Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy & Hormone Therapy
Cancer medications play a key role in most treatment plans at St. Bernards Healthcare. Learn about the three main types of drugs, and discover how we help keep you safe and comfortable during your care.
Chemotherapy & Infusion
Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells anywhere in your body. You may receive chemo as a pill or by infusion—intravenously (IV), which means through a vein. Infusion treatment sessions take place in the most convenient city for you:
Feel free to bring a loved one with you for support and companionship. At either facility, you’ll relax in a comfortable recliner while watching TV.
Scalp Cooling Saves Your Hair
Reduce hair loss during chemotherapy with a Paxman Scalp Cooling cap at the cancer center. Ask your nurse about this option, which is free thanks to support from the St. Bernards Foundation. During infusion sessions, you’ll wear a head covering that reduces the temperature of your hair follicles to between 64 and 72 degrees. This cap preserves more of your hair. Your results depend on your type of cancer and chemo drug. Learn more at coldcap.com.
Your Chemotherapy Team
Throughout treatment, doctors and oncology certified nurses are available to take care of you and manage any side effects. An advanced practice provider also helps oversee your care at St. Bernards Cancer Center. Not many other cancer facilities have this additional team member for support, but we want you to have the best possible experience.
Pharmacists are also at the cancer center to prepare the right dose of chemotherapy for you. Staff at our onsite lab will test your blood before treatment to make sure you’re healthy enough for chemo.
Preventing Infection After Chemotherapy
Chemo reduces white blood cells that help your body fight infections. So, your treatment may include drugs called growth factors to help your bone marrow make white blood cells faster. These growth factors reduce the likelihood of getting an infectious disease after chemotherapy.
Certified, Excellent Care
When you choose St. Bernards Cancer Center for chemotherapy, you receive some of the state’s best care. We’re the only facility in northeast Arkansas to hold Quality Oncology Practice Initiative certification from the Association for Clinical Oncology. That means our staff and procedures exceed high national standards for safe, effective chemotherapy.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy, or biotherapy, trains your immune system to fight cancer. Most of these drugs have FDA approval to treat cancers at stages three or four. Immunotherapy targets only cancer cells, so it causes fewer side effects than chemo. Doctors sometimes order a genetic profile of lung tumors and other cancers to learn which immune drug will work best. You have access to this advanced care from physicians in St. Bernards Medical Group.
Hormone Therapy
Certain cancer drugs starve tumors of the hormones they need to survive. This approach slows or stops the cancer’s growth and reduces the risk it will return. Your doctor may prescribe hormone therapy as part of your treatment plan for breast cancer or prostate cancer.
