A cancer diagnosis can make you feel small—and the world of care feel impossibly large. Understanding your options can bring that world within reach.
From established oncology treatments to integrative therapies, supportive care and emerging approaches used around the world, this library helps you understand the language of your options. Learn what to search, compare what clinics report and bring thoughtful questions to your oncologist. No guide can promise an outcome—but good information can help you feel less lost, more prepared and more hopeful about the next conversation.
Medicines, procedures, and tests described in cancer care.
Every treatment guide is listed here. Select any name to open its guide, or use the filters below to narrow the detailed cards.
Showing: Cancer treatment & testing
Targeted medicines that carry a drug payload to selected cancer cells
An antibody-drug conjugate links a laboratory-made antibody to an anticancer drug. The antibody recognizes a target on cancer cells and helps deliver the drug payload. Treatment choice depends on the cancer, biomarker expression, prior therapy, and the specific ADC; the…
Read the guideEstablished diagnostic tool for selected treatment decisions
Biomarker testing looks for features of a cancer, such as gene changes or proteins, that may help guide treatment. Testing may use tumor tissue, blood or another sample, depending on the question being asked. It can identify an approved treatment…
Read the guideTargeted immune therapy for selected blood cancers and solid tumors
Bispecific antibodies are laboratory-made proteins designed to bind two targets. Some bring an immune cell close to a cancer cell; others block two cancer-related signals. The exact drug, target, cancer type, treatment line, and biomarker determine whether this treatment is…
Read the guideEstablished intensive treatment pathway for selected cancers
A blood stem cell transplant restores the cells that make blood after intensive cancer treatment. An autologous transplant uses the patient’s own collected cells; an allogeneic transplant uses cells from a donor. These procedures are used mainly for selected blood…
Read the guideEstablished localized radiation treatment
Brachytherapy places a radiation source in or close to a tumor using an applicator, catheter or small implant. Depending on the treatment plan, the source may be removed after a short period or remain as a permanent implant whose radiation…
Read the guideEstablished cancer treatment
Cancer surgery removes a tumor or other tissue to treat disease, reduce its burden, or ease a problem caused by it. It is often central to care for a solid tumor in a defined area. An operation may be paired…
Read the guideEstablished cellular immunotherapy for selected leukemias, lymphomas and multiple myeloma
CAR T-cell therapy is a personalized cellular immunotherapy. A treatment center collects a patient’s T cells, a laboratory adds a chimeric antigen receptor that recognizes a target on cancer cells, the engineered cells are expanded, and the center returns them…
Read the guideEstablished arterial treatment for selected tumors
Embolization uses a catheter to place material in blood vessels supplying a tumor, reducing its blood flow. In chemoembolization, chemotherapy is delivered with the embolizing treatment. These procedures are used in selected cancer settings, particularly liver tumors, and may have…
Read the guideEstablished cancer treatment
Chemotherapy uses medicines to kill cancer cells or slow their growth. Its purpose can be to cure a cancer, lower the chance of recurrence, control advanced disease, or relieve symptoms. The drugs, schedule, and expected benefit depend on the diagnosis…
Read the guideEstablished local treatment in selected cancer settings
Cryoablation destroys tissue by freezing it through a probe or, for some surface lesions, by applying a freezing substance directly. Imaging can guide treatment of selected internal tumors and help the team monitor the freezing area. The approach is used…
Read the guideRegional chemotherapy for selected cancers involving the liver
HAI delivers chemotherapy into the hepatic artery, often through an implanted pump, to expose liver tumors to a high local drug concentration. It is used by specialized multidisciplinary programs for selected colorectal liver metastases and some primary liver or bile-duct…
Read the guideFocal prostate-tissue ablation; breast-cancer use currently documented in clinical research
High-intensity focused ultrasound, or HIFU, concentrates ultrasound energy in a planned area to heat and destroy tissue without an incision. In prostate cancer, specialist centers use focal HIFU for selected localized disease after MRI and biopsy mapping. Breast-cancer HIFU is…
Read the guideNonthermal mechanical ablation of selected liver tumors
Histotripsy uses focused ultrasound pulses to create controlled acoustic cavitation that mechanically breaks down a planned volume of tissue. It does not use an incision, ionizing radiation, heat, or freezing. The FDA-authorized Edison system is used to identify, target, and…
Read the guideEstablished treatment for hormone-sensitive cancers
Hormone therapy changes the production or action of hormones that help certain cancers grow. It is used for hormone-sensitive breast and prostate cancers and in some other specific settings. Treatment may involve tablets, injections or surgery that reduces hormone production.…
Read the guideHyperthermia uses controlled heat as part of cancer treatment. The term covers substantially different procedures, including local or regional heating and heated chemotherapy delivered into a body cavity. Evidence, equipment, and risks depend on the exact technique and cancer setting.…
