Which type of therapy is NOT part of systemic treatment?

The chosen answer is correct because surgery is considered a local treatment rather than a systemic treatment. Systemic treatments are designed to affect the entire body by targeting cancer cells that may have spread beyond the original tumor site. Immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy are all treatments that circulate throughout the body, working to eliminate cancer cells or control their growth regardless of where they are located.

In contrast, surgery typically involves the physical removal of tumors and is localized to a specific area where the cancer is present, directly addressing the primary tumor and potentially nearby tissues. This fundamental difference in approach is what categorizes surgery as a local treatment, distinguishing it from systemic therapies that aim for broader systemic effects.