All The Ways We Care
Our approach to treating cancer combines hi-tech diagnostic equipment and treatment with the compassionate care that only a hometown hospital can deliver.
The Power of Close to Home
There are many benefits to staying close to home for your cancer care. Local care eliminates the stress and expense of traveling to an out-of-town facility that could be hundreds of miles away. Having care that is convenient is especially important for radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Both of these therapies can leave you feeling tired and fatigued. The last thing you need is to endure is a long trip or being away from the comfort of your home.
When your cancer care is close to home, friends and family are nearby and able to provide their encouragement and assistance. It is hard to underestimate that kind of emotional support when you have been diagnosed with cancer.
Don’t Forget Follow-Up Care
All cancer patients need to have follow-up care once treatment is completed. These check-ups may include blood work and other tests and procedures. Follow-up care is important to detect new or returning cancer, manage the side effects related to the treatment, and provide referrals to community resources and local support groups.
The frequency of follow-up visits is based on the type of cancer you had, the treatment you received, and your overall health. As a general rule, during the first two or three years after treatment, a follow-up appointment is recommended every three to four months and once or twice a year after that.
We also offer lifestyle and nutritional services to improve a patient’s overall health. Quitting smoking and reducing alcohol consumption can both reduce the risk of cancer. Eating a healthy diet, losing weight and starting a regular exercise program are all beneficial and need to be part of a cancer recovery plan.
Making the Diagnosis
The first line of defense in diagnosing cancer is an annual physical exam, which can detect some cancer in its early stages, especially skin cancer, when treatment is most effective. Your primary care provider will check for lumps and enlargements of an organ that may be signs of cancer.
If anything suspicious is found, the next step is usually to order laboratory tests of the blood and urine and/or diagnostic imaging. In addition to diagnosing cancer, our hi-tech imaging services are also used to determine the effectiveness of treatments in patients who have cancer. They include:
Digital X-Rays: Commonly used to diagnose bone cancer and lung cancer, especially in its early stages.
Ultrasound: This technology uses high-frequency sound waves to create images that help diagnose cancer, especially of the reproductive system and urinary system.
Biopsy: If cancer is suspected, a biopsy can be performed to collect a sample of cells for laboratory testing in order to provide a definitive diagnosis.
MRI: This technology produces detailed images without radiation by using a large magnet system.
Mammography: A low-dose X-ray of the breast, a mammogram is considered the best way to detect breast cancer early.
CT Scan: A computer processes a series of X-rays to produce accurate, high-quality 3-D images.
Nuclear Medicine: A tracer containing a very tiny amount of radioactive material is injected into the blood. A camera is then used to detect cancer cells.
Treatment Services
Surgery is a common treatment for many types of cancer and works best when the cancer is localized, that is, when the cancer is found only in the tissue or organ where it began. The surgery physically removes all or part of the cancer as well as surrounding tissue if needed. In many cases, surgery is followed by chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to make sure the cancer is completely gone.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill the cancer cells, especially the fastest growing cells. For decades, chemotherapy has been an effective and reliable treatment. The drugs can be taken orally, through an IV or injection, or topically using a cream that is applied to the skin. In most cases, many rounds of chemotherapy are required over several weeks or months.
Radiation therapy uses X-rays to kill cancer cells by preventing them from growing and dividing. The most common form of radiation therapy is External Beam, which aims X-rays at the tumor from outside the body. Internal Beam is another form of radiation therapy. In this case, the radiation is delivered inside the body through a radioactive seed placed into or near the tumor. It can also be given with an injection or through an IV.
Sources: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic, MD Anderson Cancer Center