Treatments and Services

Immunosuppressant drugs are medications that reduce the activity of your immune system. This prevents your immune system from attacking healthy cells and causing health problems.

Phototherapy uses two types of ultraviolet (UV) light to destroy cancer cells: ultraviolet A (UVA) or ultraviolet B (UVB). Both types of UV light are administered using fluorescent lamps specially calibrated to maximize the effect of treatment while minimizing the risk of burns.

Physical therapy can help patients regain strength or mobility, relearn skills, or find new ways of doing everyday tasks. The goal of PT is for people to be able to return to their normal activities.

A stem cell transplant is a procedure that uses stem cells to replace blood cells in the bone marrow that have been damaged or destroyed by chemotherapy, radiation or disease. For patients receiving a stem cell transplant, the first step is to lower the amount of cancer present in the patient’s body by induction treatment. After induction treatment, stem cells are harvested from the patient’s blood or bone marrow. Once harvested, the cells are frozen. After the stem cells have been removed, the patient receives high-dose chemotherapy to kill any leftover myeloma cells. The treatment also kills all of the remaining normal bone marrow cells. The frozen stem cells are then thawed and given back to the patient through an intravenous line in a process similar to a blood transfusion. The stem cells travel to the bone marrow where they begin to make new blood cells.

Cortisol is a naturally-occurring hormone in the body that can affect immune cells. Corticosteroids can be given orally (as a pill) or topically (as a cream, gel, or ointment). Because topical corticosteroids are applied directly to the skin and not circulated throughout the body, patients being treated with them may experience fewer side effects.