Read the guideSpecialist regional chemotherapy for selected abdominal cancers
HIPEC delivers heated chemotherapy into the abdominal cavity, usually during an operation after visible tumor has been removed through cytoreductive surgery. It is considered for selected cancers involving the abdominal lining, called the peritoneum. HIPEC is different from whole-body hyperthermia…
Read the guideImaging used to verify and adjust radiation treatment position
IGRT uses imaging before or during radiation sessions to confirm the tumor and patient position. It can help account for daily setup differences and, in some settings, organ or tumor motion. IGRT is part of radiation delivery and is often…
Read the guideEstablished immunotherapy for selected cancer settings
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are medicines that release certain brakes on immune cells, helping the immune system recognize and attack cancer. They include drugs directed at pathways such as PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4. These medicines have established uses in several cancers,…
Read the guideEstablished treatment for selected cancers
Immunotherapy includes treatments that help the immune system recognize or attack cancer. Checkpoint inhibitors, certain cell therapies, and other immune-based medicines work in different ways. These are established options for selected cancers and situations, rather than a single treatment suitable…
Read the guideConformal external-beam radiation used for many tumor sites
IMRT shapes and varies the intensity of radiation beams so a planned dose can conform to a tumor while limiting exposure to nearby tissues. It is a radiation-planning and delivery method used for many cancers, not a diagnosis-specific drug or…
Read the guideMedicine placed in the bladder for selected non-muscle-invasive cancers
Intravesical therapy places medicine directly into the bladder through a catheter. BCG is an immune treatment commonly used for selected non-muscle-invasive bladder cancers; intravesical chemotherapy and newer agents may be used in other settings. The choice depends on tumor grade,…
Read the guideRegional chemotherapy for selected melanoma or sarcoma in an arm or leg
Isolated limb perfusion and isolated limb infusion temporarily separate blood flow in an affected arm or leg so a high concentration of chemotherapy can treat tumors in that limb. The techniques differ in circulation method and intensity and are available…
Read the guideEstablished local thermal treatment for selected tumors
Microwave ablation uses a thin antenna placed into a tumor to deliver energy that heats and destroys tissue. Ultrasound or CT helps guide placement and treatment planning. It is commonly considered for selected liver tumors, including some cancers that began…
Read the guideTargeted or immune treatment used across many cancers
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that bind particular targets. Depending on the medicine, they may block a growth signal, mark cancer cells for immune attack, bring immune cells together with cancer cells, or carry a drug or radioactive payload. The…
Read the guideFocal ablation of selected prostate tissue, including use in localized intermediate-risk prostate cancer programs
NanoKnife is a device used for irreversible electroporation, or IRE. A clinician places needle electrodes around a planned target and delivers brief electrical pulses that disrupt cell membranes without relying on heat or freezing. In prostate care, the current U.S.…
Read the guideEstablished receptor-targeted radiation for selected neuroendocrine tumors
PRRT attaches a radioactive substance to a molecule that binds to receptors on certain neuroendocrine tumor cells. The treatment travels through the bloodstream and delivers radiation where it binds. Lutetium-177 DOTATATE is an established example for selected somatostatin receptor-positive gastroenteropancreatic…
Read the guideEstablished local treatment for selected superficial or accessible lesions
Photodynamic therapy combines a light-sensitive medicine with a particular light source to damage abnormal cells. The medicine and light-delivery method depend on the treatment site. It is used for selected cancers and precancers on the skin or accessible tissue surfaces,…
Read the guideEvidence-based treatment selection using tumor and patient characteristics
Precision oncology uses information about the cancer and the person to guide treatment choices. Molecular tests may identify a drug target, a meaningful cancer subtype or a clinical trial. The approach includes proven biomarker-guided treatments but also research uses with…
Read the guideEstablished radiation technique for selected treatment plans
Proton therapy is external-beam radiation delivered using charged particles rather than X-rays. A treatment plan controls where much of the proton beam’s energy is deposited, which can reduce radiation exposure to some nearby tissues. It may be considered when protecting…
Read the guideEstablished cancer treatment
Radiation therapy damages cancer-cell DNA using carefully planned radiation. It can treat a defined area, help reduce recurrence after surgery, or relieve symptoms such as pain. External-beam treatment, brachytherapy, and systemic radioactive medicines are different approaches with different uses. The…
Read the guideSystemic radiopharmaceutical treatment for selected thyroid cancers
Radioactive iodine uses iodine-131, taken by mouth, to deliver radiation to thyroid cells that absorb iodine. It may be used after thyroid surgery or for selected recurrent or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancers. It does not treat every thyroid cancer type.
