Download Advanced Cancer Care at UPMC Passavant

Advanced
Cancer Care
at UPMC
Passavant
UPMC CancerCenter at UPMC Passavant
oncologists — (l to r) Alex Chen, MD,
Gretchen Ahrendt, MD, and Kiran Mehta, MD.
Advanced Cancer Care
at UPMC Passavant
A scan (used to
locate and measure
a tumor) being
performed with a
wide-bore CT — the
extra-wide opening
helps to create
a more relaxing
experience for
patients with large
or broad frames or
claustrophobia.
Patients benefit from multidisciplinary approach
combined with state-of-the-art technology
W
hen Susan Robbins was
diagnosed with breast cancer,
she was thankful to have her
fiancé, her children, and her church
family to support her. She also had
a dedicated team of pathologists,
diagnostic radiologists, and medical,
surgical, and radiation oncologists
working together to provide her with
the highest-quality care possible.
This multidisciplinary approach,
in conjunction with cutting-edge
technology, is what draws so many
patients to UPMC Passavant for
advanced cancer care. UPMC
CancerCenter at UPMC Passavant
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North Hills Monthly Magazine, July 2014
provides advanced services for
prostate, breast, lung, esophageal,
upper gastrointestinal, lymphoma,
head and neck, pancreatic, colorectal,
liver, and gynecologic cancers.
“I can’t say enough about the people
at UPMC Passavant. They turned a
devastating diagnosis into the best
experience,” explains Ms. Robbins,
who underwent surgery and radiation
treatment. “The last day I cried
because I was glad it was over, but
I also knew that I was going to miss
them. They were really my rocks.”
“UPMC Passavant offers state-of-theart medicine in a community setting,”
says radiation oncologist Kiran Mehta,
MD. “Some of the technology that
UPMC Passavant has can usually only
be found at larger, specialty centers,
such as the Hillman Cancer Center
and Mary Hillman Jennings Radiation
Oncology Center at UPMC Shadyside.
But as part of the UPMC CancerCenter
network, UPMC Passavant is able to
provide many of the same services.”
During a weekly tumor conference,
members of the pathology, radiology,
medical, and surgical oncology
departments meet to discuss patients’
cases and develop treatment plans.
“The hospital’s physical layout is
conducive to multidisciplinary patient
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management,” says Dr. Mehta. “For
example, if a patient is receiving
chemotherapy for head and neck
cancer and their blood counts are
down, I can easily visit with their
medical oncologist and the patient to
discuss treatment-related toxicities.”
“This collaboration is essential to
ensure that patients get the best
possible care,” adds Gretchen
Ahrendt, MD, breast surgical
oncologist, Magee-Womens Breast
Cancer Program. “If a woman
develops breast cancer, for example,
she can receive 100 percent of the
care that she needs at UPMC facilities
in the North Hills. She can go to
UPMC Passavant in Cranberry for
imaging services and surgery, and
have her chemotherapy and radiation
done at UPMC CancerCenter at
UPMC Passavant. There’s no need to
travel into the city. UPMC Passavant
offers many of the same advanced
technologies as a larger, urban
center, but at a location that is more
convenient for those living north of
Pittsburgh.”
STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY
Janis Catone is one patient who
realizes just how important it is to
have access to the latest technological
advancements. In July 2013, during
her regularly scheduled mammogram,
she chose to have a 3D mammogram
instead of a traditional mammogram.
The mammogram showed a very small
lump on her breast, which was later
diagnosed as triple-negative breast
cancer. “The doctor who did my
surgery said that I was lucky to have
had a 3D mammogram, since the lump
probably wouldn’t have shown up
on a regular mammogram,” says Ms.
Catone. “Even though I wasn’t quite
at Stage 1, it was recommended that
I undergo very aggressive treatment
because of the type of cancer I had.”
A number of advanced diagnostic
services are available at the Magee
Breast Center at UPMC Passavant–
Cranberry, including computed
tomography (CT scan), positron
UPMC Passavant offers
many of the same
advanced technologies
as a larger, urban center,
but at a location that
is more convenient for
those living north of
Pittsburgh.
emission tomography (PET-CT), digital
mammography, and MRI-guided
breast biopsy. Dedicated breast
surgical specialists, with advanced
training in innovative surgical
procedures and techniques, are able
to offer an expanded array of breastconserving surgical options.
