Treatment Options

If cancer is suspected, tissue must be collected and examined; this procedure is usually done by what is known as a biopsy, or needle aspiration. The proven cancer is then classified by the organ from which it arose (lung, breast, colon, prostate, etc.), as well as by its cell type ( squamous cell, adenocarcinoma, small cell, transitional cell, etc.).

Should a diagnosis be confirmed, it is important to determine whether or not the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, as the extent of tumor will often determine the type of treatment necessary. This evaluation process is known as "staging", and may include physical examination, blood tests, x-rays or various scans. Cancers usually spread in one of three ways: directly to nearby tissues, through lymphatic channels to lymph nodes , or via the bloodstream to other organs such as the lungs, bones, brain, or liver.

How is cancer treated?
After cancer has been diagnosed and the extent of the disease determined (staging), appropriate treatment is recommended.

There are three main ways of treating cancer:

1. Surgery (the most common treatment) is almost always required in the form of a biopsy so that the presence of cancer is confirmed, although not all cancers or patients are suitable for surgery. More extensive surgery is sometimes useful, depending upon the type of tumor being treated.
2. Chemotherapy involves the administration of drugs by mouth or by vein (intravenously) for several months at regular intervals, or for years in the case of hormone therapy. This treatment is often used when the cancer has spread to other organs, or when the risk of spread is significant.



3. Radiation Therapy uses a type of x-ray or special particles in the treatment of cancer patients. These x-rays can be given in two ways:
   • External-beam radiation uses a powerful machine called a linear accelerator.
   • Brachytherapy
   can also be administered, which involves an internal radiation treatment delivered via temporary or permanent radioactive implants using solid or liquid sources such as radium cesium, iridium, iodine, palladium, californium, or strontium.

   Baptist Cancer Institute is home to Gamma Knife services. The Gamma Knife is a remarkable tool that uses highly focused gamma radiation to "operate" on the brain without making an incision.

   Baptist Medical Center also has the area's only Novalis Tx™ system for image-guided radiosurgery, which offers patients fast, accurate non-surgical treatments for cancer and other conditions in the brain, head, neck and body.

Most patients with cancer will be treated with one or more of the treatment types noted above. The best treatment is customized to the particular patient, determined by the type of cancer and its location and extent.