Read the guideEstablished liver-directed radiation for selected tumors
Radioembolization delivers tiny radioactive particles through a catheter into arteries supplying a liver tumor. It is often called Y-90 treatment or selective internal radiation therapy. The aim is to concentrate radiation in selected liver tissue while limiting exposure elsewhere. A…
Read the guideEstablished local treatment for selected tumors
Radiofrequency ablation uses an image-guided probe and electrical energy to generate heat that destroys a planned area of tissue. It can treat selected tumors, including some in the liver, kidney or lung, and may also be used for pain from…
Read the guideTargeted systemic radiation with product-specific approved uses
Radioligand therapy combines a radioactive component with a targeting molecule that binds to a feature of cancer cells. It delivers radiation through the bloodstream rather than from an external beam. An established example is PSMA-directed lutetium treatment for selected advanced…
Read the guideEstablished focused radiation for selected tumors
SBRT delivers carefully targeted external radiation to a defined tumor, usually in fewer treatment sessions than conventional radiation schedules. Detailed imaging, positioning and motion management help concentrate treatment while limiting exposure to nearby organs. It can be used for selected…
Read the guideHighly focused radiation for selected brain and spine targets
Stereotactic radiosurgery is a precisely planned form of radiation, not an operation with an incision. It delivers one or a small number of high-dose treatments to a defined target, most often in the brain and sometimes the spine. Gamma Knife,…
Read the guideEngineered T-cell therapy for narrowly defined cancers and biomarkers
T-cell receptor therapy modifies a patient's T cells so they can recognize a specific cancer-related antigen. Unlike CAR T-cell therapy, TCR therapies recognize targets presented through HLA molecules, so eligibility can depend on both the tumor marker and the patient's…
Read the guideEstablished treatment for selected cancers and biomarkers
Targeted therapies act on particular proteins or biological processes involved in cancer growth. Some are tablets; others are infused medicines. A tumor's biomarkers can help identify whether a specific treatment may be useful, although a test does not always find…
Read the guideProstate tissue ablation; long-term comparative outcomes under study
TULSA-PRO uses ultrasound delivered through the urethra to heat and destroy a planned volume of prostate tissue. MRI images and temperature measurements guide treatment; a separate cooling device helps protect the adjacent rectum. For cancer, assessment concerns selected localized prostate…
Read the guidePersonalized cell therapy for selected advanced melanoma
TIL therapy collects immune cells that have entered a patient's tumor, expands selected cells in a laboratory, and returns them by infusion after preparative chemotherapy. It is an intensive, individualized treatment delivered by specialized cell-therapy programs rather than a simple…
Read the guideDevice-based treatment for selected brain, lung, and mesothelioma settings
Tumor Treating Fields use wearable arrays placed on the skin to deliver alternating electric fields to a tumor region. The treatment is used for specific diagnoses and is worn for many hours each day, usually alongside other cancer care. It…
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These guides organize publicly available and clinic-provided information. Services and availability can change, so confirm current details directly with the clinic.
