Home > Encyclopedia of Medicine > Cancer Therapy, Definitive

Definition

Definitive cancer therapy is a treatment plan designed to potentially cure cancer using one or a combination of interventions including surgery, radiation, chemical agents, or biological therapies.

Purpose

The primary purpose of definitive care is to establish a cure and to destruct and remove all cancer cells from the infected person.

Surgery is not only a diagnostic tool, but also used for tumor removal. The surgeon usually identifies potential candidates for tumor removal and repairs intraoperatively (during the operation procedure). Surgery can be curative for some stomach, genital/urinary, thyroid, breast, skin, and central nervous system cancers. The best chance for a surgical cure is usually with the first operation. It is essential that the cancer...