Cancer Treatment Options | Huntington Hospital

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.

Your expert team will recommend the right leading-edge treatment option for your unique situation, whether surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation oncology. As part of our comprehensive support program, specialized nurse navigators work with every patient and their family to assist in this sometimes difficult process of choosing the right treatment.

We are also proud to host our Tumor Board, which brings together the brightest minds in cancer from inside and outside of Huntington’s walls. Our Tumor Board reviews select cases.

Treatment Methods

There are several methods of treatment for cancer, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery. Learn more about each below.

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.

We have provided printable radiation therapy informational materials:

Radiation therapy at Huntington Hospital
Radiation therapy delivery systems
During your radiation therapy treatment
Managing radiation therapy side effects
If you are receiving whole breast radiation, click for these Tips for minimizing the side effects of radiation

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.

Learn more about chemotherapy here.

Check out our printable PDF about chemotherapy:

The benefits of chemotherapy

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.

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

Huntington Hospital surgeons work closely with primary care physicians, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists and other specialists throughout Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, in order to serve as a regional referral center for oncology.

Expert Review Through Tumor Boards

Huntington Hospital cancer physicians participate in Tumor Boards, a treatment planning approach in which a group of doctors with expertise in different specialties review and discuss a patient’s medical condition and treatment options. The multidisciplinary, multi-institutional group will collectively design the best course of action for individuals according to the most up-to-date evidence-based guidelines. Select cases are brought to Tumor Boards.

How Can We Help You?

Treatment Methods

Expert Review Through Tumor Boards