Treatment Options

Cancer treatments can vary dramatically person to person. The type of treatment patients receive usually depends on the type of cancer they have, the specific stage of the cancer, and their overall health. 

There are several main treatment options available at Legacy Health. We also recommend that you talk with your doctor to learn more about your specific treatment options.

• Cellular therapy: Involves the transplantation of stem cells to restore crucial blood-forming cells that grow into white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. These blood cells fight infection, carry oxygen throughout the body and help clot blood. Our bodies need them to stay healthy.
• Chemotherapy:  Uses powerful drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body. The drugs stop or slow the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy is given alone or with other treatments, such as radiation and surgery.
• Hormone therapy: Slows or stops the growth of cancer by blocking or interfering with hormones, which can sometimes help cancer cells grow. Hormone therapy is most commonly given as a pill and is also called hormone treatment or endocrine therapy.
• Immunotherapy: Triggers the body’s own immune system to treat cancer. Immunotherapy is also called biologic therapy. Substances from the body or those made in a lab are used to trigger the immune response. The goal is to boost, restore or direct one’s own natural defense against cancer.
• Interventional radiology: Uses different imaging tools, including CT, X-ray, ultrasound and MRI tests, to guide tools or deliver drugs and treatments that can treat tumors. These minimally invasive methods are increasingly playing a role in cancer treatment for certain tumors, often replacing more traditional approaches.
• Radiation therapy: Uses beams of intense radiation energy to kill cancer cells or slow down their growth by damaging their DNA. Cancer cells with damaged DNA stop dividing or die and are broken down by the body over a period of days or weeks.
• Surgery: Aims to remove cancerous tumors through surgical procedure. Surgery can be effective, especially for early-stage cancers. Many cancer patients will have some kind of surgery as part of their treatment plan. Legacy also offers reconstructive surgery to help restore appearance and function after cancer treatment.
• Targeted therapy: Uses drugs to prevent cancer cells from growing, dividing, and spreading. Unlike chemotherapy, this treatment works by blocking certain proteins that help cancer cells grow. This approach helps slow or stop tumor growth while reducing harm to healthy cells.