Treatment Options

Medical Oncology Radiation Oncology Surgery

Medical Oncology

Medical oncology involves the study of cancerous cells and tumors, including their development, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

Our board certified medical oncologists diagnose, evaluate and develop specific treatment plan in the management of solid tumors, hematologic malignancies and other cancer disorders. These specialists work with our nationally certified nurses and support staff to give you the best tools in your fight against cancer.

The following treatment methods aim to eliminate cancer cells in different ways. They may be administered the form of an IV, injection or pill, and are often used in combination with surgery and/or radiation therapy.

Biological Therapy – Uses drugs that boost the ability of the immune system to fight cancer

Chemotherapy – Treatment with drugs that prevent cancer cells from multiplying or destroys them

Hormone Therapy – Blocks specific hormones in the body to control or reverse the growth of cancer

Targeted Therapy – Uses drugs or other substances to identify and eliminate cancer cells

Transfusion Therapy – Involves the transfer of healthy blood from a donor to a patient to increase red blood cell count

Radiation Oncology

Radiation oncology aims to reduce tumors by creating chemical changes within cancer cells. Because it is highly localized, radiation therapy produces limited side effects and is one of the most precise treatment options available. Radiation therapy may be delivered in one of the following forms:

External Beam – The most common type of radiation therapy, external beam radiation therapy is designed to target a specific part of your body. The treatment machines aim high-powered beams inside the body at cancer cells to prevent them from dividing.

A form of external beam therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) breaks the radiation into thousands of thin beams to better target the cancer and minimize effects on surrounding tissue.

Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), one of the most cutting edge innovations in fighting cancer, combines imaging and treatment capabilities on a single machine.

Brachytherapy – Internal radiation therapy that involves radioactive sources injected or placed inside the body.

Other treatments include:

• Stereotactic radiosurgery – Uses a single large dose of radiation to treat brain and other tumor tissue
• Stereotactic radiotherapy – Delivers radiation to tissue, but uses multiple small fractions of radiation instead of one large dose
• 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy – Uses CT, MRI or PET technology to more precisely target tumors gauging width, height and depth; 4D conformal radiation therapy includes respiratory gating, which monitors the patient’s breathing and respiratory cycle to determine the exact moment to deliver the most effective radiation
• Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) – Delivers radiation to tumors while they are exposed during surgery

No matter what type of radiation therapy may be most appropriate for you, board certified radiation oncologists and a team of physcists, dosimetrists, radiation therapists and nurses will be there with you every step of the way.

Surgery

Surgery is often the first method used in diagnosing or treating cancer. It may be followed by other treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Some surgical procedures are done in an outpatient setting, while others may require hospitalization. Surgeons use the latest techniques to treat tumors and reconstruct tissue while restoring function and appearance.

Our surgeons, oncologists and other physicians work as a team to obtain the best possible outcome for our patients. Surgery may be performed to achieve one or more of the following goals:

Prevention – Preventive surgery is performed to remove growths or tissues that are likely to develop into cancer.

Diagnosis and Staging – A biopsy may be performed to discover whether a growth is cancerous, and if so, how far the disease has progressed.

Curative – Curative surgery aims to remove an entire tumor.

Tumor Reduction – Called  “debulking,” this surgery is performed to remove the majority of a tumor. Some cancer cells may remain and may be removed by other treatment methods.

Palliation – Palliative surgery does not treat cancer but rather alleviates pain and other complications that a cancer may cause.

Reconstruction – Reconstructive surgery addresses body image concerns resulting from cancer or cancer treatment. Options may include breast reconstruction, facial reconstruction or scar revision.

Surgical Specialties
Surgeons are available at Carle in the following specialties:

• Breast
• Colon rectal
• General
• Gynecologic
• Head and neck
• Heart, lung and vascular
• Neurosurgery
• Ophthalmology
• Oral and maxillofacial
• Plastic/reconstructive
• Podiatry
• Prostate
• Spine and orthopedic
• Thyroid
• Urologic