Description

About Medical Oncology

Medical Oncology Center is treating patients diagnosed with cancer, utilizing all means of modern medicine in a multidisciplinary approach. Our center is serving our patients using worldwide accepted scientific treatment modalities. 

Cancer patients and families also need psychological support, along with medical treatment. In recognition of this fact, we intend to provide our patients and families with the best service by our friendly staff in a hygienic and comfortable environment we created in our chemotherapy unit. Also, periodical follow up is maintained for patient, who completed chemotherapy, at our clinic. We can provide cancer screening service for people who are under risk of cancer. Our clinic is also providing care and treatment at inpatient setting. Ankara Güven Hospital is on your side at every stage of the fight against cancer.

Medical Oncology Services

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a chemical treatment used to kill fast-growing cells in the body. Because cancer cells proliferate at a much faster rate than other cells in the body, chemotherapy is used for the treatment of cancer diseases. Chemotherapeutic drugs contain a wide range of chemicals and there are a large variety of drugs produced for different types of cancer. It is also possible to use a combination of different chemotherapeutic drugs, depending on the type and stage of cancer. Although chemotherapy is the most effective method that scientists have found to date for cancer treatment, the side effects of this treatment can be very harsh on the body. Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite are among the mildest side effects, whereas side effects on the severe side include hair loss, mouth sores, easy bruising, fever, and other similar conditions. If extended over several years, treatment may give rise to lung tissue damage, heart problems, infertility, kidney problems, and the risk to develop another cancer. If treatment is effective and there is a regression of cancer, treatment can be continued with a lower drug dose in which case the side effects will slowly diminish.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is another type of cancer treatment, though not as common as chemotherapy or other surgical treatment methods. Unlike chemotherapy, immunotherapy aims at enhancing the body’s defenses against cancer through biological support in lieu of chemical drug administration. Drugs developed in laboratory environment are used to boost the immune system. These drugs support the immune system, thus helping prevent growth of cancer cells, and stop the spread of cancer in that they prevent the metastasis of cancerous cells to other parts of the body. It may happen that immunotherapy affects beneficials cells instead of cancer cells, in which case the patients may develop side effects. Even though the drugs employed in this type of treatment are of a biological nature, their side effects may be as sever as those of chemotherapy. While the most prominent side effects include pain, fever, redness, itching and swelling, other side effects like respiratory distress, palpitations, infection risk, organ inflammation, hypotension or hypertension may also occur. Some types of immunotherapy may rarely cause serious or even fatal allergic reactions.

Pain Management (Algology)

Algology treatments are used to support treatment of cancer patients without differentiating between chronic pains or types of pain with no underlying reason. While the most common treatment method is medical therapy, physiotherapy and even acupuncture are accepted within this field. All treatment kinds can be used in combination for chronic pain cases. Medical therapy is used for treatment of inflammatory pains and muscle pains. Creams, lotions and sprays applied to area with pain are also effective treatment methods. Physicians may recommend medications such as muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety drugs, diazepam and antidepressant agents in case of severe pain. Number of medicines that can be used for diffuse joint pains are limited. Therefore, joint pain secondary to cancer is one of the pain types that are most difficult to treat. However, epidural can be used with recommendation of the physician for lumbar pains or pain secondary to spinal stenosis. Pain in cancer cases may be critically severe. Even morphine can be used in such cases instead of simple painkillers.

Symptomatic Treatment

Purpose of the symptomatic treatment is to eliminate signs and symptoms of the disease without completely curing the disease. While the actual goal of this treatment is to provide patient with comfort it is also used to prevent symptoms from causing other diseases. There are many symptoms of cancer as it has various side effects. Symptomatic treatment can be performed to allow patient to combat symptoms secondary to cancer treatment more effectively. Symptomatic treatment is generally preferred for treatment of diseases such as avian flu, swine flu as these diseases do not have a direct treatment. Pain may develop in body as a result of a disease. However, purpose of using pain killers is to treat the developing symptom not the disease itself. Moreover, using anti-inflammatory drugs to prevent inflammation that cause joint pains, cough medication or syrups which are used to treat cough appearing in case of flu or common cold can be accepted as examples for symptomatic treatment. Use of anti-histaminic agents in allergies is another example. Using multiple drugs to treat symptoms is also possible. However, symptomatic treatment is not a final solution in most cases. If the underlying cause of the disease cannot be identified, treatment of the actual disease may be delayed.