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Treatments, Tests, and Procedures
Learn more about the specific medical tests and procedures used to diagnose and treat cancer.
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February 20, 2012
Most people visit their neighborhood retail pharmacy to fill prescriptions for medications. However, some people with cancer may be referred to what are known as specialty pharmacies to receive medications.
January 31, 2012
Proton therapy (also called proton beam therapy) is a type of radiation treatment that uses protons rather than x-rays to treat cancer. A proton is a positively charged particle that is part of an atom, the basic unit of all chemical elements, such as hydrogen or oxygen. At high energy, protons can destroy cancer cells.
October 11, 2011
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. ASCO and Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) recently developed a decision aid tool to help people with NSCLC who have had surgery talk with their doctor about whether to have chemotherapy after surgery. Adjuvant therapy is additional treatment given after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence (return of cancer after treatment). To learn more about this tool, Cancer.Net talked with two people who helped develop it: Christopher Azzoli, MD, and John Strawn, MD. Dr. Azzoli is a medical oncologist on the ASCO Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Expert Panel, and Dr. Strawn is a patient representative on the panel.
October 4, 2011
A bone marrow biopsy and aspiration is a diagnostic examination of the bone marrow that can provide information about the development and function of blood cells.
September 18, 2011
Donated umbilical cord blood can be used to treat people with life-threatening diseases including leukemia, other types of cancer, and immune and genetic disorders. Learn about the importance of umbilical cord blood, public versus private use, and how to become an umbilical cord blood donor.
September 18, 2011
Each year, thousands of people with life-threatening diseases affecting bone marrow function, such as leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, aplastic anemia, and genetic and immune system disorders, are in need of a bone marrow (or stem cell) transplantation. In many cases, the bone marrow transplant represents a patient's only chance at survival and may even offer a cure. Learn how to register as a bone marrow donor.
September 12, 2011
A person may undergo anesthesia for a number of reasons. People living with cancer can expect to receive anesthesia for some diagnostic procedures, such as colonoscopies and upper endoscopies, as well as for surgical procedures. Derived from the Greek word “anaisthesis,” meaning without sensation, anesthesia allows a patient to undergo a procedure without feeling pain and other sensations. In some cases, it makes the patient unconscious.
September 11, 2011
This is the second article in a two-part series on bone marrow and stem cell transplantation. It outlines common side effects of this treatment. provides an overview, including the various types of bone marrow and stem cell transplantation. ASCO member Edward Agura, MD, Director of the Program in Blood and Marrow Transplant at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, contributed to these articles.
September 11, 2011
This is the first article in a two-part series on bone marrow and stem cell transplantation. It provides an overview and explains the differences between autologous and allogeneic transplants. Part II describes side effects of the treatment. ASCO member Edward Agura, MD, Director of the Program in Blood and Marrow Transplant at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, contributed to these articles.
September 11, 2011
Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels. This process regularly occurs during growth and development in children but happens less often in adults. For example, angiogenesis occurs during the healing of a deep cut or after menstruation. Otherwise, angiogenesis in adults is usually part of a disease process such as cancer.