Medical Oncology and Chemotherapy

Medical oncologists are skilled specialists who diagnose and treat cancer using chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy and targeted therapy. Mercy Health medical oncologists are often the main provider on your cancer care team, guiding your care plan, coordinating treatments administered by other specialist and offering compassionate support throughout your journey. One of the most useful and commonly used methods of treatments for medical oncologists is chemotherapy, often referred to as chemo. Chemotherapy, refers to the use of specialized medications to kill cancer cells. Chemo drugs target cells that grow and divide quickly, as cancer cells do. Chemotherapy works throughout your body, as opposed to surgical and radiotherapy treatments that target highly specific areas in which cancer cells are present.

Depending on your specific circumstances – the type of cancer and severity of your condition – chemotherapy can have a number of effects, from curing your cancer to controlling growth and spreading of cancerous cells to simply easing some symptoms of the disease. Chemotherapy can be used as the primary treatment for your condition, or in conjunction with surgical and radiotherapy treatments. Some common uses of chemo are shrinking a tumor prior to radiation or surgery, destroying remaining cancer cells following surgery or radiation therapy and increasing the effectiveness of other treatments by killing cancer cells that return or spread to other parts of your body. Our highly trained medical oncologists will assess your condition and build a cancer care plan tailored to your specific needs.