Treatment

Surgery is often the first approach to treating cancer. In addition to traditional surgical techniques for removing cancerous tumors, The Regional Cancer Center utilizes many new techniques. Our surgeons are always learning about the latest surgical techniques for treating cancer, such as da Vinci® Prostatectomy, da Vinci® Gynecological Surgery, laparoscopic colon resection, radiofrequency ablation of liver tumors, and video-assisted thoracic lung surgery, which are procedures that have been added to the many surgical techniques performed at The Reading Hospital and Medical Center.

Chemotherapy is a vital tool in cancer treatment. It is the use of powerful agents which circulate systematically to destroy cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy is usually infused intravenously in the outpatient setting, but some chemotherapy agents can be taken orally.

Radiation therapy, which involves the application of x-rays, gamma rays, and other sources of radiation to destroy cancer cells, has been used a cancer-fighting technique almost since the discovery of x-rays more than a century ago. Stereotactic Radiosurgery is completely non-invasive, yet it has the scalpel-like potential to eliminate cancerous tissue without touching healthy surrounding areas. The Institute for Radiosurgery is one of the first ten medical centers in the United States to acquire the Trilogy System, which delivers advanced forms of stereotactic radiosurgery.

Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are the primary therapies used to treat cancer patients. Patients often need several or all of these therapies in the course of their treatment, called multi-modality therapy. Other specialized treatments, such as hormone therapy, immunotherapy, cryotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, and interventional radiology procedures may also be recommended for certain types of cancer. Each patient’s cancer treatment is individualized based on the particular type of cancer, stage or extent of disease, and other contributing factors such as co-existing medical conditions.

Diagnosing and determining the extent of cancer is an extremely important aspect of developing an individualized cancer treatment plan. To establish the diagnosis of cancer, a tissue sample is removed for microscopic analysis – this procedure generally involves fine needle aspiration, needle core biopsy, or surgery.