In the field of medical oncology, significant advancements have emerged in the past decade. At El Portal Cancer Centers, our physicians are committed to discovering innovative strategies for combating and eradicating cancer. Our focus remains on striving for a cure, and when that is not feasible, we aim to manage cancer as a chronic condition, enabling patients to lead fulfilling lives throughout their treatment journey.
Medical Oncology doctors usually treat cancer with radiation therapy, surgery or medications, including chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and/or biologic therapy, either alone or in combination. If your cancer can be treated with radiation, you will be referred to a radiation oncologist – a doctor who specializes in treating patients with radiation therapy. Your radiation oncologist will work with your primary doctor and other cancer specialists, such as surgeons and medical oncologists, to oversee your care. He or she will discuss the details of your cancer with you, the role of radiation therapy in your overall treatment plan and what to expect from your treatment.
El Portal Cancer Centers use state of the art equipment that maximizes effectiveness and minimizes risks. Please check out the various therapies below by clicking on the name for more information.
El Portal Comprehensive Cancer Center Expert Medical Oncologist (EPCCC), we’re here to help you find answers and understand the steps we take to diagnose and treat you. Below you will find a step-by-step explanation of what to expect when you become an EPCCC patient. And always feel free to contact us directly if you have questions or concerns.
Your Consultation
You’ll be interviewed and examined by one of our physicians, an oncologist, hematologist or urologist, depending on your condition. The doctor who referred you (probably your primary care physician) will have provided your medical records, but we will also ask you to fill out paperwork about your health history, medications you’re taking, and recent medical visits with other specialists.
Diagnosis
If you’ve been referred for a cancer diagnosis, your medical oncologist will order lab tests, which may include a blood work-up, complete blood count (CBC), urinalysis and other tests. The doctor may order a biopsy of the tumor site. And you’ll have imaging scans as well, such as CT, X-ray, MRI, PET, ultrasound, or bone scan.
Multidisciplinary Collaboration
After confirming your diagnosis, your medical oncologist will put together your team of treatment specialists — usually a surgeon, medical oncologist, and radiation oncologist. An integrative oncologist is also available to help you with treatment and quality of life issues. Together, your team develops a treatment plan tailored exactly to your lifestyle and treatment goals. If you’ve come to us with a blood disorder or hematologic malignancy, one of our skilled oncologist/hematologists will diagnose the condition, prescribe treatment and establish your follow-up protocol.
Treatment
Treatment options are varied and you may have surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of all three. It depends on the type and stage of your cancer. Our certified nursing staff will explain treatment protocols and review any potential side effects. Treatment will take place at one of our clinics or in a hospital.
Post-Treatment Care
During and after cancer treatment, you’ll have several follow-up appointments so your treatment team can continue to assess your progress and recovery. They’ll be there to help you with treatment questions, possible side effects and to plan your long-term follow-up care.
On-going Support
El Portal Comprehensive Cancer Center Expert Medical Oncology treatment team will always be here for you.
IGRT – We use image guided radiation therapy (IGRT), one of the most cutting-edge innovations in cancer technology available.
Tumors can move, because of breathing and other movement in the body. IGRT allows our doctors to locate and track the tumor at the time of treatment. With this technology, we can deliver precise radiation treatment to tumors that shift as a result of breathing and movement of the bladder and bowels. This also allows our radiation oncologists to make technical adjustments when a tumor moves outside of the planned treatment range.
As a result, the radiation treatment is targeted to the tumor as much as possible, helping to limit radiation exposure to healthy tissue and reduce common radiation side effects.
SBRT: Stereotactic Body Radio Therapy. The new treatment of choice.
In the hands of experts, many of the world’s leading radiation oncologists are employing the unique capabilities of SBRT, providing the maximum precision and potency needed to treat a variety of aggressive cancers that have defied conventional radiation therapy techniques.
El Portal Comprehensive Cancer Center uses this form of Radiation Therapy with “Elekta” Linear Accelerator to treat tumors in the lungs, liver, abdomen, pancreas, spine, and other areas of the body with pinpoint accuracy.
What is Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)?
Stereotactic radiotherapy is a high precision radiotherapy method in which a very high radiation dose is given to moderately large tumors.
The meaning of the word stereotactic is that a specially designed coordinate-system is used for exact localization of the tumor in the body, and also to accurately pinpoint the X-ray beams to the tumor. By giving a very high radiation dose the chance to kill all cells in the tumor is high.
Benefits of SBRT
• Alternative to conventional surgery
• Shorter treatment time
• High accuracy
• Low side effects
• Better outcome
Advantages of SBRT
• SBRT uses custom mapping to account for a patient’s anatomy, breathing and organ motion.
• SBRT allows us to treat small tumors close to critical organs with less damage to surrounding healthy tissues.
• With SBRT, we can deliver a single high-dose radiation treatment, so patients are often able to complete their treatment in a shorter time than with standard radiation treatment. Body radiosurgery is rare. We are able in only a few Centers of Excellence to immobilize and treat the body in a radiosurgical fashion, using high-level special technology.
What is the data supporting the use of SBRT treatments?
SBRT has shown dramatically better outcomes than conventional radiation therapy especially for early stage lung cancer, gastrointestinal tumors such as pancreatic tumors and liver tumors. There is convincing evidence from the United Stated, Japan, and Europe that SBRT may be as effective as surgery for early stage lung cancer. Two-year success rates for conventional treatment range from 30 to 40 percent, whereas the success rates for SBRT range from 80 to 90 percent comparable to surgical resection but with far fewer risks.
It is certainly the treatment modality of choice for patients who are not able to undergo surgery to remove their tumors from either a medical or technical perspective.