Treatments & Therapies
At Spencer Cancer Center, we use a variety of treatments and therapies to combat your cancer diagnosis.
Surgical Oncology
In addition to a full range of medical and radiation oncology services, the Spencer Cancer Center offers our patients technologically advanced diagnostic and surgical techniques such as da Vinci® robotic surgery, to remove tumors with less pain, fewer complications, a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery. Other common surgical oncology methods include:
- minimally invasive surgery
- reconstructive surgery after the surgical removal of an area affected by cancer
- stereotactic breast biopsy
- sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy
Medical Oncology
Medical oncology uses a combination of medications or chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells within the body.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses special medications or a combination of medications to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy sometimes is the primary treatment for certain types of cancer, or it can be combined with other forms of treatment such as surgery or radiation therapy. Many factors will determine the length and the frequency of the treatments. Prior to the start, your medical oncologist (a cancer doctor who specializes in chemotherapy) will explain your treatment plan and answer any questions you may have. A specific, customized treatment plan is developed by the physician for each patient.
Radiation Oncology
During the course of their treatment, approximately one-half of all cancer patients will be treated with radiation. This type of treatment uses high-energy radiation to destroy cancer cells’ ability to reproduce. In some cases, radiation and chemotherapy are used before surgical oncology, which ideally requires a less radical surgical procedure.
Using powerful technology, a radiation oncologist may use radiation generated by a machine. Our linear accelerator (the machine that delivers radiation therapy) offers the most advanced treatment available with imaging and respiratory gating so our radiation oncologist can precisely target cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissues nearby, and accounting for the motion of the patient’s breathing.
We offer brachytherapy (the implanting of tiny radioactive seeds) for some cancers, as well as stereotactic radiosurgery utilizing the linear accelerator, which allows physicians to treat very small lesions in the brain that are either too difficult for surgery or as an alternative method of treatment.
Hematology
At the Spencer Cancer Center, we offer hematology services, and our team includes a board-certified hematology physician. Hematology is the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of blood diseases (hematology) and cancer (oncology). Hematology-oncology includes the treatment of diseases such as iron deficiency anemia, thalassemias, leukemias and lymphomas.