CANCER TREATMENT RESEARCH
Ambulatory Infusion
Ambulatory Infusion Services to include: The center provides an Ambulatory Infusion Suite (AIS) which is an alternative care site to a home, a physician's office, or a hospital setting, where patients can receive infusion therapy of specialty drugs in a safe, monitored environment. Nurses manage and perform care with clinical oversight from pharmacists according to physician orders.
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Antibiotic Infusion Therapy allows patients to avoid hospitalization for severe infections by receiving intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapies in a clinic or at home. IV antibiotics are antibiotics that are administered directly into a vein to enter the bloodstream immediately and bypass the absorption in the gut.
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IV Hydration- Hydration therapy is the insertion of an IV line into a vein in the patient's arm to administer fluids which could include magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, sulfate, or calcium, to name a few. IV therapy delivers fluids through a tiny needle straight to the bloodstream. These fluids have vitamins, minerals, or medications that hydrate or relieve unpleasant symptoms. IV therapy bypasses the digestive system and is absorbed into the body much faster. Because of this, many people experience symptom relief in mere minutes.
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Immunoglobulin Therapy- Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a treatment prescribed for patients with antibody deficiencies. The therapy comes from a pool of immunoglobulins (antibodies) from the plasma of thousands of healthy donors. In healthy people, immunoglobulins are produced by the immune system to fight infections.
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Bisphosphonate Therapy- Bisphosphonates treat bone problems such as osteopenia or osteoporosis. These conditions are associated with thin or fragile bones at increased risk for fracture.
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Corticosteroid Therapy- Corticosteroids reduce inflammation and suppress the immune system. They treat conditions such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and hay fever. Corticosteroids, often known as steroids, are anti-inflammatory medicines prescribed for many conditions.
Biologic Therapy
Immunotherapy or biological therapy treats diseases by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to stimulate or amplify an immune response are classified as activation immunotherapies. Immunotherapies that reduce or suppress the immune system are known as suppression immunotherapies.
Blood Transfusions
A blood transfusion is a routine medical procedure using donated blood administered through a narrow tube inserted into a vein in the patient's arm. Blood transfusions can help replace blood loss due to surgery or injury and help if an illness prevents the patient's body from correctly making blood or some of your blood's components.
Patients receive blood transfusions for many reasons, including surgery, disease, injury, and bleeding disorders.
The blood consists of the following:
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Red cells that carry oxygen and help remove waste
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White cells fight infections
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Plasma is the liquid part of the blood
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Platelets help with clotting
Transfusions provide the part, or parts of blood patients need the most with red blood cells are the most commonly transfused.
Bone Marrow Biopsies
A procedure where a small sample of bone with bone marrow inside it is removed, usually from the hip bone. A small area of skin and the surface of the bone underneath are numbed with an anesthetic. A wide needle is then pushed into the bone and rotated to remove a sample of bone with the bone marrow inside it. The sample is then sent to a laboratory for pathology.
Chemotherapy
The word "chemotherapy" ("chemo") is often used when referring to medicines or drugs that treat cancer. But, not all drugs used to treat cancer work in the same way. Traditional or standard chemotherapy uses drugs that are cytotoxic, meaning they can kill tumor cells. If your treatment plan includes traditional or standard chemotherapy, knowing how it works and what to expect can often help you prepare for treatment and make informed decisions about your care.
Definitive Treatments
A patient's definitive treatment plan for a disease or disorder is based on what is best for a patient after all other choices have been considered. Medical treatment is vital in palliative care by helping manage cancer symptoms without trying for a cure. Every patient is unique, and the treatment offered depends on the type of cancer, how far it has spread, the symptoms, and the patient's support system.
Diagnostic Services
including biopsies, CT scans, MRIs, and surgery.
Hematology
Hematology is the science or study of blood and blood diseases. In the medical field, hematology includes the treatment of blood disorders and malignancies, including types of hemophilia, blood clots, leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and sickle-cell anemia. Hematology is a branch of internal medicine that deals with the physiology, pathology, etiology, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and prevention of blood-related disorders. Hematologists focus largely on lymphatic systems and bone marrow and may diagnose blood count irregularities or platelet irregularities. Hematologists treat organs that are fed by blood cells, including the lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, and lymphoid tissue.
Immunotherapy
Biological therapy or immunotherapy treats diseases by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to stimulate or amplify an immune response are classified as activation immunotherapies. Immunotherapies that reduce or suppress the immune system are known as suppression immunotherapies.
Injections
Physicians often prescribe injection therapy for some patients requiring injectable medication therapy.
Laboratory Testing
Lab testing is ordered by a primary care physician or specialist: The CLIA-Certified Laboratory at HMC provides extensive diagnostic services.
Mediport + PICC Maintenance
A mediport is a small medical appliance surgically installed beneath the skin to deliver medicine, blood products, nutrients, or fluids to a patient's bloodstream. Blood samples are also obtained from the catheter for testing. Chemotherapy is administered using a mediport.
Palliative Treatment
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. The goal is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Palliative care is provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is based on the patient's needs, not on the patient’s prognosis. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage of a severe illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.
PICC Placement
A peripherally inserted central catheter, more commonly called a PICC line, is a form of intravenous access used for a prolonged time for administering medications. PICC line insertion occurs above a patient's elbow into the upper arm. An ultrasound machine may help the doctor or nurse assess your arm's veins and ensure they're healthy enough to use for the PICC line.
Radiation Therapy
a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy most often uses X-rays, but protons or other types of energy also can be used. The term "radiation therapy" most often refers to external beam radiation therapy. During this type of radiation, the high-energy beams come from a machine outside of your body that aims the beams at a precise point on your body. During a different type of radiation treatment called brachytherapy (brak-e-THER-uh-pee), radiation is placed inside your body.
Radiation therapy damages cells by destroying the genetic material that controls how cells grow and divide. While both healthy and cancerous cells are damaged by radiation therapy, the goal of radiation therapy is to destroy as few normal, healthy cells as possible. Normal cells can often repair much of the damage caused by radiation.
Vascular Access Device Blood Draws
This procedure involves the insertion of a catheter into a patient's blood vessel to provide an effective method of drawing blood or delivering medications, blood products, or nutrition into a patient's bloodstream over weeks, months, or even years.