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Cancer Treatment
 Every patient is unique and many factors are reviewed when we create your treatment plan. Specifically, we look at the type and extent of your disease, other medical conditions and how aggressive you want to be. An integral consideration is the goal of your treatment, which may be either to cure your cancer, keep it from spreading, or to relieve symptoms. A combination of treatment modalities is often needed to most effectively treat your cancer.
Surgery
Surgery is the only way to 'cure' most (non-blood) cancers. It is the cornerstone of solid tumor oncology and will almost certainly be involved to some degree in your treatment. Common surgical procedures in oncology include biopsies, excision of the primary tumor, lymph node sampling and medical port placement/removal.
Radiation
Radiation, like surgery, is a local treatment. It is used as a primary modality for cure, in the adjuvant setting, and for palliation. Radiation is often given alone, but can also be given concurrently with chemotherapy. Typically, radiation is given for a short period of time, Monday through Friday, for a number of weeks.
Chemotherapy
 Chemotherapy is systemic anti-cancer therapy. It is the primary treatment for most blood cancers and has a variety of rolls for many non-blood malignancies. With early stage solid tumors, chemotherapy is often given either before and/or surgery to maximize the chance of a cure. For metastatic tumor disease, it is given to improve the length and quality of a patient's life. Most chemotherapy is given intravenously, but pills and subcutaneous injections are also available. Potential side effects and toxicities of chemotherapy will be discussed later.
To learn more about chemotherapy drugs and managing their side effects visit: www.chemocare.com and www.cancer.gov.
Hormonal Therapy
Hormone therapy, similar to chemotherapy, is a systemic treatment in that it may affect cancer cells throughout the body. Naturally occurring substances in the body, hormones stimulate the growth of hormone sensitive tissues. Therefore, drugs that block hormone production or change the way hormones work, and/or removal of organs that secrete hormones, such as the ovaries or testicles, are ways of fighting cancer.
Targeted Therapy
A targeted therapy is one that is designed to treat only the cancer cells and minimize damage to normal, healthy cells, thereby reducing treatment-related side effects and improving outcomes. The future of oncology may be in identifying genetic abnormality and the ability to target it.
Targeted cancer therapies may be more effective than current treatments and less harmful to normal cells, however researchers agree that targeted therapies are not a replacement for traditional therapies.
Biological Therapy
Biological therapy, also referred to as immunologic therapy, immunotherapy, or biotherapy, is a type of treatment that uses the body's immune system to facilitate the killing of cancer cells. Types of biological therapy include interferon, interleukin, monoclonal antibodies, colony stimulating factors (cytokines), and vaccines.
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