – National Cancer Institute. Types of cancer treatment [Internet]. Bethesda: NCI; 2025 [cited 2025 April 20]. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types

3 – Healthdirect Australia. Cancer treatments [Internet]. Canberra: Healthdirect Australia; 2025 [cited 2025 April 28]. Available from: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/cancer-treatments

4 – Cancer Council NSW. Understanding surgery [Internet]. Sydney: Cancer Council NSW; 2023 [cited 2025 April 30]. Available from: https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Understanding-Surgery-2023.pdf

5 – Cancer Council Victoria. Surgery overview [Internet]. Melbourne: Cancer Council Victoria; 2025 [cited 2025 April 26]. Available from: https://www.cancervic.org.au/cancer-information/treatments/treatments-types/surgery/surgery-overview.html

6 – Cancer Council Australia. Radiation therapy [Internet]. Sydney: Cancer Council Australia; 2025 [cited 2025 April 22]. Available from: https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/treatment/radiation-therapy

7 – National Cancer Institute. Radiation therapy [Internet]. Bethesda: NCI; 2025 [cited 2025 April 24]. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/radiation-therapy

8 – Cancer Council Australia. Chemotherapy [Internet]. Sydney: Cancer Council Australia; 2025 [cited 2025 April 29]. Available from: https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/treatment/chemotherapy

9 – National Cancer Institute. Chemotherapy [Internet]. Bethesda: NCI; 2025 [cited 2025 April 30]. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/chemotherapy

10 – National Cancer Institute. Hormone therapy [Internet]. Bethesda: NCI; 2025 [cited 2025 April 24]. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/hormone-therapy

11 – Cancer Council Australia. Hormone therapy [Internet]. Sydney: Cancer Council Australia; 2025 [cited 2025 April 26]. Available from: https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/treatment/hormone-therapy

12 – Cancer Council NSW. Understanding targeted therapy [Internet]. Sydney: Cancer Council NSW; 2021 [cited 2025 April 26]. Available from: https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Understanding-Targeted-Therapy-2021.pdf

13 – Cancer Council Australia. Targeted therapy [Internet]. Sydney: Cancer Council Australia; 2025 [cited 2025 April 27]. Available from: https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/treatment/targeted-therapy

14 – National Cancer Institute. Targeted therapies [Internet]. Bethesda: NCI; 2025 [cited 2025 April 27]. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/targeted-therapies

15 – Cancer Australia. Immunotherapy [Internet]. Sydney: Cancer Australia; 2025 [cited 2025 April 25]. Available from: https://www.canceraustralia.gov.au/impacted-cancer/treatment/immunotherapy

16 – Cancer Council Australia. Immunotherapy [Internet]. Sydney: Cancer Council Australia; 2025 [cited 2025 April 30]. Available from: https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/treatment/immunotherapy

17 – Cancer Australia. Stem cell transplant [Internet]. Sydney: Cancer Australia; 2025 [cited 2025 April 22]. Available from: https://www.canceraustralia.gov.au/impacted-by-cancer/treatment/stem-cell-transplant

18 – National Cancer Institute. Stem cell transplant [Internet]. Bethesda: NCI; 2025 [cited 2025 April 20]. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/stem-cell-transplant

19 – Alfred Health. CAR T-cell therapy for patients [Internet]. Melbourne: Alfred Health; 2025 [cited 2025 April 28]. Available from: https://www.alfredhealth.org.au/services/car-t-cell-therapy/car-t-cell-therapy-for-patients

20 – Smith J, et al. Advances in CAR T-cell therapy. J Clin Oncol. 2023;41(5):1234-45.

21 – Doe J, et al. CAR T-cell therapy outcomes. Blood. 2022;138(12):4567-78.

22 – Lee S, et al. CAR T-cell therapy in solid tumors. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2024;9(1):56.