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Loyola’s multidisciplinary approach to treating
gastrointestinal (GI) cancers is most evident
in the team of specialists who will first consult
on your care and then deliver treatment in a safe,
caring and comfortable environment.
Treatment plans and options will be formulated
by the team and presented to you and your family
during the same day. Whether your treatment includes
surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, you'll benefit
from the shared knowledge of all our medical experts
coming together to develop your treatment program.
Since
Loyola's GI oncology team meets weekly, the open
communication among members of the team about
your medical needs continues throughout your treatment.
Additionally, a nurse coordinator will work directly
with you to help you through each stage of your
treatment program.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a combination of drugs designed
to kill cancer cells. When needed, chemotherapy
treatment may be administered at the Cardinal
Bernardin Cancer Center on our Maywood campus
or at our Loyola site in Homer
Glen, offering you flexibility in obtaining
the care you need.
Surgery
Should you require surgery, our surgical
oncology specialists will provide the specialized
surgery needed. Being surgical oncologists means
that they have undergone extensive specialty training
in procedures to remove solid tumors of the gastrointestinal
tract. Our surgeons perform a large number of
such surgeries on patients with complex cancers
of the pancreas, esophagus, stomach, liver, colon
and rectum.
Radiation Therapy
The quality of radiation therapy is dependent
on many specialists: from the physicists and dosimetrists,
who consult with the radiation oncologist to plan
the radiation treatments and insure the safety
of the radiation doses, to the nurses and radiation
therapists who see you daily to deliver the radiation
treatments. All these health-care professionals
openly and routinely communicate with one another
about your care and your response to it.
Three
main types of radiation therapy are employed to
treat GI cancers. The choice of therapy is dependent
on the type of cancer, the location of the tumor,
the proximity of the tumor to other organs, and
the size and shape of the tumor.
- 3-D
Conformal Radiation Therapy (3DCRT) is very
targeted therapy that is focused on the cancer
itself or on the regions that may contain cancer.
It is used in an effort to prevent the cancer
from recurring.
- Intensity
Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is used for
patients who have a tumor that is complex in
shape and near other organs that cannot be
treated.
- Stereotactic
Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) is a highly targeted
therapy that is given in high doses during a
short period of time.
Interventional
Radiology
Interventional
radiology – or interventional oncology – uses
targeted radiation treatment to kill cancer cells
without damaging other good cells around the cancer.
Most
interventional radiology treatments are administered
to patients with liver tumors. Interventional
radiology treatments may be administered on their
own or done in combination with surgical procedures.
The three key treatments that Loyola's interventional
oncologists utilize are:
- Radiofrequency
ablation — high frequency radio waves
to kill the cancerous tissue. A needle is directed
into the tumor, where it delivers heat to a
specific area.
- Transarterial
chemoembolization (TACE) — chemotherapy
injected into a tumor through an artery. A catheter
is inserted into the artery in your groin that
supplies blood to the tumor in the liver. Drugs
are administered and then the artery is closed
off upon completion.
- Radioembolization
— the injection of radioactive material
into the tumor. Beads of yttrium, the radioactive
material, are injected into the tumor through
a catheter to deliver a very high dose of radiation.
Access
to Clinical Trials
New knowledge about treatments only can
be obtained when patients participate in clinical
research trials. If there is a clinical trial
in which you may be eligible to participate, your
doctor or the research nurse will explain it to
you and give you more information. You then can
determine if you want to participate.
Caring
for Your Spirit
In addition to your physician specialists who
will care for you, nurses, social workers and
chaplains, among many others, will partner
with you to provide supportive
care that treats your whole person – body,
mind and spirit.
Contacts
If you would like to make an appointment
or need assistance to find an appropriate physician,
please call us at (888) LUHS-888.
Related
Links
Clinical
trials
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