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Medical Therapy

Expert, Personalized Care for the Best Outcomes

Chemotherapy and other forms of medical oncology use powerful medications to slow cancer cell growth and prevent it from spreading. This is one of the most common treatments for cancer and may be used alone or in combination with other treatments, such as surgery or radiation therapy.

At St. Joseph’s Health, our medical oncology team provides expert, personalized cancer care using traditional cancer drugs as well as new innovative therapies to treat cancer. They design individualized treatment plans to ensure you receive the right combination of medicines to effectively treat your specific type and stage of cancer.  As cancer drugs may be just one part of your cancer treatment plan, our medical oncologists work closely with your other cancer doctors, including radiation oncologists and surgeons, to deliver the best possible care and create a personalized treatment plan for your specific needs. We also work closely with you to manage any side effects and help you take the best possible care of yourself during treatment.

In partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health’s John Theurer Cancer Center, patients have access to the most sophisticated drug therapies available, as well as novel therapeutics and clinical trials.

Full Range of Treatments

As part of your personalized care plan, your medical oncologist will help choose the optimal therapy or therapies for your specific cancer. Common options include:

  • Chemotherapy: The use of drugs to destroy or slow the growth of cancer cells. This is a standard treatment and may be used in combination with radiation, surgery or other treatment options.  Chemo comes in several forms: pills, shots or intravenous (IV) injections. It is administered in cycles, with a rest period following each cycle to give the body time to recover. Chemo may be used before surgery to shrink a tumor or after surgery to reduce the chances of the cancer returning.
  • Immunotherapy: This uses the body’s natural defense system to fight cancer. Immunotherapy drugs work by making hidden cancer cells visible to the immune system, allowing white blood cells to destroy the cancer.
  • Targeted therapy: This involves drugs that block cancer from growing and spreading by targeting specific genes or proteins in cancer cells that aid in tumor growth.
  • Hormone therapy: Some cancers, like breast and prostate cancer, are dependent on certain hormones to grow. This treatment involves taking medications that stop production of these hormones or interfere with their activity.

Contact Us

The Cancer Center at Paterson
703 Main St
Paterson, NJ 07503
973-754-4891

The Cancer Center at Wayne
234 Hamburg Turnpike
Wayne, NJ 07470
973-389-6040

The Cancer Center at Totowa
225 Minnisink Road
Totowa, NJ 07512
862-657-4960