We know that cancer can be more than a physical disease as it touches the deepest fears of patients and their families. For this reason, we provide information to lessen the emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis. We encourage you to accept help when offered and to reach out for the support you need. Each individual will have different needs. What is meaningful to one person may be meaningless to another. We do know that it is helpful to discuss your concerns - whether it is to a friend, family member, or spiritual advisor; in a support group of people going through a similar situation; or to yourself through a journal. Find the method that works best for you. Click here for practical information and emotional support for those facing a diagnosis of cancer.

Clinical trials are studies that evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs or treatment strategies. The development of more effective cancer treatments requires that new and innovative therapies be evaluated with cancer patients. Each clinical trial is designed to find new or better ways to treat cancer patients. In oncology, clinical trials are especially important because, in the absence of high cure rates, nearly all therapeutic approaches are developmental in nature.To learn more about clinical trials, please click here.

Cancer treatment may vary depending upon the type of cancer, the stage of cancer, and the goal of treatment. Often, one or more treatment modalities may be used in order to provide the most complete treatment for the patient. Increasingly, it is common to use several treatment modalities concurrently (together) or in sequence. This is referred to as multi-modality treatment of the cancer and the modalities may include surgery, chemotherapy, biological therapy, and/or radiation therapy. For the majority of newly diagnosed cancer patients, the optimal treatment may be a multi-modality approach composed of standard therapies that have been established through extensive medical research. For other patients, the most appropriate therapy may still be under investigation and may be available only through a clinical trial. Click here for a general overview of radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy is any treatment involving the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Cancer chemotherapy may consist of single drugs or combinations of drugs, and can be administered through a vein, injected into a body cavity, or delivered orally in the form of a pill. Chemotherapy is different from surgery or radiation therapy in that the cancer-fighting drugs circulate in the blood to parts of the body where the cancer may have spread and can kill or eliminate cancers cells at sites great distances from the original cancer. As a result, chemotherapy is considered a systemic treatment. Click Here for information you may need to know about chemotherapy.