About Us

Appointments

Care Centers & Departments

Clinical Trials

Health Information

Complementary & Alternative Medicine

Information for Newly Diagnosed Patients

Patient Education Brochures

Questions & Answers About Cancer

Watch Health Videos on Demand

New Patient Orientation

Prevention Programs

Support Services for Patients & Families

Types of Cancer

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of medicines to treat cancer. There are 100 chemotherapy drugs, used individually or in various combinations. You and your doctor will decide which drug or combination of drugs, dosages, frequency, and length of treatment that is best for you.

Depending on the type of cancer and its stage of development, chemotherapy can be used to:

• Cure your cancer
• Keep the cancer from spreading
• Slow the cancer's growth
• Kill cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body from the original tumor
• Relieve symptoms caused by cancer

Questions to Ask Your Nurse

• What is the goal of chemotherapy for my cancer?
• What are the chances that the chemotherapy will work?
• After chemotherapy, will I be cured, in remission, or relieved of my symptoms?
• Are there other ways to achieve the same goal?
• How will I know if the chemotherapy is working?
• If the chemotherapy does not work, are there other treatments for me?
• What are the potential risks and side effects of chemotherapy?
• Will my diet, activities, work, exercise, sexual activity be restricted in any way?

Diagnostic Procedures

• As new patient, you will receive several tests to help determine your cancer diagnosis, and the following will assist your understanding of the various tests employed. If you have any questions, please speak with your physician.
• Biopsy - The removal and examination, usually microscopic, of tissue from the living body, performed to establish precise diagnosis.
• Blood Lab Work - Blood analysis to determine if patient meets the parameters for treatment.
• Colonoscopy - An elongated flexible endoscope is used to permit visual examination of the entire colon.
• Echocardiography- A method of graphically recording the position and motion of the heart walls or the internal structures of the heart and neighboring tissue.
• Electrocardiogram - A graphic tracing of the variations in electrical potential caused by the excitation of the heart muscle and detected at the body surface.

Diagnostic Radiological Procedures

• Chest X-Ray - Gamma rays which are reflected on a metal plate. X-rays can be taken of any area of the body, which can reveal suspicious areas.
• CAT SCAN - A computerized axial tomography of a body organ under examination.
• Ductography - A special type of contrast enhanced mammography used for imaging the breast ducts. It can aid in diagnosing breast cancer.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - A method of visualizing soft tissues of the body by applying an external magnetic field.
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) - An imaging technique that assists physicians in the diagnosis and management of diseases. This process produces pictures of the functions of the human body unobtainable by other imaging techniques.
• Ultrasound - A diagnostic imaging technique which uses high-frequency sound waves and a computer to create images of blood vessels, tissues, and organs. Ultrasounds are used to view internal organs as they function, and to assess blood flow through various vessels.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer, is used in more than 50% of all cancer patients, and is also known as radiotherapy, x-ray therapy, cobalt therapy and irradiation. It is primarily used to treat certain types of cancer -- non-melanoma skin cancers, head and neck cancers, early-stage Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. In fact, radiation therapy may be the only treatment some patients receive.

Special equipment is used to deliver high doses of radiation to cancerous tumors, killing or damaging them so that they cannot grow, multiply, or spread. Although some normal cells may be affected by radiation, most appear to fully recover from the effects of the treatment.

Questions to Ask Your Physician

• What is the purpose of radiation treatment for my type of cancer?
• Will it prevent or stop the spread of cancer?
• Will it destroy or shrink the tumor?
• What are the chances that radiation therapy will work?
• Are there other ways to achieve the same goal?
• If the radiation does not work are there other treatments for me?
• What are the potential risks and side effects of radiation?
• Will my diet, activities, work, exercise, and sexual activity are restricted in any way?

Glossary

• Adjuvant Chemotherapy - Adjuvant usually means "in addition to" initial treatment. One or more anticancer drugs used in combination with surgery therapy as part of the cancer treatment regimen.
• Antibody - A protein produced by a plasma cell in the lymphatic system or bone marrow.
• Biological Therapy - Use of biological (substances produced by our own cells) or biological response modifiers in the treatment of cancer.
• Blood Count - A measurement of the number of red cells, white cells, and platelets in a sample of blood.
• Bone Marrow  - This is the inner, spongy core of bone that produces blood cells.
• Cancer - A general term for more than 100 diseases characterized by abnormal and uncontrolled cells. The resulting mass, or tumor, can invade and destroy surrounding normal tissues.
• Chemotherapy  - This is treatment with anticancer drugs.
• Clinical Trial
  In cancer research a trial generally refers to the evaluation of treatment methods such as surgery, drugs or radiation. This study may also include methods of prevention; detection or diagnosis.
• Combination Chemotherapy - The use of two or more anticancer drugs during a patient's cancer treatment.
• Combination Therapy - The use of two or more modes of treatment -- surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy -- in conjunction, alternately or together, to achieve optimum results against cancer.
• Hormone - A chemical product from the endocrine glands. When secreted into the body fluids, it affects the other organs.
• Immune System - A complex network of organs, cells and specialized substances distributed throughout the body defending it from foreign invaders that cause infection or disease.
• Immunotherapy - An experimental method of treating cancer substances, which stimulate the body's immune defense system.
• Informed Consent - The process in which a patient learns about the purpose and aspects of their treatment plan, risks and benefits. If the patient agrees with this plan, a consent form is generated and signed.
• Investigational New Drug - A drug allowed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used in clinical trials, but which is not yet available for commercial marketing.
• Metastasis - In cancer, this is the migration of cancer cells from the original tumor site through the blood and lymph vessels to other tissues.
• Protocol  - The outline or plan for use of an experimental procedure or experimental treatment.
• Radiation Therapy - A specific cancer treatment using X-rays, cobalt-60, radium, neutrons to destroy malignant or benign cancer cells.
• Regression - The state of growing smaller or disappearing; used to describe the shrinkage of a cancer.
• Remission - The decrease or disappearance of signs and symptoms of a disease.
• Side Effect - A secondary and usually adverse effect, as from a drug or other treatment. For example, the nausea effect of some anticancer drugs.
• Staging  - Methods used to establish the extent of a patient's disease.
• Standard Treatment - A treatment or other intervention currently being used and considered to have been proven to be effective based on past studies.

Additional, comprehensive help can be obtained by visiting the NCI Dictionary