Combination therapy uses more than one cancer treatment like:

• surgery and radiation therapy 
• surgery and chemotherapy 
• radiation therapy and chemotherapy 
• surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy

Sometimes a patient will have radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy to shrink the cancer before surgery. In other cases, a person has chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells left behind.

Combination therapy can:

• cure cancer 
• control cancer for a while 
• reduce the risk of cancer returning 
• help cope with or cure cancer symptoms like pain

Side effectsSome people do not have any side effects; other people have some or many. No one knows exactly which side effects you might have until you begin your treatment.