OhioHealth Medical Minute: Cancer Infusion Therapy in Kenton
In 2018, over 17 million cases of cancer were reported worldwide, with an estimated 27.5 million new cases projected in the next 20 years. When it comes to a medical condition that affects so many people, we want treatment options that are quick, easy and convenient.
Farrukh Ashraf, MD, a medical oncologist at OhioHealth Hardin Memorial Hospital, explains some of the new cancer treatment services available close-to-home at for patients at Hardin Memorial Hospital in Kenton in the latest OhioHealth Medical Minute.
MT: “All right, let’s talk about cancer. It’s one of those things that I know a lot of people are battling, and you’re doing your best to fight it with them. Talk about the advancements in technology and how much we’ve really taken that leap forward.”
FA: “So with this advanced technology that we have nowadays, we can check patient’s genomic profile, and genomic profile is more than just a test. What we do is we test hundreds of genes and relevant biomarkers and genomic alteration in patient’s tumors that would help match a patient with approved targeted therapies, immune therapies and clinical trials.”
MT: “All right, so we know about the battle, but let’s talk about how we battle it. Talk about chemotherapy vs. where we are here. This is infusion.”
FA: “The main difference between chemotherapy and immune therapies is that immune therapy attacks cancer by modifying your immune system. The benefit is that older patients and patients who have other medical complexities can tolerate it better than our traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy.”
MT: “And to make that can happen when it comes to infusion, we’re bringing it closer to folks. We’re here in Kenton. This is Hardin Memorial Hospital. Talk about this space and why it’s so important to have these kind of services right here close to home for a lot of people.”
FA: “I think it’s very, very exciting for our patients. Our patients don’t want to drive. They want to get as close to home as much they can. We have all sorts of support services available here. We can do any type of infusion treatment and any blood transfusion patients need. We have nutrition services available, our support staff and we have our certified pharmacists and certified oncology nurses. I think it’s really exciting and patients are very appreciative of that.”
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