Treatment

At the Martin-O’Neil Cancer Center, advances in cancer may include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, combined with integrative services. We use leading technology to aggressively treat all types of cancer.

The importance of individualized treatment

Before you start your cancer treatment, it can be helpful to learn more about what cancer is. Cancer is a series of diseases characterized by the production of abnormal cells. These abnormal, mutated cells can appear anywhere in the body. If these cells have the ability to reproduce, they will create copies of themselves and start attacking healthy cells. In many cases, these cells will form a tumor which will try to create passageways to other parts of the body so the cancer can spread. The goal of cancer treatment is to stop or prevent it from spreading and destroy every last cancer cell.

The strategy for treating cancer changes depending on where it starts in the body and your overall health and wellbeing. We have to work with you to create an individualized treatment program that will have as few side effects as possible while still aggressively fighting the cancer. Treatment plans usually involve a combination of different treatments.

Exploring cancer treatment options

The primary methods used to fight cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. All of these treatments take an aggressive approach to eliminating cancer cells.

• Surgery –Cancer surgery is usually only recommended before cancer has spread. If a surgeon can safely remove a tumor, it is often possible to kill off the remaining cancer cells with radiation therapy or medication.
• Radiation therapy –In radiation therapy, highly precise beams of radiation are targeted at tumors to shrink them and destroy cancer cells. There are several different types of radiation therapy. Our oncologists can help you understand your options.
• Chemotherapy –In chemotherapy, anticancer drugs are administered through an IV to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs are very effective at killing cancer cells, but they have a hard time differentiating between healthy and cancer cells, which is why this treatment comes with some difficult side effects for many patients.

There are side effects to most cancer treatments, but our experienced care team can help you manage them. Our medical oncologists specialize in diagnosing cancer and designing treatment plans. Working with you, your family and the rest of your care team, we can help you create the best possible treatment plan.