The short answer
There are many types of cancer treatment, and most people have a combination rather than just one. The treatments you receive depend on your type of cancer and how advanced it is. Testing the tumor and asking questions help you and your team build the right plan.
There are many types of cancer treatment, and most people have a combination of them.
The treatments you receive depend on the type of cancer you have and how advanced it is.
Treatments can be combined, such as surgery with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Some treatments are given before surgery (neoadjuvant) or after surgery (adjuvant).
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The simple version
There are many types of cancer treatment. Some people with cancer have only one treatment. But most people have a combination of treatments, such as surgery with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
The types of treatment that you receive depend on the type of cancer you have and how advanced it is.
Most cancer treatment plans use a combination of treatments chosen for your specific cancer.
The factors that shape your plan
NCI says the main factors are the type of cancer you have and how advanced it is. Other things matter too. For chemotherapy, for example, the treatment you need depends on the type of cancer, whether it has spread and where, and whether you have other health problems.
Ask your care team how these factors apply to you.
Why treatments are combined
For some people, one treatment is enough. But NCI says most people have a combination of treatments.
NCI describes chemotherapy as one example. When used with other treatments, chemotherapy can:
- make a tumor smaller before surgery or radiation therapy
- destroy cancer cells that may remain after surgery or radiation therapy
- help other treatments work better
- kill cancer cells that have returned or spread
The same idea applies to surgery, which is often paired with other treatments, and to radiation therapy.
Before or after: neoadjuvant and adjuvant
Timing is part of the plan. Some treatments are given before the main treatment, and some after.
- Neoadjuvant treatment is given first — for example, chemotherapy to shrink a tumor before surgery or radiation.
- Adjuvant treatment is given afterward — for example, chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells that may remain after surgery or radiation.
During surgery, the surgeon may also remove nearby lymph nodes or tissues to check under a microscope whether the cancer has spread. Ask your care team what the results mean for your plan.
How testing helps choose treatment
Sometimes the choice of treatment depends on what is inside the tumor. Biomarker testing checks your cancer for specific targets, which may help you and your doctor choose a treatment.
NCI says biomarker testing is central to precision medicine. It may not help everyone, because sometimes no matching treatment exists. Ask your care team whether it applies to you.
Taking part in the plan
You do not have to be a passive part of this process. Learning about your options helps you talk with your team and make decisions together.
A helpful step is to bring questions to your appointments. You might ask about the goal of each treatment. Is it meant to cure the cancer, control its growth, or ease symptoms? You might also ask about the benefits, the possible side effects, and what to expect day to day. Your care team is there to walk you through the plan and answer your questions.
Ask your care team about the goal and steps of each treatment.
Common questions
Will I have just one treatment?
Maybe, but most people have a combination of treatments. Some people with cancer have only one treatment, but most have a combination, such as surgery with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The types you receive depend on your type of cancer and how advanced it is.
What decides which treatments I get?
The types of treatment you receive depend on the type of cancer you have and how advanced it is. For chemotherapy, NCI also lists whether the cancer has spread and where, and whether you have other health problems.
Why are treatments combined?
NCI says most people have a combination of treatments. For example, chemotherapy can make a tumor smaller before surgery or radiation, destroy cancer cells that may remain afterward, or help other treatments work better.
What is neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment?
Neoadjuvant treatment is given before the main treatment, such as chemotherapy to shrink a tumor before surgery or radiation. Adjuvant treatment is given after, such as chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells that may remain after surgery or radiation.
How does testing help plan treatment?
Biomarker testing checks your cancer for specific targets, which may help you and your doctor choose a treatment. Ask your care team whether biomarker testing is right for you.
How can I take part in planning my treatment?
You can ask your care team questions about your options. A list of questions to ask your doctor about treatment can help you talk with your team and learn more about your choices, including the goal of each treatment and what to expect.
Questions to ask your doctor
Being prepared helps you get the most out of your appointments. Save or print these questions.
Tap a question to save it to your list (kept on this device).
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Get urgent help
Fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher during chemo, severe pain, or trouble breathing: call your cancer care team right away, day or night. Call 911 for an emergency.
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Sources last checked: 2026-07-14 what this meansLast updated: 2026-10-16Next planned review: 2027-01-14
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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