Adult Hematology & Hematologic Malignancies Program Our Services

Patients of the Hematologic Malignancies Program have access to the most advanced diagnostic and treatment options available. Supportive care is also available through the CompleteLife Program whose staff compassionately support and educate our patients by tending to the emotional, mental, social and spiritual needs of our patients.

Diagnostic Tools

Blood disorder and cancer diagnosis may be aided by one or more of the following tools:

  • clinical examination to check for lumps or anything else that seems unusual
  • blood testing to check various blood cell counts and look for cancerous cells or changes in chromosomes
  • bone marrow and fine needle aspiration biopsy to remove a small piece of bone and bone marrow through a needle inserted into the hipbone or breastbone
  • radiographic studies, such as x-rays or CT scans, to take pictures of the body
  • other special studies such as flow cytometry to measure the number of cells in a sample and determine certain cell characteristics - such as size, shape, and the presence of tumor markers

Treatment Options

Treatment options for blood disorders and cancers include one or more of the following, based on the most current treatment recommendations and the needs of the patient:

  • chemotherapy to kill cancer cells with drugs - both standard, therapy that is widely accepted and used, and investigational, that is being tested in clinical trials
  • surgery to take out the cancer and sometimes surrounding healthy tissue and lymph nodes in an operation
  • radiotherapy to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors
  • immunotherapy to help the immune system to fight cancer
  • monoclonal antibodies, a laboratory-produced substance that can locate and bind to cancer cells wherever they are in the body, used to deliver drugs, toxins, or radioactive material directly to a tumor
  • bone marrow transplantation to replace bone marrow that has been destroyed by treatment with high doses of drugs or radiation with the patient’s own marrow or that of a donor

IU Simon Cancer Center patients have access to all standard treatment therapies and, for those who qualify, state of the science clinical trials for care options not yet available elsewhere. Information is also available about ongoing clinical studies elsewhere in the United States.