Medical oncology is a specialty that manages drug treatments for people with early and advanced cancers that affect the organs, muscles, bones and connective tissue. This specialty also treats cancers related to the hematologic and lymphatic systems. Some patients with early-stage cancers may be treated with surgery or radiation therapy alone and may not need a medical oncologist.
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Treatments managed by medical oncologists include:
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a treatment for cancer that uses chemicals to stop cancer cells from growing. Chemotherapy is designed to kill cancer cells and can be administered through a vein, injected into a body cavity or delivered orally in the form of a pill, depending on which drug is used. Your doctor will talk to you about the best route for the chemotherapy medication(s).
Learn more about chemotherapy.
Immunotherapy or Biology Therapy
Biological therapy is a type of treatment that works with your immune system. It can boost the immune system and help the body find and destroy cancer cells. It can help fight cancer or help control side effects from other cancer treatments like chemotherapy. Learn more about immunotherapy.
Monoclonal Antibody
A monoclonal antibody is a laboratory-produced molecule that’s carefully engineered to attach to specific defects in your cancer cells. Some monoclonal antibodies can trigger an immune system response that can destroy the outer wall (membrane) of a cancer cell thus blocking cell growth. Some monoclonal antibodies block the connection between a cancer cell and proteins that promote cell growth - an activity that is necessary for cancer growth and survival.
FirstHealth's team of medical oncologists also specialize in hematology, which is the specialty of diagnosing and treatment of blood disorders, including cancers of the blood and bone marrow. Hematology treatments available at FirstHealth include:
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
This treatment delivers drugs that help your immune system recognize and target specific cancer cells in the blood.
Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is used to treat just about every type of cancer. In fact, more than half of all people with cancer will receive radiation as part of their treatment. Radiation therapy also may be used to treat some conditions that aren't cancerous. This includes tumors that aren't cancerous, called benign tumors.
How radiation therapy is used in people with cancer:
Radiation therapy might be used at different times or for different reasons during your cancer treatment.
Your care team may suggest radiation:
- As the only treatment for cancer. This is called the primary treatment.
- Before surgery, to shrink a cancer. This is called neoadjuvant therapy.
- After surgery, to stop the growth of any remaining cancer cells. This is called adjuvant therapy.
- With other treatments, such as chemotherapy, to destroy cancer cells.
- To relieve symptoms caused by advanced cancer.
Radiation therapy can be given inside or outside of your body. The following types of radiation therapy treatments are offered at the FirstHealth Cancer Center. Learn more about each treatment.
For many cancers surgical treatments may be a cure, especially for those that have not spread to other parts of the body. Most patients will have some sort of cancer surgery as part of their treatment plan. The primary purpose of cancer surgery is to cure your cancer by physically removing all of it from your body. The surgeon usually does this by cutting into your body and removing the cancer along with some surrounding tissue to ensure that all of the cancer is removed. Your surgeon may also remove some lymph nodes in the area to determine if the cancer has spread. Certain surgeries such as for prostate and gynecologic cancers may be improved by using robotic equipment.
FirstHealth offers specialized surgical treatments for cancer including robotic surgery and SAVI Scout Radar Localization. Learn more about these surgical treatments.
