Medical Oncology/Hematology

Medical oncology includes various medical treatments for cancer. Arizona Center for Cancer Care is a state-of-the-art cancer center with offices in Avondale, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise, Anthem, Peoria, Fountain Hills, Wickenburg, Apache Junction, Sun City, Sun City West, Goodyear, and Tempe, Arizona, that provides medical oncology. It also offers hematology services for the management of blood disorders. For medical oncology/hematology care, call the office nearest you or schedule an appointment online. Telemedicine appointments are available.

What is Medical Oncology/Hematology?

Medical oncology/hematology are two of the specialty services available at the Arizona Center for Cancer Care.

Medical Ooncology

Medical Ooncology is an area of medicine that utilizes medical interventions for the treatment of cancer, such as chemotherapy.

Hematology

Hematology is an area of medicine that manages disorders and diseases that affect the blood, lymphatic system, and bone marrow. Arizona Center for Cancer Care has hematologists who manage these types of health conditions.

What are some types of medical oncology treatments?

Medical oncology treatments at Arizona Center for Cancer Care include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, or a combination.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a medical treatment that uses drugs to rapidly kill cancer cells. Cancer cells have varying degrees of sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs, and not all forms of chemotherapy work for all cancers.

Arizona Center for Cancer Care determines what type of chemotherapy drug you need based on where your cancer started and your overall health and well-being.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a form of medical oncology that uses medications or treatments to stimulate your body’s immune system to fight off the cancer cells. 

Currently, Arizona Center for Cancer Care only uses immunotherapy to treat certain types of cancer, such as melanoma, kidney cancer, and prostate cancer. 

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy are treatments that act on specific parts of the cancer cell — usually a part of the cancer cell vital to its survival. For example, these drugs may block a signal in the cancer cell that turns off its ability to grow or spread. 

In most cases, targeted therapy drugs are highly specific and only affect the cancer cell. 

For example, the drug Arizona Center for Cancer Care uses to treat chronic myeloid leukemia turns off the protein that causes the mutated leukemic cell. Though effective, some leukemic cells may go into hibernation and develop a resistance to the drug.

Combination therapy

Combination therapy involves the use of different medical oncology treatments at the same time. Arizona Center for Cancer Care finds combination therapy an effective treatment tool for fighting cancer. 

The practice may recommend combining chemotherapy with radiation oncology because the chemotherapy drugs weaken the cancer cell, improving the effects of the radiation.

Who benefits from hematology?

Anyone with a blood, bone marrow, or lymphatic system disorder benefits from hematology care at Arizona Center for Cancer Care. That includes conditions such as:

• Hemophilia
• Lymphoma
• Leukemia 
• Anemia
• Sickle cell disease (SCD)

Arizona Center for Cancer Care has medical oncologists with advanced training in hematology that care for benign and malignant conditions.

For comprehensive medical oncology/hematology care, call Arizona Center for Cancer Care or schedule an appointment online today.