Natasha Tiffany, MD, has spent more than 15 years with Oregon Oncology Specialists in Salem. Since 2008, she has also served as an affiliate assistant professor at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. Over the course of her career in medicine, Natasha Tiffany, MD, has focused on a number of cancer-related topics, including advances in immunotherapy for cancer treatment.
Major advances in immunotherapy over the past decade have played a role in the development of treatments for select types of cancer, including melanoma. Traditional chemotherapy has not been particularly effective in treating melanoma. Now, with the advent of immunotherapy, the prognosis for patients with melanoma has been significantly improved. With immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the body’s natural immune system, the toxicity of tradiational chemotherapy and radiation is avoided. Instead of receiving toxic chemotherapy, patients receive a stimulator that helps immune cells identify and destroy cancerous tumor cells. The core principle behind immunotherapy treatments for cancer involves alerting immune cells to the presence of cancer cells, which can block communications between the brain and the immune system, effectively cloaking the presence of cancer in the body. In some cases, the positive results of immunotherapy have been dramatic. Patients dealing with a melanoma diagnosis, or other forms of cancer, should discuss the potential benefits of immunotherapy with a trusted medical professional.
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AuthorNatasha Tiffany, MD, is a physician, educator, and research scientist currently working in Oregon. A Partner and Physician in a private practice located in the state’s capital city of Salem, Dr. Tiffany teaches at her alma mater, Oregon Health & Science University, where she is an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Hematology and Medical Oncology Division. Archives
October 2019
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