What Are Carcinomas?

Treatment Options

Treatment options for carcinomas may vary due to the many sites in the body where they may develop, and the organs in the body they can affect. The most common way to treat carcinomas is with a surgical procedure to remove the cancerous tissue and a margin of healthy tissue surrounding it. If the carcinoma is in a complex location or is very large, the patient may be treated with radiation therapy to target and shrink the tumor before undergoing chemotherapy or a surgical procedure to remove it. Chemotherapy can be used in patients who have carcinomas that have spread to other regions or cannot be removed with surgery. Chemotherapy is often used in combination with radiation therapy in cases where the carcinoma is not able to be entirely removed with the use of excision surgery. Chemotherapy or radiation therapy may be utilized following a patient's carcinoma excision surgery if it is suspected the surgery left behind cancerous cells.