Cancer Treatment at Porter

Cancer Care that Considers the Whole Patient

When it comes to treating cancer, Porter’s team of board-certified Oncologists works with your physician, creating a plan to do everything possible to eliminate the malignancy while sparing healthy tissues. The health system’s Oncology Services Team is dedicated to meeting each patient’s individual needs and supporting the patient through diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

Radiation oncologists at Porter know just as important to eliminating cancer is sparing healthy tissue. In 2005, Porter took the lead in prostate cancer treatment when it introduced the first and only non-invasive form of daily prostate positioning to the region.

This procedure, which takes just 10 minutes per treatment, focuses radiation therapy precisely where it is needed.

Daily prostate positioning has accompanied other advances in precision cancer treatment, including IMRT radiation – a treatment that works to kill cancer cells while sparing adjacent healthy tissues.

For patients with head and neck cancers, this treatment is nothing short of miraculous, sparing vital salivary and parotid glands. This technology means that radiation can literally be wrapped around healthy tissues. Once cancer treatment is complete, patients are able to return to a more normal life more quickly.

Porter’s oncologists are members of nationally renowned organizations such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who treat people with cancer. ASCO members set the standard for oncology care worldwide. As members of this organization, Porter oncologists have access to the latest information regarding cancer treatment as well as clinical trials that may benefit patients.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Following a diagnosis of cancer, a Porter oncologist and other specialized physicians will develop a treatment plan that may include surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of these treatments, based on the patient¹s needs. From diagnosis through treatment, a team of physicians, nurses, and other specially trained health professionals work together to fight the cancer.

Porter’s Siemens Primus Linear Accelerator is capable of delivering both 3-D Conformal Radiation (3D-CRT) and Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). A treatment planning system with CT/MRI and PET/CT fusion capabilities also is available for the most sophisticated and accurate treatment.

Resources for Patients and Families

Support group information, including information about a chronic pain support group, is available through our Social Work Services Department at 219.263.4760 (ext. 4760 if dialing from within the hospital).

Other important resources include:

• American Cancer Society, 219.793.1030;
• Porter County Cancer Society, 462.7466;
• Home Health Services of Porter County, 462.5195;
• Respite Care of Home Health Services, 462.5195; and,
• Meals on Wheels, 462.5195.