Treatment Choices

There are many treatment choices for recurrent cancer. Your treatment will depend partly on the type of cancer and the treatment you had before. It will also depend on where the cancer has recurred. For example:

• A local recurrence may be best treated by surgery or radiation therapy. This means that the doctor removes the tumor or destroys it with radiation.
• A distant recurrence may need chemotherapy, biological therapy, or radiation therapy. (For more information see the NCI booklets Radiation Therapy and You and Chemotherapy and You.)

It's important to ask your doctor questions about all your treatment choices. You may want to get a second opinion as well. You may also want to ask whether a clinical trial is an option for you.