Medical Oncology
At PRK Hospitals we are equipped with effective and advanced treatment methods for Oncology. We have specialist Oncologists who can take good care of patients. We understand that cancer care is very complex, prolonged, and intense.
It needs concerted, coordinated and precise planning to ensure the best outcomes with the current standard of care demands that treatment plans be not only patient-centric and multidisciplinary but also customized for each patient.
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What is Medical Oncology?
Medical Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the treatment of cancer using chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy, and targeted therapy. Our PRK Hospitals Oncology teams work efficiently to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer offering customized multi-modality therapies.
Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that involves the injection of a drug into a patient’s body to destroy the cancer cells. This treatment helps to slow down the growth of cancer cells or sometimes completely stop them grow.
Immunotherapy:
Immunotherapy is the process of activating the immune system to fight again the cancer cells. In this treatment cells from the patient’s body are used for reprogramming the immune system. This reprogramming is done in three ways namely Drug therapy, Dendritic cell therapy, and cancer vaccines.
Targeted therapy:
Targeted therapy is completely different from regular chemotherapy and stops the spread of cancer cells all over the body.
Hormone Therapy:
As some cancers use hormones in the patient body to grow their count, this therapy blocks the hormones in the body to stop the growth of cancer.
How does radiation therapy work?
Radiation therapy kills or damages cancer cells in the area being treated. Cancer cells begin to die days or weeks after treatment starts, and continue to die for weeks or months after it finishes. Although the radiation can also damage healthy cells, most of these cells tend to receive a lower dose and can usually repair themselves. Many people will develop temporary side effects during or shortly after treatment that may cause pain or discomfort.
What is the difference between chemotherapy and radiation therapy?
Chemotherapy means medications given by injections or tablets for treatment of cancer. The medicine circulates throughout the entire body and is generally prescribed by a medical oncologist. Radiation therapy is treatment by rays produced by a linear accelerator or another radiation source, and is prescribed by a radiation oncologist. The radiotherapy beams are focused on a very specific area of the body, and thus the effects are local.
How long does each treatment take?
Radiation technologists, who are under the direction of the radiation oncologist, will take all the time necessary to ensure that you are accurately positioned for your treatment.
This may be between 15 to 20 minutes. The actual time when the radiation is “on” is generally only about a minute or two for each treatment field. The staff tries to arrange the schedules to ensure that appointments are kept on time, but on some days, there may be delays because of unforeseen circumstances or emergencies.
What are clinical trials?
Clinical trials are medical research studies to test new treatments in people with cancer and find better ways to treat the disease.
Clinical trials can test new:
- Cancer drugs
- Types of surgery for cancer
- Treatment methods, such as gene therapy
There are three phases of clinical trials:
- Phase I trials are the first step in testing a new treatment in humans and where researchers are looking for a better way to help cancer patients.
- Phase II trials decide whether the new treatment has an anticancer effect.
- Phase III trials compare the new cancer treatment with the results of standard treatment.
About PRK Hospitals
At PRK Super Specialty Hospitals, every care-giver follows the fundamentals of healing, by providing care & support while helping you understand the importance of working towards a common goal of healing.