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Multidisciplinary Services
 What are my treatment options?
Other important services:
Nutrition Care & Pathology
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Cancer treatment varies depending upon your type of cancer, stage of cancer, and overall condition. Additionally, your treatment may vary depending on whether or not the goal of your treatment is to cure your cancer, keep your cancer from spreading, or to relieve the symptoms caused by cancer. Depending on these factors, you may receive one or more of the following:
One or more treatment modalities may be used to provide you with the most effective treatment. Increasingly, it is common to use several treatment modalities together (concurrently) or in sequence with the goal of preventing recurrence. This is referred to as multi-modality treatment of the cancer.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is any treatment involving the use of drugs to kill cancer cells.
Targeted Therapies
A targeted therapy is one that is designed to treat only the cancer cells and minimize damage to normal, healthy cells.
Surgery
Surgery is used to diagnose cancer, determine its stage, and to treat cancer. One common type of surgery that may be used to help with diagnosing cancer is a biopsy. A biopsy involves taking a tissue sample from the suspected cancer for examination by a specialist in a laboratory. A biopsy is often performed in the physician's office or in an outpatient surgery center. A positive biopsy indicates the presence of cancer; a negative biopsy may indicate that no cancer is present in the sample.
When surgery is used for treatment, the cancer and some tissue adjacent to the cancer are typically removed. In addition to providing local treatment of the cancer, information gained during surgery is useful in predicting the likelihood of cancer recurrence and whether other treatment modalities will be necessary.
Biological Therapy
Biological therapy is referred to by many terms, including immunologic therapy, immunotherapy, or biotherapy.
Hormonal Therapy
Hormone therapy, similar to chemotherapy, is a systemic treatment in that it may affect cancer cells throughout the body.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, uses high-energy rays to damage or kill cancer cells by preventing them from growing and dividing. Similar to surgery, radiation therapy is a local treatment used to eliminate or eradicate visible tumors. Radiation therapy is not typically useful in eradicating cancer cells that have already spread to other parts of the body. Radiation therapy may be externally or internally delivered. External radiation delivers high-energy rays directly to the tumor site from a machine outside the body. Internal radiation, or brachytherapy, involves the implantation of a small amount of radioactive material in or near the cancer. Radiation may be used to cure or control cancer, or to ease some of the symptoms caused by cancer. Sometimes radiation is used with other types of cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy and surgery, and sometimes it is used alone.
Click here to learn more about New Milford Hospital's Radiation Oncology Center.
OTHER IMPORTANT SERVICES
Nutrition Care Services For Ambulatory Oncology Center: Nutrition counseling is available at the Ambulatory Oncology Center at New Milford Hospital. Individuals who are receiving treatment at the Center are routinely asked about their dietary intake, eating habits and weight status. A registered dietitian is available for those seeking a more detailed nutritional evaluation. An individual session with the dietitian can be arranged by simply asking the oncologist or nurse for an appointment. Consultations are usually coordinated with an existing chemotherapy or radiation session. During nutrition consultation patients receive information about calorie and fluid requirements, meals and snacks and even shopping tips.
Pathology: Our cancer center uses the resources of the excellent pathology department headed by Dr. Rodrigues. Pathology is also reviewed at a variety of outside institutions and required based on the type of cancer being reviewed. Dr. Rodrigues, in consultation with the outside centers arrives at an accurate diagnosis, which forms the mainstay of the treatment decisions. All pathology cases where a cancer diagnosis is made are reviewed at or multidisciplinary cancer conference, held every Friday.
Most cancer patients will undergo a biopsy or other procedure to remove a sample of tissue for examination by a pathologist in order to diagnose their disease. A pathologist is a physician specializing in the diagnosis of disease based on examination of tissues and fluids removed from the body. Upon examination, the pathologist determines if the tissue sample contains normal, pre-cancerous or cancerous cells and then writes a report with his or her findings. The ensuing report is called a pathology report and is used by the primary doctor in conjunction with other relevant tests or X-rays to make a final diagnosis and determine a treatment strategy. By having a basic understanding of what the pathologist is looking for and the structure of the report, you may better understand your pathology report. Having a copy of your pathology report for your personal records is highly recommended. Your primary doctor should be able to address specific questions you have about your pathology report.
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