Overview
Find a full range of cancer drug treatments – including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and hormone therapy – from experienced cancer doctors, nurses and therapists at Ballad Health.
Your Cancer Care Plan
Rely on your multiple-specialty cancer care team at Ballad Health. You’ll receive a personal therapy plan that reflects your needs and preferences and uses advanced techniques and treatments.
You benefit from board-certified medical oncologists (cancer doctors), Triumph cancer navigators, oncology nurses, dietitians, social workers and pharmacists who will help you through cancer treatments. Your care team strives to keep you comfortable, informed and safe during therapy.
Drug Treatments for Cancer
Drug treatments for cancer work throughout your body, not just on the area affected by cancer. Your cancer treatment plan may use one or more of the following drug therapies:
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy
- Hormone therapy
Count on your Ballad Health cancer care team to answer questions about your treatment and help you manage side effects.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy slows or stops fast-growing cancer cells by delivering medicine to your body through a vein (intravenous (IV) infusion), pill or injection (shot). Your cancer treatment may use a single chemotherapy drug or combination chemotherapy – several drugs in a certain order or combination.
You may receive chemotherapy as part of a treatment plan, along with surgery, radiation therapy or both. Before surgery, chemotherapy may shrink the size of a tumor. After surgery, it can help kill any remaining cancer cells.
Before chemotherapy treatments, your Triumph cancer navigator will assess your medical history and tailor your drug therapy to help reduce side effects.
What to Expect During Chemotherapy
Depending on the Ballad Health location where you get care, you may receive chemotherapy infusions in a private room or open infusion area that offers:
- Reclining chairs with heat and massage
- Blankets
- Reading materials
- Personal TVs with earphone connections
- Free Wi-Fi
Feel free to invite an adult support person to come with you. Please don’t bring items with a strong smell (fish, cologne, etc.) that may bother other patients during treatment.
Learn more about infusion services at Ballad Health.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy helps your immune system fight cancer. Treatments work in different ways to:
- Boost your body’s immune system
- Help train your immune system to specifically attack cancer cells
If you need immunotherapy, your cancer care team will explain the goals of therapy for your type of cancer. Your doctor may pair immunotherapy with other cancer therapies for your best outcome.
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy destroys or limits the growth of cancer cells in your body by decreasing or blocking certain hormones. You may need artificial hormones or removal of a hormone-producing organ before or after surgery if you have breast cancer or prostate cancer.
Cancer Treatment Support Services
Find complete support for you and your family during your cancer treatments.