Innovative Treatments

Acupuncture-Like Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (ALTENS)

ALTENS is a non-invasive treatment that delivers low-voltage electrical pulses through electrodes placed on the skin. Roswell Park offers this treatment to patients who may suffer a very dry mouth condition called xerostomia, a side effect of radiation treatments to the head or neck. ALTENS can offer effective relief for this condition without the side effect of drug treatments.

Advanced Endoscopy

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Advanced Endoscopic Services combine leading-edge technology with minimally invasive techniques to diagnose and treat malignant and benign digestive conditions. Learn more about our Endoscopic Team and the most advanced options for diagnosis, staging and treatment. 

Balloon Kyphoplasty

Balloon kyphoplasty is a minimally-invasive procedure used to treat spinal compression fractures that can occur as a result of radiation therapy, steroid use and osteoporosis. Such fractures cause the spine to curve and results in severe pain, limited movement and diminished quality of life.

Usually performed on an outpatient basis, the procedure requires two very small incisions on the patient’s back. A tiny balloon is inserted into the fractured vertebra and inflated to move the bone closer to its normal shape and position. The balloon is then removed and bone cement is injected into the space created by the balloon. 

Benefits

  • Offers significant, long-term pain relief
  • Corrects spinal curvature
  • Provides a safer option than vertebroplasty, a similar procedure that cements the bone, but does not utilize the balloon.

Roswell Park is a high-volume center for balloon kyphoplasty.

Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT)

Roswell Park’s Transplant and Cellular Therapy (TCT) Center specialists will guide you and your loved ones through the transplant process. We’re here to help you make informed decisions; provide the most advanced, comprehensive medical care as well as emotional support; coordinate the services you’ll need before, during, and after the transplant; and continue to monitor your health into the future.

Interventional Pulmonology

Interventional pulmonology offers minimally invasive alternatives to surgery for diagnosis and treatment. More than 90 percent of procedures are performed on an outpatient basis.

Interventional Radiology

Interventional radiology involves surgery-sparing procedures that use small instruments to treat diseases through the skin. Learn more about these advanced techniques

Medicine

The Department of Medicine is made up of physicians, scientists, and allied health personnel organized into three main divisions of Hematologic Malignancies, Solid tumor Malignancies and Internal Medicine. We provide innovative medical treatment options, as well as advancements in cancer prevention and screening, outcomes research, drug development, quality of life and survivorship.

Nuclear Medicine

Radioactive Iodine Therapy is a treatment for thyroid cancer as well as benign thyroid disease. The thyroid gland absorbs nearly all the iodine in your body. By ingesting a radioactive form of iodine (liquid or pill form) it quickly collects in the thyroid gland and the radiation destroys the thyroid cells, including the cancerous ones. This treatment may be used for certain types of thyroid cancers and/or as a post-surgical treatment to kill any remaining cancerous thyroid cells elsewhere in the body.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

Photodynamic therapy, developed in the late 1970s by Thomas Dougherty, PhD, of Roswell Park, is a targeted anticancer treatment — one that kills tumor cells without permanently damaging surrounding tissue.

Radiation Medicine

The Department of Radiation Oncology is devoted to being the regional leader in innovative treatment methodologies supported by research and multidisciplinary partnerships. Our team of specialists, including board certified physicians, physicists and dosimetrists, work closely with our physician assistants, registered nurses and radiation therapists to develop a customized treatment plan specifically for you. Learn more about radiation medicine treatment options.

Surgery

Surgery is the most common treatment for many types of cancer. Your doctors will discuss your options with you and review the benefits and risks of any surgical procedure.