Our medical oncologists at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Covington specialize in diagnosing and treating cancer with individualized care through services such as chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy and biological therapy. Our experienced team provides supportive and personalized care by working with specialists within our system to ensure the most effective treatment plan for each patient. Oncology nurses, specifically trained in the needs of cancer patients, work with our medical oncologists to care for you before, during and after treatment.
Often referred to as “chemo,” chemotherapy is the use of drugs to stop or slow the growth of cancer cells. Chemo is most often administered as an infusion. It is sometimes used by itself to treat cancer, but a majority of the time chemo is part of a larger, comprehensive treatment plan that can also include surgery and/or radiation therapy.
At the Cancer Center, we understand a diagnosis and treatment of cancer can be overwhelming, and our infusion care team is dedicated to your care and comfort.
In partnership with Northshore Oncology Associates, our state-of-the-art infusion center is equipped with superior technology to allow patients to receive the most effective chemotherapy treatments in a single, convenient location. Our highly experienced and oncology-certified nurses provide compassionate, safe and high-quality care.
With attentive and expert ambulatory infusion services, we strive to ensure every visit is an effective, positive experience. In addition, a variety of amenities are provided for enhanced patient comfort during each visit:
Our infusion center is equipped with the latest technologies in a single, convenient location. Other services offered at this Northshore location include blood draws, hydration therapy, intravenous antibiotic infusions, injections, pump disconnections and traditional intravenous chemotherapy infusions.
Some cancers, such as prostate and breast cancer, use hormones to grow. Hormonal therapy, also called hormone therapy, hormone treatment, or endocrine therapy, is most often combined with other cancer treatments to help slow or stop the growth of the disease.
Targeted therapy drugs are designed to target cancer by targeting the specific inner makeup of cancer cells, leaving healthy cells mostly unaffected. This differs from standard forms of chemotherapy that may interact with rapidly dividing cancerous and normal cells. Although it may sometimes be used alone, targeted therapy is usually used in conjunction with other cancer treatments. Side effects from targeted therapy drugs differ from chemotherapy side effects.
Biological Therapy uses substance derived from living organisms, naturally occurring in the body or lab-produced versions of those elements, to treat cancer. Antibodies, a type of biological therapy, target cancer cells directly. Other biological therapies, immunotherapies, boost the body’s own immune system to help fight cancer. These do not directly target cancer cells.
Immunotherapy is an emerging option for treating cancer that harnesses an individual’s own immune system to recognize, control and potentially cure cancers. While standard treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy attack the disease itself, immunotherapy aims to empower the immune system to eliminate the disease.
Different forms of immunotherapy may be provided in different ways: treatment vaccines; antibody therapies or drugs received through injection, pill or capsule; a topical ointment or cream; or a catheter. The side effects of immunotherapy are often more manageable than those of traditional therapies. The Cancer Center offers a number of immunotherapy clinical trials for various types of cancer.
Because of donor support, pioneering treatments such as immunotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy, leading-edge clinical trials and other advances abound at the Cancer Center. Innovation is thriving, and we are continuously looking for opportunities to do more. Donor commitment is key the Cancer Center’s ability to provide leading-edge science and allow us to go even further in acquiring and developing the most innovative and effective cancer-fighting technologies and therapies.