Chemotherapy

Different Types of Cancer Treatment

What works for one type of cancer may not work for another. That's why we offer a range of medical treatments, including:

• Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses powerful drugs to kill cancer cells. This treatment is usually given by infusion or injection, but in some cases it's taken as a pill or rubbed on your skin. We use chemotherapy to cure cancer, prolong life or reduce symptoms.
• Immunotherapy. This type of therapy boosts or trains the natural defenses of your immune system to fight diseases including cancer.
• Targeted therapy. Target drugs focus on how cancer cells grow, divide and spread. This treatment works for some breast, colorectal and lung cancers. For the most part, targeted therapy medications don't affect healthy cells.
• Hormone therapy. Some cancers, like breast and prostate cancers, need hormones to grow. Treatments that block or change hormones can sometimes slow or stop cancer growth.

Your cancer care team may combine some of these treatments. It's possible that you'll have some form of surgery or radiation, too.

What You Need to Know About Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy drugs have been used for cancer treatment since the 1950s, but advances continue. Our doctors may use:

• A combination of chemotherapy medicines to more effectively stop or slow tumor growth.
• Chemotherapy in combination with surgery and radiation for the most effective results.
• Drugs that specifically target the cancer cells.
• Drugs that reduce side effects of chemotherapy, like nausea and vomiting.
• Different ways to give you medicine, depending on your specific needs. You may receive chemotherapy medication by IV, pill, liquid or on your skin.