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A
Apheresis is a procedure to withdraw blood from a person and separate it to remove a specific type of cell, such as plasma or platelets. The desired component is collected in a special bag, and the remaining components are returned to the donor.
B
Biologic therapy (immunotherapy) uses the immune system, the body's main defense against infection and disease, to fight cancer.
Brachytherapy involves placing radiation directly inside the body, as close as possible to the cancer cells.
With brachytherapy, you can get a higher total dose of radiation to treat a smaller area and in a shorter time than is possible with external radiation therapy.
Breast reconstruction surgery recreates all or part of a breast that has been surgically removed (mastectomy). This is done using a breast implant, made of silicone or saline, or tissue from another part of the body.
C
Chemoembolization is a targeted treatment for liver cancer that works by delivering a high dose of cancer-killing medicine (chemotherapy) directly to the tumor while cutting off its blood supply (embolization).
Chemotherapy uses medicine to stop or slow the growth of cancer cells. This medicine can be given through a blood vessel (infusion), such as a vein (intravenously or IV) or artery, injected directly into the body or taken by mouth in the form of a pill or liquid.
Compression garments are stretchy, elasticized garments used to control pain and swelling caused by a back-up of lymph fluid (lymphedema) following a cancer treatment. The garments put pressure on a swollen area and help to move the fluid out.
Cryosurgery uses sub-zero temperatures to freeze and destroy tumors in a variety of sites, including breast, brain, kidney, prostate, and liver. The tumor is not removed and the destroyed cancer is left to be reabsorbed by the body.
The CyberKnife is the world’s first and only radiosurgery system designed to pinpoint and destroy tumors in the body. In many cases, the treatment offers new hope to patients who were considered untreatable or inoperable, who may be looking for an alternative to surgery, or who have been previously exposed to the maximum allowable dose of radiation but still require further treatment.
E
External radiation therapy (also called external beam radiation therapy) delivers a beam of high-energy X-rays directly to your tumor to destroy cancer cells or slow their growth. A machine outside the body produces the radiation.
G
The Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ is dedicated to the treatment of patients with brain disorders such as cancers and tumors, vascular abnormalities, functional disorders and ocular disorders. It is actually not a knife at all, but a radiosurgery medical instrument that uses 192 precisely targeted beams of gamma radiation to painlessly treat the specific area with minimal effect on the surrounding healthy tissue.
H
Hormone therapy uses man-made (synthetic) hormones or other medications to prevent cancer cells from getting or using the hormones they need to grow and spread. As part of the diagnosis process, tests are done to determine if the cancer cells have certain hormone receptors.
I
Intravesical therapy uses special medications placed directly into the bladder to destroy cancer cells. This medication may be a liquid chemotherapy drug, which kills cancer cells, or a type of bacteria (BCG), which causes the body's own natural defenses (immune system) to attack the bladder cancer (biologic therapy).
L
Laser therapy uses a narrow beam of intense light to kill cancer cells. Although laser therapy is used most often to treat cancers on the surface of the body or the lining of internal organs, it can also be used to relieve certain symptoms of cancer, such as bleeding or a blockage, or to reduce swelling and limit the spread of tumor cells.
M
MammoSite® is a type of high dose rate brachytherapy — radiation placed inside the body as close as possible to the cancer cells — used for breast cancer. With MammoSite® brachytherapy, you can get a higher total dose of radiation to treat a smaller area and in a shorter time than is possible with external radiation therapy.
Mini-Whipple is surgery used to treat cancer of the pancreas. The procedure involves the removal of part of the pancreas and the digestive system, including the gallbladder, nearby lymph nodes, and part of the small intestine.
O
Physical therapy can help a person regain mobility after cancer surgery and boost a body’s tolerance to certain cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.
P
Percutaneous ethanol injection uses a very thin needle to inject pure alcohol directly in to the liver to kill cancer cells. The alcohol is injected through the skin (percutaneously) with the help of visual imaging (ultrasound or CT scan).
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) uses special drugs (photosensitizers) and certain kind of light to kill cancer cells. The photosensitizer is either put into the bloodstream through a blood vessel (intravenously) or put on the skin.
Prostate seed implantation is a type of low dose rate brachytherapy — radiation placed inside the body as close as possible to the cancer cells — used for prostate cancer. With prostate seed implantation, you can receive a higher total dose of radiation to treat a smaller area and in a shorter time than is possible with external radiation therapy.
R
Radiopharmaceuticals are cancer drugs that contain radioactive materials. They target cancer cells, giving off radiation that kills these cells while sparing healthy tissue. Learn more >
Called radiosurgery, treatment with either the Gamma Knife or the CyberKnife combines image-guidance and computer-controlled robotics for a highly effective alternative to open surgery or conventional radiation.
Robotic-assisted cancer surgery (da Vinci ™ Surgical System) uses computer technology that becomes an extension of the surgeon’s wrists, hands and fingers to remove cancer in a delicate, precise manner while preserving surrounding nerves and tissues.
T
Targeted therapy uses certain medications or specially created substances to seek out and attack cancer cells to stop them from growing and spreading. This approach is typically less harmful to normal, healthy cells.
Transfusions are used to replace or replenish whole blood or certain components of the blood, such as red blood cells, plasma, and platelets. This treatment will not cure cancer but may be used as part of cancer treatment.
