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Center
for Cancer Care
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The
Region's Leader In Cancer Care
Since 1995, experience, dedication and caring are the three words most associated
with the Center for Cancer Care at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center. The Center
for Cancer Care is the region's leading provider of cancer care and hope.
The
Center for Cancer Care houses almost all outpatient cancer
services in one area so cancer patients and their loved
ones do not have to endure the emotional and physical stress
of making multiple office visits to several locations.
OSF
Saint Anthony was the first healthcare provider in the
Rockford area to provide our patients high-dose rate brachytherapy,
which uses radiation internally to attack tumors, prostate
seed implants, as well as genetic risk assessment programs
for breast and colon cancer.
The
physicians, nurses, medical technicians and other healthcare
staff at the Center for Cancer Care are some of the best
in the business. They are talented, skilled, hard working
and knowledgeable professionals dedicated to providing
world-class medical care, as well as the emotional and
spiritual support needed to defeat cancer.
Services
offered at the Center for Cancer Care include:
- Chemotherapy
- Antibiotic
therapy
- Blood
cell transfusions
- Hydration
therapy
- External
beam treatments
- High-dose
rate brachytherapy
- Prostate
seed implants
- Pain
management
- Mammosite
- Research
protocols
- Social
services
- Nutrition
support
- Financial
counseling
- Pastoral
care
- Support
groups
- Educational
materials
- Rehabilitation
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Breast Cancer Risk Screening Tool Designed at OSF
Kent
F. Hoskins, MD, director of the cancer risk assessment program
at the OSF Saint Anthony Center for Cancer Care, published
an article in the October 2006 edition of Cancer, a peer-review
journal of the American Cancer Society. The Hoskins Pedigree
Assessment Tool helps determine a woman's risk for developing
a genetically-related breast cancer. We are making the tool
available at no cost. Click
here to use the tool. |
Clinical
Trial Information
For over 10 years, the doctors and nurses at our Center have been working to
improve cancer treatments for our patients. For information about our current
clinical trials, click here. |
Meet
the Physicians
Drs. Richard E. Nora, George T. Bryan, Jr., Mete Korkmaz, Kent F. Hoskins, Neil
A. Das Gupta and Ebenezer Berko are the outstanding oncologists on the staff
of the OSF Saint Anthony Center for Cancer Care. Click
here for more on the Center for Cancer Care physicians. |
Certificate
Approval With Commendation Earned
OSF
Saint Anthony Center for Cancer Care has earned a Certificate
of Approval with Commendation from the Commission on
Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. This commendation
is awarded to facilities that have voluntarily committed
to meet the highest standards in diagnosing and treating
cancer. To earn the approval, the Center for Cancer Care
underwent a rigorous evaluation and performance review.
The award of the Certificate of Approval with Commendation
assures people the Center for Cancer Care provides state-of-the-art
services and technology; a multispecialty, team approach
to treatment; information about clinical trials, education
and support; and life-long patient follow-up. |
Mammosite
Speeds Breast Cancer Treatment
A minimally invasive, faster treatment option for some women with early-stage
breast cancer is available at the OSF Saint Anthony Center for Cancer Care. The
treatment, Mammosite, is a targeted internal radiation therapy, to some women
with early-stage breast cancer. Approximately 30 to 40 percent of women diagnosed
with early stage breast cancer are eligible for this procedure. For more information,
click here.
To find out if you
are eligible for Mammosite, talk to your surgeon. |
|  OSF
Saint Anthony Center for Cancer Care Offers Breast
Cancer Risk Reduction Class
Women who have never been diagnosed with breast cancer but may have a moderate
to high risk for developing the disease are invited to a Breast Cancer Risk Reduction
Class. The class generally meets from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on the second
Thursday of each month in the library at the OSF Saint Anthony Center for Cancer
Care.
In
addition to increasing age, risk factors for developing
breast cancer include having a family history
of breast or ovarian cancer, especially if diagnosed
at an early age, or carrying flawed versions of certain genes that have been
linked to breast cancer. Women who have been diagnosed with precancerous breast
changes, such as atypical hyperplasia, are also at increased risk. Recent studies
show that the risk of breast cancer in high-risk women can be reduced with
the use of certain anti-estrogen medication.
 Women
who are concerned about their chance of developing hereditary
breast cancer can use the “Pedigree Assessment
Tool” (PAT) that Dr. Hoskins
and his colleagues, Alice Zwaagstra, MS, RN, recently retired clinical nurse
specialist for the OSF Saint Anthony cancer risk assessment program, and
Michael Ranz, BS, MBA, developed for identifying women
at high risk for hereditary
breast cancer syndrome. The PAT can be accessed through
the OSF Saint Anthony Web site,
www.osfhealth.com.
Information
provided in the breast cancer risk reduction class is
derived from the National Cancer Institute
as well as information from the STAR study,
including
the benefits and risks of chemoprevention.
Class
size is limited, and registration is required. For registration
and information, call 815-227-2618. |
Bridges
Program for Breast Cancer Patients
Decisions
and choices can be overwhelming and frightening for the newly
diagnosed breast cancer patient. Offering information, education
and support, Bridges can assist you in choosing the right path
as you begin the journey of coping with this illness.
The
Bridges program provides a "navigator" for you,
if you choose, who will help guide you through the journey
of the sometimes confusing cancer treatment process. The
breast cancer navigator program is offered as a free service
to all women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.
Remember
that when you are diagnosed with breast cancer, your oncologist,
primary care physician and surgeon will be overseeing your
care and making recommendations for treatment.
The
patient navigator is a healthcare professional who uses
her expert knowledge of the breast cancer experience to
guide you through the various phases of the treatment process.
She is available to you for four sessions either by phone
or in a face-to-face meeting in a private area where your
concerns can be addressed in a confidential manner.
For
more information or to arrange for a free consultation,
please call 815-227-2618. |
Cancer
Care Takes Step Forward With IGRT
The OSF Saint Anthony Center for Cancer Care has added Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) to its radiation oncology capabilities, the first facility in Rockford to offer this advanced technology for cancer treatment.
IGRT uses CT imaging that enables physicians to obtain high-resolution images which pinpoint tumor sites so that patient positioning can be adjusted, if necessary, before each treatment.
Traditionally, radiation oncologists compensated for changes in the tumor location or the patient’s breathing patterns by treating a margin of healthy tissue around the tumor. The guidance system enables the physician to precisely locate the tumor to minimize the amount of healthy tissue that is exposed to radiation.
The OSF Center for Cancer Care uses the image guidance system manufactured by Varian Medical Systems, which is known for sophisticated, leading-edge technology in radiation treatment delivery. The on-board imaging system allows for adjustment to the slightest variance in the tumor’s position, even compensating for the patient’s breathing, weight change or tumor movement.
In addition to IGRT, OSF Saint Anthony will be able to offer sterotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy to a selected group of patients who previously would have been referred to Madison or the Chicago area for this type of treatment.
Stereotactic radiosurgery is a method of delivering high doses of ionizing radiation to small intracranial targets. This type of cancer treatment involves very precise radiation delivered in a single session so that the desired target is irradiated, sparing adjacent normal tissue. OSF Saint Anthony radiation oncologists will be collaborating with local neurosurgeons in the planning and delivery of this specialized form of radiation treatment. |
Links
American
Cancer Society
National
Cancer Institute
Medline
Genetics
Reference
Commission
on Cancer
For more information about the Center for
Cancer Care call (815) 227-CARE (2273). |
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