More Answers About Cancer

What can I expect?

A diagnosis of cancer is frightening. But experience has taught us that when patients and their families take an active role in their treatment, anxiety can be lessened and a new sense of control can emerge.

At Maury Regional, you, your doctors and our staff work as partners. On the first visit to our Cancer Center, the patient will meet with the radiation oncologist, a medical physician who has undergone specialized training in cancer treatment and the use of radiation as therapy. During this visit, the physician will use state-of-the-art equipment to locate the tumor and define the area to be treated. He will also determine the type of treatment necessary and design a program that is best suited for each individual.

What options are available to me?

Radiation therapy is a form of treatment used in the control of localized cancers. In this type of therapy, carefully controlled doses of radiation are used to target and destroy cancer cells. Typically, a patient will receive small doses several times a week for a period of four to seven weeks. Therapy is usually conducted on an outpatient basis in the Cancer Center, if the patient is well enough.

Your team may elect to use intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to treat the cancer with higher doses of radiation while sparing the healthy surrounding tissue.  IMRT may be used to treat patients with head and neck, prostate, pancreatic and other cancers where precisely placed beams can be used to deliver high doses of radiation without harming healthy tissue or organs in close proximity.

The Cancer Center also utilizes brachytherapy, which attacks malignant tumors by placing a radioactive source within or adjacent to cancerous tissue. This treatment allows a physician to use a higher total dose of radiation to treat a smaller area in a shorter period of time than is possible with external radiation. Depending upon the type of cancer, brachytherapy may involve either the implanting of a permanent radioactive source--a seed--or in a temporary manner, in which a catheter is used to deliver radiation through a series of treatments over a short period of time. This technology can be used to treat breast, lung, esophageal, gynecologic, cervical and endometrial tumors.

Chemotherapy, or the use of chemical agents to destroy cancer cells, is frequently used to attack cancer. Depending on your case, your doctor and Maury Regional's medical oncologists may utilize one or more chemical agents for your specific type of cancer.

After meeting with your oncologist to discuss your treatment plan, your chemotherapy can be given to you either in our outpatient intravenous (IV) therapy room, your physician's office, or you may be admitted to the Oncology Unit for treatment.

What other information is available?

Your first and best source for answers is your doctor.  For more information and support, you can look into one of our support groups.

More information can be found on the web at the American Cancer Society's website (http://www.cancer.org).