Chemotherapy Infusion
Overview
The Medical Oncologists at Summit use chemotherapy as an anti-cancer medicine to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells.
What Is Chemotherapy and How Does It Work?
Summit’s highly trained medical staff work with the medical oncologists to administer each chemotherapy treatment. Chemotherapy (or chemo) is the use of medicines or drugs to treat cancer. Surgery and radiation therapy are used to remove, kill, or damage cancer cells in a certain area, but chemo can work throughout the entire body. Chemo can kill cancer cells that have metastasized, which means the cancer has spread to parts of the body far away from the original tumor.
A single chemo drug can be used to treat cancer, but often multiple drugs are used in a certain order or in certain combinations. Multiple drugs with different actions can work together to kill more cancer cells. This can also reduce the chance that the cancer may become resistant to any one chemo drug.
Summit’s board-certified medical oncologists work with our patients to decide what drug or combination of drugs they will receive. Chemo can be delivered either intravenously (IV), by an injection, in the form of a pill, or through a combination of these options. Delivery method and the number of needed treatments will depend on the type of cancer, where it is, how big it is, and how it affects each patient’s normal body functions and overall health.
Depending on the type of cancer, its stage (how far it has spread), and where a patient is in the treatment process, chemo can be used to:
- Cure the cancer.
- Keep the cancer from spreading.
- Slow the cancer’s growth.
- Kill cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body.
- Relieve symptoms caused by cancer.
- Shrink a tumor before surgery or radiation therapy.
- Kill any remaining cancer cells after surgery or radiation therapy.
- Enhance other treatments if your cancer comes back.
Why Receive Chemotherapy Treatments at Summit Cancer Centers?
Summit’s board-certified medical oncologists and certified oncology nursing staff are highly trained with years of experience in the use of chemotherapy.
As a key component of Summit’s integrative, multidisciplinary cancer treatment, our care team members include board-certified radiation oncologists. All members of the care team work together to create custom treatment plans and offer supportive care to boost the immune system or ease treatment side effects.
