What are the options for a person whose cancer is caught early?

Many: When liver cancer (or hcc) is caught early, there are many treatment options and they may include the only curative options of liver transplantation or surgical resection.

Early detection: If liver cancer is caught earlier and there is enough reserve liver function it can be removed surgically. If there is not enough liver reserve to survive surgery, one can get listed for liver transplant.

Lots of options: Early detection can lead to early cure in many cases, such as the most common types of skin cancer. Early detection usually means that the cancer hasn't spread to other organs, and surgery is easier, and more likely to cure. Different types of cancer have different outcomes, so talk to your physician.

Multiple: Small, non-invasive cancers have the best chance for remission. The two broad choices for therapy are standard approaches (chemo, surgery, radiation) and holistic approaches (and there are many). I suggest you research both approaches, focusing on outcomes, side effects, costs, and time required for treatments.

Cure: Every type of cancer has its own unique features, however, in general, the earlier you diagnose a cancer, the higher the cure rate. Furthermore, many early cancers can be surgically removed without the need for chemotherapy. Regardless of the cancer, screening studies (which diagnose cancers before symptoms develop) save lives.

Early Cancer: Early cancer is often completely cured by excisional surgery, especially if it has not spread ("metastasized") to other parts of the body or the lymph nodes. Depending on the type of cancer, and the location, surgery may offer a definitive cure without the need for adjunct radio- or chemotherapy. Your oncologist is the best source for advice on your options.