“Huntington's cancer team made my future their focus.”

Our mission is simple: build a healthier community. It’s what we’ve been doing for over 130 years, and today we’re doing it in more ways than ever before.

Home > Huntington Health Services > Huntington Cancer Center > Cancer Treatment Options

Cancer Treatment Options

Cancer Treatment Options

We are lucky to live in a time when there are more cancer treatment options than ever before, yet deciding on a course of care can still be a daunting experience.

Our cancer physicians work with every patient to identify the most effective course of treatment. Your expert team will recommend the right leading-edge treatment option for your unique situation, whether it be surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation oncology or a combination of them.

Call (626) 995-9001 to learn more about the Huntington Cancer Center and receive a physician referral.

Genetic Counseling

Over the past several years, inherited factors, or genes, have been identified that can contribute to the development of some forms of breast, ovarian, colorectal and other types of cancer.

Huntington Cancer Center offers hereditary cancer risk assessment and genetic counseling to people who are concerned about their personal and/or family history of cancer and risk to other family members.

Treatment Methods

There are several methods of treatment for cancer, learn more about them below.

patient looking at nurse with rubber gloves with IV line

We provide the most up-to-date radiation therapy treatment options in a caring and compassionate setting. Our physicians are board-certified radiation oncologists who specialize in delivering precision radiation therapy. Our team uses the latest methods, including External Beam Radiation Therapy (IMRT and SBRT) and Brachytherapy.

The Huntington Radiation Oncology Department consists of a team of professionals specially trained in cancer care. The program is staffed with radiation oncologists, radiation physicists, radiation therapists, a dietitian and RNs specially trained in cancer care.

Throughout any treatment regimen, our staff will help schedule your appointments, answer any questions and personally guide you through your treatment course.

Chemotherapy is a unique treatment because the specialized drugs can reach cancer cells in any area of the body, unlike surgery and radiation which target a specific area. In some cases, chemotherapy is given prior to surgery to shrink a tumor site.

Chemotherapy treatments are tailored specifically for each person’s unique situation. When deciding on which chemotherapy medicines would be best for you, you and your doctor will take into account the stage and other characteristics of the cancer.

Immunotherapy is treatment that uses certain parts of a person’s immune system to fight diseases such as cancer. This can be done in a couple of ways:

  • Stimulating, or boosting, the natural defenses of your immune system so it works harder or smarter to find and attack cancer cells
  • Making substances in a lab that are just like immune system components and using them to help restore or improve how your immune system works to find and attack cancer cells

In the last few decades immunotherapy has become an important part of treating some types of cancer. New immunotherapy treatments are being tested and approved, and new ways of working with the immune system are being discovered at a very fast pace.

Immunotherapy works better for some types of cancer than for others. It’s used by itself for some of these cancers, but for others it seems to work better when used with other types of treatment.

For those receiving a diagnosis for cancer, approximately 60% will undergo some form of surgery, either by itself or in combination with other therapies.

The primary goals of surgery in cancer treatment are two-fold. First to diagnose if a growth is cancerous, and second is to remove the tumor from the body if necessary. Together, you and your physicians will decide what is best for your individual circumstances.

Factors that go into making such a determination include:

  • The type of tumor
  • The size of the tumor as determined by physical exam and imaging
  • The molecular features of the tumor
  • Your overall health
  • Your personal preferences

For Trusted Care

Call (626) 995-9001

Get the Cancer Care You Need

Call us to learn more about our trusted cancer services and to receive a physician referral.

Call (626) 995-9001