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
Some 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.