Cancer Care
Cancer care specialists at MountainView Regional Medical Center provide a range of treatment options that are tailored to meet each patient's individual needs. Doctors plan treatment by consulting with surgeons and chemotherapy specialists to develop the most effective approach. In most cases, several approaches are combined to provide treatment.
Part of MountainView Regional Medical Center's care program includes special support services to address the unique needs of cancer patients and their families. The multidisciplinary team includes primary care doctors, oncologists, surgeons, nurses, pain management specialists, dietitians and other professionals who work together to provide individualized care.
Treatment options include:
- Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy, also known as medical oncology, uses chemicals to destroy or slow the growth of cancer cells.
- Hormone therapy – Hormone therapy slows or stops the growth of cancer cells that are dependent on hormones to grow. Doctors can prescribe medications that affect the activity or production of hormones, or may surgically remove a gland that produces hormones.
- Immunotherapy – Immunotherapy uses the body's immune system to fight cancer cells, and includes biological therapy (biotherapy), which uses substances made from living organisms to fight cancer. Targeted therapy is when precision drugs are used to target a specific change in the cancer cell that causes it to grow. The targeted therapy finds this mechanism and stops it, which slows or stops the cancer cells.
Surgery
The cancer care teams at MountainView Regional Medical Center carefully evaluate each patient's needs to determine whether surgery offers the best chance for success. When surgery presents the best option, doctors utilize minimally invasive techniques whenever possible, which may allow greater precision and may offer patients less scarring and a faster recovery.