Principles of Cancer Treatment

This video outlines the basic principles of cancer treatment - what the main treatment types are, who is involved in deciding and providing the treatments, how those treatments are used in combination and other factors in choosing cancer treatments.

The main three types of treatment described are surgery, radiotherapy, and medical therapies.

Decisions are made by a multi-disciplinary team, made up of oncologists, surgeons, physicians, radiologists, histopathologists and specialist nurses.

Broadly speaking, the aims of treatment are either to cure (curative, or radical treatment) or palliative - aimed at controlling symptoms and extending life.

There are also a number of terms that refer to how that treatment is given, particularly in reference to the main, or primary, treatment. Neo-adjuvant treatments are given before the primary treatment to maximise the benefits of the main intervention, whereas adjuvant treatments are given afterward to reduce the risk of the cancer recurring.

A number of different factors come in to play when deciding which treatments to use and in which order. These are tumour factors: i.e. what kind of cancer is it and what stage is it? Treatment factors refer to whether a treatment is actually available, how likely it is to work and whether it is likely to produce significant side effects. Patient factors concern whether the patient is fit enough to have a treatment, and their personal preferences as to whether they want a treatment or not.