Cancer Care Centers of Brevard provides hematology services to patients with coagulation, clotting disorders, and other diseases related to blood and the generation of blood in the bone marrow. Hematologists study the red and white blood cells, their relative proportions and general cell health, and the diseases caused by imbalances.
Your blood is made up of plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, and has many complex functions. It takes oxygen and other nourishment to your body’s tissues and carries away carbon dioxide and other waste. It also must coagulate or clot, when your tissues are injured. When something in your blood is not functioning correctly, you have a hematologic or blood disorder. Cancer Care Centers of Brevard provide personalized care for all types of blood cancers and non-cancerous blood disorders.
Blood Disorder Diagnosis
If you are suspected of having a hematologic disorder, you will most likely require a blood test called a complete blood count (CBC). Using a small drop of blood this test will provide a count of the white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Your physicians may also perform other blood tests used to measure enzymes and proteins in the blood, evaluating the function of specific organs such as the liver and thyroid.
Because blood develops from the stem cells found in bone marrow, a sample of bone marrow can sometimes be examined to determine why blood cells are abnormal or why there are too few or too many of any blood cells. Bone marrow samples are usually taken from the hip bone using a needle, and the procedure usually takes about 30 minutes.
We Provide Patient Care For the Following Areas:
- All types of anemia
- Iron-related disorders and diseases, iron metabolism, iron overload, and porphyrias
- Myeloid disorders (white blood cell disorders)
- Myeloproliferative disorders (such as P. vera)
- Plasma cell dyscrasias (such as myeloma)
- Acute leukemias (myeloid and lymphoid)
- Chronic leukemias (myeloid and lymphoid)
- Lymphoproliferative disorders, such as lymphoma
- Hemostasis and thrombosis (bleeding and clotting disorders)
- Use of hematopoietic growth factors
- Transfusion and Laboratory medicine
Treatments for Blood Disorders
Treatments for blood disorders vary depending on the disorder. Some types of anemia, for example, can be controlled through diet and nutrition. Other blood disorders require more aggressive treatment. Our hematologists use the latest in therapies and technologies to treat all types of blood disorders from the use of chemotherapy and immunosuppressive drugs to growth factor drugs and blood and marrow transplantation.
Treatments that we offer include:
- Monoclonal antibodies
- Proteasome inhibitors
- Immune modulators, often used for myeloma
At Cancer Care Centers of Brevard, we are dedicated to expanding the knowledge of cancer and blood disorders. We are continually working to find better treatment options through clinical trials and other types of research. As part of US Oncology Research, we can participate in clinical trials that provide important access to investigational drugs to patients in our community.