Cancer treatment

Medical oncology

Chemotherapy
Patients at Yale-New Haven Hospital were the first patients in history to receive chemotherapy to fight cancer. They continue to benefit from groundbreaking advances brought forth through the Yale Cancer Center, the only such center in Connecticut. Yale-New Haven patients are often the first to have access to new types of chemotherapy through research done at the cancer center.

Chemotherapy involves using drugs to kill cancer cells and can be used alone or in combination with other treatments. Sometimes, chemotherapy is given to a patient through a needle into a vein; other treatments are given in pill form. The medication can kill cancer cells anywhere in the body. Chemotherapy can be given after surgery to kill any remaining cells, or used as a precaution if no cancerous cells can be seen. New medications available at Yale-New Haven Hospital help patients avoid many side effects of chemotherapy.

Side effects
Chemotherapy can cause a variety of side effects, depending on the actual drug given. Chemotherapy attacks cancer cells, but also affects other cells of the body, including blood cells, hair cells and cells inside the digestive tract. For this reason, patients may have hair loss, bruise more easily, feel fatigued and have nausea and diarrhea, or suffer increased susceptibility to infection. Many new medications are available to ease some of these symptoms, especially nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.

Common concerns of cancer patients

Hormone therapy
Certain hormones normally produced by the body may actually encourage the growth of certain types of cancer cells. To counter this, cancer patients may receive drugs that decrease the amount of hormones produced in the body or receive drugs that block the action of the hormones. Sometimes, the glands that produce the hormones are removed.

Biological therapy (immunotherapy)
The immune system, which fights off common colds and flus, may also be of help in fighting off cancer cells. Researchers have found that the immune system may recognize the difference between healthy cells and cancer cells in the body and eliminate those that become cancerous. Cancer may develop when the immune system breaks down or is overwhelmed. Biological therapy, which is nearly all experimental, is designed to repair, stimulate, or enhance the immune system's natural anticancer function.

Biological therapy information from the National Cancer Institute

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Last revised: May 2, 2007 (dh)

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