Treatment Options

Treatment depends on the type and stage of a patient's cancer. Options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of these treatments.

Surgery

Stamford Hospital is known for its expertise in minimally invasive surgical techniques. Such techniques can mean less pain, less blood loss and less need for blood transfusions for our patients. Moreover, it can result in a shorter hospital stay, a quicker recovery and faster return to normal daily activities.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy.) Systemic chemotherapy is often given to advanced disease patients, and is being used more frequently as post-operative adjuvant therapy.

When chemotherapy is placed directly into the spinal column, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.

Treatment given before surgery is called neoadjuvant therapy. When given after surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy will kill any remaining cancer cells. Treatment given after the surgery is called adjuvant therapy.

Radiation Therapy

In some instances, radiation therapy is employed simultaneously with chemotherapy, or in sequence with it. The newer targeted therapies, given either with chemotherapy or as single agents, have added to the overall effectiveness of cancer treatment.

Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and of the cancer being treated. It can serve as an alternative to surgery, be used in conjunction with chemotherapy, and can also be effective in relieving specific symptoms.

We offer CyberKnife® Stereotactic Radiosurgery for especially hard-to-reach tumors in non-surgical candidates at our own CyberKnife Center, the first such center in the region.

For more information or to make an appointment please call
1-877-233-WELL (9355).