Chemotherapy

Medical Oncology is one of the three pillars of cancer treatment along with surgery and radiotherapy. It deals with treatment of cancer using drugs which kill cancer cells. Aims of the treatment include cure, prolongation of life, relief of symptoms and providing good quality of life, depending on the extent of disease at presentation. Recent years have seen the advent of several new chemotherapy drugs and also targeted therapy to help achieve the above-mentioned aims.

Medical Oncology involves treating cancer using the following drugs

Chemotherapy
These are drugs which kill cancer cells or stop their growth. However, they also act on normal body cells, thus leading to side effects

Targeted therapy
These drugs target cancer cells specifically, sparing normal cells, thus limiting side effects

Hormonal therapy
This involves use of hormonal agents for prevention and treatment of certain cancers such as breast cancer and prostate cancer

Medical Oncology department at Kokilaben Hospital

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to destroy rapidly growing cancer cells. Some kinds of chemotherapy may slow the growth of cancer cells, and keep them from spreading to other parts of the body. It may be used with radiation to help shrink the tumor before surgery. It may also be used after surgery or radiation to destroy remnant cancer cells. At the centre, chemotherapy is given as an outpatient procedure at our specialised treatment areas, managed by a team of oncology trained nurses who provide close monitoring.

Facilities

• 10 bedded chemotherapy day care unit located on the 2nd floor in the centre for cancer
• Chemotherapy specialist nurses trained in the administration and monitoring of chemotherapy
• Counselor to deal with the psychosocial aspects of cancer
• Specialists in giving supportive care to terminally ill cancer patients
• Cable television facility for entertainment during chemotherapy administration

Chemotherapy Day Care Unit

We have a dedicated day care unit for patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy. This is manned by our chemotherapy specialist nurses. Apart from giving chemotherapy and targeted therapy, we also administer supportive treatment like blood transfusion, platelet transfusion, growth factor support and intravenous fluids in the day care unit. It has a procedure room for performing routine medical procedures such as lumbar puncture, pleural fluid drainage, ascitic fluid drainage, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. There is a separate pharmacy room for proper handling and preparation of chemotherapy drugs. The day care unit is equipped with cable television facility for entertainment during chemotherapy administration.

Chemotherapy Specialist Nurses

At Kokilaben Hospital, chemotherapy is administered by chemotherapy specialist nurses. These nurses are specifically trained for delivering chemotherapy safely and effectively. They also provide services such as health education, counseling and emotional support for our patients and their careers.

Counseling

Counseling of cancer patients is an important part of Medical Oncology practice. It helps patients deal with stress, which is often associated with cancer. We have a dedicated counselor / social worker who will provide our patients with the following services:

• Counseling of cancer patients
• Counseling of patient relatives and caregivers
• Help with rail / air concession for outstation patients
• Help with medical aid for patients who can’t afford to get it
• CableHelp with arranging accommodation for outstation patients and their caregivers during treatment

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