INNOVATION
Working
Together
Innovative treatment and diagnostic
techniques involve multiple specialties.
By Laurie Wertich
W
hen it comes to cancer
treatment, teamwork is key.
At Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA), the integrated
care model puts each patient at the center
of a team that includes a medical oncologist, a surgical oncologist and a radiation
oncologist as well as other integrative
medical professionals, such as a naturopathic doctor, an acupuncturist, a nutritionist and a physical therapist. "Te
days when one or two doctors were able
to manage all of a patient's cancer needs
are long gone," explains Robert Wascher,
MD, FACS, Chief of Surgery at CTCA in
Goodyear, Arizona. "No one type of cancer doctor can know everything in this
day and age, so patients beneft from the
expertise of multiple cancer specialists."
Tis multidisciplinary treatment model
is critical to modern cancer treatment, but
what if we could take it a step further?
When teamwork and the latest technology come together, the powerful collaboration can result in better treatment for
patients.
46 cancer fighters thrive | winter 2013
WHEN SPECIALISTS AND
TREATMENTS INTERSECT
Tere are three main disciplines, or specialty areas, used to treat cancer: radiation, surgery and medical oncology. Te
collaborative, coordinated management
of patients by cancer specialists from all
three disciplines provides patients with
the most comprehensive and up-to-date
cancer treatment possible.
INTRAOPERATIVE RADIATION
THERAPY: BRINGING SURGERY
AND RADIATION TOGETHER
Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT)
is a unique, highly specialized and
innovative treatment that requires the
expertise and the collaboration of surgical and radiation oncologists to deliver
a high dose of radiation to a specifc targeted area.
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