Radiation may be part of cancer treatment
Communication is key when developing a plan to address and treat breast cancer, or cancer in general.
Communication not just between patient and doctor, but among doctors of different departments and specialties, who will be handling various aspects of the cancer treatment process.
Dr. Victor Onufrey, radiation oncologist at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, said it may take some time to properly develop a treatment plan, so doctors can decide the best plan of action after a diagnosis.
“Honestly, unless you are looking like six months down the line, waiting a few weeks to make sure you got a good picture of what's going on in the breast is not unreasonable,” Onufrey said. “You want to do it as soon as you can, but not so soon that you miss something, or you rush things unnecessarily.”
UPMC Hillman at Benbrook Medical Center is a joint venture between UPMC and Independence Health System. The Benbrook location offers radiation oncology and has a linear accelerator to provide radiation therapy to cancer patients.
In addition to the medical doctors who take patients through treatment, the Benbrook center has a patient care navigator who helps cancer patients, specifically breast cancer patients, go through their treatments.
Stacy Meyer, oncology patient navigator with Independence Health System, said everyone who comes through her office at Benbrook gets a folder containing information about the treatment for cancer they may receive. Meyer not only provides navigation services, but personal support to patients who may be struggling with any number of things through cancer treatment.
Her office is right across the hall from the radiation center at Benbrook.
“The nurses particularly, they meet with a patient and they review what to expect, and they will discuss my services as well with them and let them know that I am available,” Meyer said. “I have an open-door policy — I am a phone call away to be a listening ear.”
The treatment process may not begin until a few weeks after diagnosis, but Onufrey said a patient could take a few tests to confirm the type of cancer and what kind of treatment would best serve the diagnosis.
Patients likely will be referred to doctors before beginning treatment, but after the first signs of possible cancer following a screening.
“When they do the biopsies, they will confirm there is a cancer there, and you do need a tissue diagnosis to confirm that it's cancer,” Onufrey said. “At the very least when the breast cancer is diagnosed, once the surgeon determines what they are going to do, at that point, the patient needs to be referred to medical oncology and radiation oncology.”
Dr. Melissa Cyr, hematologist and medical oncologist at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, said her department usually is involved in surveillance of the cancer being treated, and would oversee follow-up appointments with those patients. She said following up and consistent monitoring of a cancer patient is integral to preventing remission.
“If something recurs, it's going to involve us rewriting the treatment plan,” Cyr said. “If it's local, we'll go into surgery, we'll deal with chemotherapy and whatnot.”
Once a patient completes their treatment plan, Cyr’s office keeps in touch for follow-up appointments to check for signs of remission. The follow-up appointments typically occur for years after treatment is completed. For breast cancer patients especially, checking for remission likely will become a permanent part of appointments.
“For the first few years, they need to be seen every three months ... Beyond five years, it'll be annually,” Cyr said.
The Benbrook Medical Center is having a new linear accelerator installed, which will be more efficient than the accelerator currently being used to treat cancer at the facility. Onufrey said the new accelerator, which is expected to be completed in March, works faster and is more accurate, which will allow for more patients to be seen per day.
“Our new machine will do it quicker — now it's going to be like 10 to 15 minutes,” Onufrey said.
