- The medical services available at
St.
Catherine of Siena Medical Center and its medical
community have expanded significantly during the past few years. Especially in the field
of Neuro-Oncology, recent acquisitions of
new
surgical and
radiosurgery
technologies as well as non-surgical treatment programs, have made possible a
multidisciplinary, comprehensive approach to the treatment of Nervous System tumors.
Treatments that until recently were only offered by large academic centers are now
available at our local St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center and medical community. In the past, brain tumor patients often
found their care fragmented, regularly visiting several locations for management of their
problem. Patients found this frustrating, as well as physically and emotionally stressful.
The Neuro-Oncology Program offers a unified approach to diagnosis, treatment,
rehabilitation and psychosocial support coordinated through a single committee based at
St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center . Representatives from a variety of the
hospital's medical, surgical and support areas meet through the Neuro-Oncology Committee
to discuss and design an individualized treatment plan for each patient.
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- What is Neuro-Oncology?
-
- Neuro-oncology is the study and treatment of growths
(tumors) of the nervous system (brain,
spinal cord/nerves and peripheral nerves). The biological behavior of these neurological
tumors is often quite different from that of growths outside the nervous
system. This because they generally grow in much more critical
areas of the body, are less sensitive to chemotherapeutic agents and require more precise
methods of applying radiation. This means that the surgical treatment, radiation
treatment, as well as chemotherapy presents a much greater technical challenge. It is in
these fields of treatment that significant new developments have occurred, with the
development of new technologies that are now available to the Neuro-Oncology staff at
St.
Catherine of Siena Medical Center.
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- Neuro-Oncology is not one single specialty but rather a team
approach to the challenging problem of treating nervous system tumors. Neuro-oncologists
can therefor be found in the fields of Neurosurgery, Neurology, Radiation Oncology and
Medical Oncology. Studies have shown that, when patients are treated in the setting of a
comprehensive oncology center with a team approach, the results are generally better than
when patients are referred from specialist to specialist without the benefit of regular
interaction between the participating providers. Furthermore, to have access to such a
center without having to leave the community is a major additional advantage.With the
arrival of new diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical technologies, now available at
St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, such a "state of the art" approach can now be offered
right here in the community.
What new technological advances are
available?
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