“At UPMC CancerCenter at UPMC
Passavant, surgeons work very closely
with both radiologists and oncologists
to determine the best course of
treatment, as well as to decide if future
testing is needed,” says Dr. Ahrendt,
who works in conjunction with Priscilla
McAuliffe, MD, PhD, breast surgical
oncologist, Magee-Womens Breast
Cancer Program at UPMC Passavant.
“And we are able to do most surgeries
here, except for the more complex
reconstructive surgeries.”
After receiving her diagnosis of
invasive lobular carcinoma, Ms.
Robbins made an appointment with
Dr. Ahrendt. After seeing her, Dr.
Ahrendt scheduled her surgery for
the following week. “Dr. Ahrendt was
fantastic; it went so fast, I was in and
out,” says Ms. Robbins. “Even though
I’m a nurse, I had no idea it would
happen that way. I was just so happy
that the cancer was out of me.
“It’s like it never happened,” she adds,
“and hopefully, it will never happen
again. There’s very little chance of
recurrence.”
After Ms. Catone had her surgery in
July, she was prescribed two different
types of chemotherapy, followed by
radiation at UPMC CancerCenter at
UPMC Passavant. “People couldn’t
have been nicer,” she says of her
experience. “Everyone treated me like
I was someone special. It felt like my
home away from home.
“I especially appreciated that it took
such a burden off of my family to see
(continued on next page)
Gretchen Ahrendt, MD, breast surgical
oncologist, says a woman with breast cancer
can receive 100 percent of the care she
needs at UPMC facilities in the North Hills,
including Magee Breast Center at UPMC
Passavant–Cranberry.
www.northhillsmonthly.com
North Hills Monthly Magazine, July 2014
25
ADVANCED CANCER CARE,
continued from previous page
how well I was being taken care of,”
she adds. “Cancer doesn’t only affect
the person who has it — it affects
everyone they love.”
According to radiation oncologist
Alex Chen, MD, patients who come to
UPMC Passavant for cancer treatment
are getting the best of both worlds. “In
addition to access to surgical, medical,
and radiation oncologists, patients can
take advantage of all of the advanced
technologies that we have at UPMC
Passavant,” he explains. “This includes
intensity-modulated radiation therapy,
or IMRT, which enables us to constrain
radiation to a specific tumor, causing
less damage to the surrounding critical
organs. This is particularly important
in the prostate, for example, which is
surrounded by the bowel and rectum,
and in breast cancer, where we don’t
want to overtreat the heart or lungs.”
Other targeted therapies include:
• Respiratory gating — A tracking
device that monitors the tumor’s
position during the breathing cycle
and briefly shuts off the radiation
beams when the tumor moves
beyond the treatment area.
• Image-guided radiation therapy
(IGRT) — Uses imaging technology
immediately prior to the radiation
treatment to guide the radiation
treatment beam.
• Brachytherapy — Radioactive seeds
are implanted on or near an area
needing treatment to limit radiation
to a small area, decreasing the risk
of side effects.
COMPASSIONATE CARE
As part of the UPMC CancerCenter
network, UPMC Passavant follows the
Via Pathways program. Via Pathways
are disease-specific treatment
regimens developed by teams of
academic and clinical oncologists who
regularly review current literature and
clinical practices. These specialists
keep the pathways updated for more
than 90 percent of cancer types. Via
Pathways enable the multidisciplinary
teams at UPMC Passavant to provide
26
North Hills Monthly Magazine, July 2014
A linear accelerator,
used in radiation therapy,
makes a beam of highenergy x-rays used to
treat cancer.
“...when my daughter
showed up with two
pages of questions...
they answered every
single question,
explaining every detail.
They treated me as if
I was their only patient.”
patients with the latest advances
in cancer prevention, detection,
diagnosis, and treatment. But
according to patients, the medical staff
brings even more than this level of
expertise to the care that they provide.
“They are the best people ever,” says
Ms. Robbins. “They are very kind and
very compassionate.”
“The people at UPMC Passavant
responded to me the way a best
friend would,” adds Ms. Catone.
“They cried with me, they felt my
pain, they celebrated my happiness.
They accepted my family — when
my daughter showed up with two
pages of questions in a notebook,
they answered every single question,
explaining every detail. They treated
me as if I was their only patient.
“When my treatments were finished,
I told them that they were not just
my doctors and nurses but also my
best friends,” she adds. “They are
just wonderful. They were always
compassionate, caring, and very
concerned.” n
TO LEARN MORE about UPMC
CancerCenter at UPMC Passavant,
visit UPMCPassavant.com/Cancer or
call 1-866-649-8721.
This advertorial has been provided by UPMC.
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