Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center

Biological therapy is a type of treatment that uses substances made from living organisms to treat disease.

A biopsy is an examination of tissue removed from a living body to discover the presence, cause, or extent of a disease.

Biotherapy (also referred to and immunotherapy) is a type of treatment that uses substances derived from living organisms to help stimulate the body’s immune system and fight off infection and disease. Biotherapy is often used to treat various types of cancer by attacking cancerous cells and preventing them from spreading.

Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing.

Colectomy is a surgical procedure to remove all or part of the colon, which is part of the large intestine, in order to treat diseases such as Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, and (early stage) colon cancer. Depending on the case, it may be performed as open or laparoscopic surgery.

CyberKnife is a highly advanced, robotic form of delivering radiation therapy in an outpatient setting. It is noninvasive, painless, and extremely targeted, delivering high doses of radiation to tumors with minimal effect for healthy, surrounding tissue. Because of its precision, CyberKnife can treat tumors in any part of the body, and offers rapid relief.

A distal pancreatectomy is a surgical procedure used to remove tumors from the body and/or tail of the pancreas. The spleen is frequently also removed. The surgery leaves at least the head of the pancreas, which is generally sufficient for function.

An endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) surgery removes abnormal, precancerous, or early-stage cancer tissue from the lining (mucous) of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, such as the esophagus and colon. The procedure uses an endoscope tube and does not require an incision.

External beam radiotherapy is a targeted cancer treatment. A machine directs high-energy beams (e.g., X-ray/photon, proton, or electron) to a specific area on the body, allowing for the localized treatment of cancer cells while limiting harm to healthy tissue.

Gamma Knife surgery is a highly precise, painless radiation therapy that — without any incision — uses a computer to direct strong, targeted gamma rays (radiation) to the brain. Gamma Knife surgery is used to treat tumors, nerve issues, vascular malformations, and other lesions in the brain without damaging healthy brain tissue.

Gene therapy is a method of treating disease by genetically altering (modifying the genes/DNA of) one's cells. The procedure may replace or deactivate a problematic gene, or add a new, healthy gene to fight the disease.

Hepatic artery embolization is a therapy to treat liver cancer that works by blocking the blood flow to liver tumors (which happens via the hepatic artery). The procedure may involve a trans-arterial embolization (TAE), trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE), or selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT).

Hormone therapy is a cancer treatment that slows or stops the growth of cancer that uses hormones to grow.

Immunotherapy, also known as biological therapy, is a form of treatment given to cancer patients to help the immune system fight the cancer. Immunotherapy works either by suppressing or activating the immune system to get the desired response.

A liver transplant is a surgical procedure performed when a person has reached end-stage liver disease. It involves the removal of the diseased liver, which is replaced with a liver from a deceased donor or a piece of a liver from a live donor.

A lobectomy is a major, open surgery to remove one of the (five total) lobes, or sections, of the lungs. A lobectomy is called for when one section of the lung is diseased — such as with lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — in order to protect and leave intact the remaining healthy tissue.

Minimally invasive surgery is a surgical procedure that is performed using tiny instruments through a small incision, rather than through a larger opening. This form of surgery offers the same benefits of open surgery, but results in a quicker operation, less pain, and a shorter healing time.

Chemotherapeutic agents are anti-cancer drugs — categorized primarily as alkylating agents, plant alkaloids, antimetabolites, and antitumor antibiotics — that work by disrupting specific aspects of the production of new cells. New chemotherapeutic agents are consistently being researched and approved for use.

Palliative care is medical care that does not treat the root cause of symptoms, but instead works to improve quality of life and comfort for patients with serious or chronic illness by managing its side effects and symptoms. Palliative care may include medication, but also includes emotional/social support and ways to improve well-being with nutrition, relaxation, and stress relief.

A pancreatectomy is surgery to remove all or part of the pancreas, and it is performed to treat pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis, and may be open or laparoscopic. Depending on the condition, procedures include: total pancreatectomy, removing the entire pancreas; distal pancreatectomy, removing the tail and body; and central pancreatectomy, removing the body of the pancreas.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy (also called a Whipple procedure) is a common surgery to treat pancreatic cancer. The procedure removes the head of the pancreas (where most pancreatic cancer occurs) as well as the duodenum, bile duct, and, in some instances, part of the stomach.

A partial hepatectomy (partial liver resection) is a surgery that removes part of the liver. It is performed to treat liver cancer, or colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver, by removing the tumor(s) and affected tissue to stop its spread. Because the liver is an essential organ, the remaining portion must be healthy enough to support the patient.

Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is a systemic molecular therapy to treat neuroendocrine tumors (which develop in the stomach, pancreas, and intestines) with strong doses of highly targeted radiation. PRRT generally has fewer side effects than chemotherapy, and is administered over four sessions.

A pneumonectomy is a surgery to remove an entire lung. Pneumonectomies are primarily performed to treat lung cancer in cases when the location and/or spread of the tumors doesn’t allow for a partial tissue removal, as well as to treat traumatic lung injuries, tuberculosis, advanced lung diseases, and severe infections. The remaining lung must be healthy enough to support respirator function.

A polypectomy is a surgery to remove polyps, most often from the colon or endometrial tissue of the uterus. The procedure can be performed endoscopically (e.g., during a colonoscopy) or as open surgery. The removed polyp(s) will be examined to determine if they are benign, precancerous, or cancerous, and further treatment is decided accordingly.

While there is no way to definitively prevent breast cancer, there are preventative measures for lifestyle and environmental risk factors, such as exercise, a healthy diet, and avoiding smoking. Depending on one’s genetic risk factors, risk-reducing surgery may also be a preventative measure to consider.

Radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, is the use of high doses of radiation to kill off cancer cells and cause tumors to shrink. In most cases, the radiation used is X-rays, although other types of radiation can be used. Radiation therapy is most often delivered externally, but can also be used internally.

Radioactive seed localization (RSL) is a highly targeted and accurate way to locate breast tumors for removal, especially for small and otherwise hard-to-remove tumors. A small metal seed is placed in the abnormal tissue with the use of mammography, and the seed and surrounding tissue is removed during surgery.

A segmentectomy (segmental resection surgery) is a surgical procedure to treat early-stage lung cancer by removing the cancerous mass and affected tissue. Unlike a lobectomy, a segmentectomy does not remove a full lobe, but only the diseased portion.

Standard chemotherapy is a class of drugs used to treat cancer. All work by targeting a specific aspect of the cell cycle, i.e., the formation of new cells. They carry side effects because they cannot distinguish between cancer and non-cancer cells, and are often used in combination with other treatments.

Stem cell transplants (also called bone marrow transplants) treat certain types of cancer. Healthy stem cells are constantly dividing, and can become platelets, white blood cells, or red blood cells — whichever type the body needs. They are necessary to live, but also are often destroyed by cancer and/or cancer treatment. Stem cell transplants can use the patient’s or a donor’s stem cells.

Targeted therapy treats cancer using highly specific, powerful radiation, with less damage to healthy tissue and fewer side effects than chemotherapy. Procedures include external beam radiotherapy, which directs high-energy beams to a specific area on the body, and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), a systemic molecular therapy to treat neuroendocrine tumors.

A lung transplant is a surgery to replace a person’s failing or diseased lung(s) with the healthy lung(s) of an organ donor. Lung transplantation is generally performed in cases of advanced lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension.

A wedge resection is a surgical procedure to treat early-stage lung cancer by removing a triangle-shaped segment of tissue containing the cancerous mass. Unlike a lobectomy, a segmentectomy does not remove a full lobe, but only the (small) diseased portion.

Breast cancer surgery is often part of a breast cancer treatment plan. The operation removes the cancer, and depending on individual medical history and cancer stage, may be a breast-conserving surgery, where only a segment of tissue is removed (e.g., partial mastectomy or lumpectomy) or a mastectomy, where the full breast(s) are removed.

Surgery is the branch of medical practice that treats injuries, diseases, and deformities by the physical removal, repair, or readjustment of organs and tissues.

Prostatectomy is a surgical procedure that removes all or part of the prostate gland. A radical prostatectomy (the most common) is generally called for as treatment for prostate cancer, while a simple prostatectomy may be used to treat issues of the urinary tract and/or enlarged prostate. The procedure is generally minimally invasive, often with robotic assistance.

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is a minimally invasive procedure to diagnose and treat conditions of the chest and lungs with a thin endoscopic tube (thoracoscope) inserted through a small incision between the ribs. Examples of VATS are wedge resections and lung biopsies.

Endoluminal stent placement is a minimally invasive, endoscopic surgery to treat blockages in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract — often in the esophagus, colon, bile duct, or bowel — through the placement of a small tube, or stent. Endoluminal stents are often used to treat liver and GI diseases.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA), also known as rhizotomy, is a minimally invasive procedure that uses radiofrequency waves to burn specific nerve endings with the goal of reducing or stopping the transmission of pain signals to the brain.

Tumor removal (resection or excision) is a common surgery used to treat cancer by physically removing the tumor and adjacent tissue from the body. Depending on the type and location of the tumor(s), tumor removal surgery may be open or minimally invasive. Tumors that cannot be physically removed are treated with other methods.