Medical Oncology

With years of experience, the Saint Joseph Cancer Center Medical Oncology Department provides a leading, comprehensive approach to cancer treatment including the latest advances in chemotherapy. Along with state-of-the-art treatment, our outstanding staff of physicians, nurses, medical assistants and clergy offers compassionate expert care to those undergoing cancer treatments.

Medical oncologists use strong drugs called chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells. These medications work by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells.

After our physicians have determined your type and stage of cancer, they will choose the best drugs for your treatment.

Chemotherapy can be used to:

• Cure cancer
• Keep cancer from spreading
• Slow the cancer's growth
• Kill cancer cells that have spread throughout the body
• Relieve symptoms caused by the cancer

Chemotherapy drugs can be given by mouth or injection. Because the medicines travel through the blood stream to the entire body, chemotherapy is considered a body-wide (systemic) treatment.