What Are Your Options?

Your options in cancer care: 

  • Conventional (mainstream) care alone
  • Integrating conventional and complementary care (usually best)
  • Complementary cancer care alone (alternative cancer care, potentially risky)
  • Palliative (comfort) care, with or without other therapies

The right choice depends on your goals, beliefs and resources.

golden light through forest trees

Start with your goals and beliefs

The "right" choice for you depends on your goals and beliefs, as well as your willingness and ability to undertake a course of action. What's "right" is different for each person.

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Decision making under pressure

This guide, written by people who have been there, explores how to make decisions in response to your diagnosis.

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Questions for your care providers

As you build a team that's devoted to supporting your healing, it helps to know what to ask as you meet with practitioners who specialize in various disciplines.

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The spectrum of integrative care

Integrative cancer care encompasses everything from traditional Chinese medicine, which has been practiced for thousands of years, to the off-label use of modern-day pharmaceuticals.

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Integrative protocols and plans

Integrative protocols, treatment plans, regimens and programs are unique "recipes" that draw on various sources to create customized approaches to cancer care.

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Help navigating your options

Professional advocates and navigators can help you through the maze of options that you're faced with.

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Images from Creative Commons:

  • Oliver Henze
  • Véronique Debord-Lazaro
  • Rajesh_India
  • weixin
  • Bob Leckridge

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