The effectiveness of traditional medical treatments for cancer such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery depends on what type of cancer you have and how far along it is. The effectiveness of a treatment may be measured through a five-year survival rate, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, gauges how many people out of 100 who are diagnosed with a specific cancer are alive five years later.

Function

Survival rates vary widely based on the type of cancer and the stage of the disease. For example, 98 out of 100 men with early-stage prostrate cancer are alive five years later, while only three out of 100 people with late-stage lung cancer survive five years.

Types

According to the Merck online medical library, traditional cancer treatments include surgery to remove a tumor or an affected area of the patient's body, or chemotherapy and radiation to destroy or slow the growth of a tumor that cannot be removed surgically. According to the American Cancer Society, radiation has side- effects that are often felt around the area of the body that was treated.

Effects

Some tumors that are removed or destroyed through surgery, radiation or chemotherapy never come back. Cure rates are best for tumors that are found early and that are smaller and farther from the center of the patient's body.

Considerations

People who are alive five years after diagnosis of cancer may be either cancer-free or still undergoing treatment. More specific metrics such as the disease-free survival rate may be a better measure of the success of conventional cancer treatments.

Benefits

Many cancers can be cured through traditional medical procedures, particularly those that are discovered early. Your cure rate will also depend on factors such as your age, your general health, and your belief in the effectiveness of the treatment regimen.

Source:

Merck on cancer treatments

Radiation therapy side effects

MayoClinic on five-year survival rates

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