Overview of Services at The John A. DeQuattro Community Cancer Center
A primary focus of the cancer services provided at The John A. DeQuattro Community Cancer Center is radiation therapy, in which high doses of radiation are used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
Radiation therapy may be external or internal. External radiation, the type most often used, comes from a machine outside the body and is usually given on an outpatient basis. Internal radiation is implanted into or near the tumor in small capsules or other containers.
The DeQuattro Cancer Center features leading-edge radiation therapy procedures including:
- Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), a highly sophisticated treatment involving software and medical imaging technology to allow radiation to be more precisely focused on tumors
- Brachytherapy, a high-tech procedure in which tiny radioactive "seeds" are implanted directly into the body, destroying the cancerous tissue while having as little impact as possible on healthy tissue
The Cancer Center also houses the practice of the cancer specialists (oncologists) on the ECHN medical staff, who provide a full range of medical oncology services including diagnosis and treatment planning.
Support Services
Our high-tech radiation therapy services are joined by various support services for patients and their families including:
- Nutrition support (in which dietitians plan individualized nutrition plans based on each person's need and lifestyle)
- Social services (to help with the emotional and financial stresses of cancer)
- Pain management (to help relieve discomfort from cancer or its treatment)
- Pastoral care (for spiritual needs)
- Hospice care (to support and care for terminally ill patients)
- Home care (to help with symptom management, rehabilitation and coping skills, among others)
- Information about cancer