In addition to discussing treatment options with your oncologist, you can find out more about the specific ones available for your type of cancer by researching on the Internet and/or asking survivors what treatment they used and what options they explored. If you've chosen to seek out a national expert for your disease, this also will lead you to the latest treatment options. National experts for your disease will havetaken the lead in developing cutting edge protocols.

Clinical trials and protocols

Researchers and research oncologists are constantly searching for the best possible treatment for combating cancer. In order to do this, they must experiment. These scientific studies involving humans are called clinical trials. A written outline detailing the clinical study is called the protocol. Hundreds of clinical trials are currently underway, most with the goal of determining if a new experimental drug or combination of drugs is more effective than the ones currently in use. These may include the testing of new chemotherapy drugs, a different combination of standard ones, a new combination of chemotherapy and radiation, or different surgical approaches to name just a few. Since clinical trials use cutting edge treatments, many people enter them to ensure they will receive the most current therapy available. Though only five in one hundred cancer patients are enrolled in clinical trials, many more people look into trying them. Who is eligible for clinical trials? It depends on the stage and characteristics of the patient's type of cancer, and on the patient's age and general health. It also depends on whether you can afford it, as your insurance company may not cover trials. To find out about clinical trials and experimental protocols, go to the National Cancer Institute Website @ cancer.gov

 

Side effects

As you are evaluating different treatments for your type of cancer, it's important to consider the side effects of each treatment option in your decision-making process. That way, you can factor in the degree and type of side effect for each one as well as your willingness and ability to withstand them. For instance, one treatment for your type of cancer may cause extreme fatigue as a side effect, while another will not. If you are planning to continue working through treatment, this would be an important factor to consider. The most common side effects are nausea, pain and fatigue. Typical for many but not all treatments include: hair loss, weight and appetite loss, stress, depression and insomnia. There are drug and complementary methods such as acupuncture that help reduce these side effects.  Ask your doctor about these.