Cancer Without Chemotherapy: ‘A Totally Different World’

For many years, chemotherapy was the most utilized cancer treatment on the market. Now, thanks to years of research (and the groundbreaking work Philly Fights Cancer proudly fundraises for) doctors are able to treat certain cancers - such as breast and lung - without chemotherapy.

This month, the New York Times reported on the world of cancer treatment that doesn’t involve chemotherapy, featuring Penn Medicine's own Dr. Vonderheide, Dr. Aggarwal and Dr. Domchek, who share their insights on non-chemotherapy cancer treatments.

From the article:

Dr. Robert Vonderheide, a lung cancer specialist who heads the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center, remembers his early days on the job, about 20 years ago.

“The big discussion was, Do you give patients two different types of chemotherapy or three?” he said. There was even a clinical trial to see whether four types of chemotherapy would be better.

“Now we are walking in to see even patients with advanced lung cancer and telling them, ‘No chemo,’” Dr. Vonderheide said.

Read the full story from the New York Times here.

From the article:

Dr. Robert Vonderheide, a lung cancer specialist who heads the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center, remembers his early days on the job, about 20 years ago.

“The big discussion was, Do you give patients two different types of chemotherapy or three?” he said. There was even a clinical trial to see whether four types of chemotherapy would be better.

“Now we are walking in to see even patients with advanced lung cancer and telling them, ‘No chemo,’” Dr. Vonderheide said.

Read the full story from the New York Times here.