Medical oncology is a sub-specialty of internal medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Medical oncologists work with surgeons and radiation oncologists to develop cancer treatment plans; they prescribe the appropriate chemotherapy options.

Through the services of independent medical oncologists, Mount Carmel provides a variety of medical oncology services. Systemic drug therapies, such as chemotherapy, biological response modifiers and hormone therapy are prescribed by medical oncologists and administered by registered nurses in physician offices and outpatient infusion centers. Medical oncology services are also available in Mount Carmel's Inpatient Cancer Units.

Radiation therapy is one of the three arms of therapy used to treat cancer. It may be used alone or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy. The goal of radiation therapy is to selectively treat the cancerous tissue while protecting normal tissue and organs.

At Mount Carmel, patients have access to external beam therapy, low-dose-rate brachytherapy (permanent and temporary) and high-dose-rate brachytherapy. The level and style of radiation is determined by cancer type and tumor location. A radiation therapy plan is developed by our radiation oncology team (doctors, physicists, nurses, dieticians and social workers) based on the type of cancer and its location in the body.

If external beam therapy is appropriate, Mount Carmel offers a wide range of energies through our linear accelerators and 120 multi-leaf collimators. If brachytherapy is determined to be the best method of treatment, Mount Carmel's expanded brachytherapy program offers a comprehensive selection of treatment options.

Mount Carmel patients now have access to iridium implants, cesium implants, prostate seed implants and endocardiovascular treatment. Together the treatment team works to implement the treatment plan and toward the best outcome possible.

Mount Carmel radiation oncologists treat cancer patients with radiation therapy using state-of-the-art equipment for all types of cancer. Radiation therapy services available at Mount Carmel include:

• Brachytherapy (radiation therapy in which radioactive materials are placed in direct contact with the tumor); for example, prostate seed implants and partial breast irradiation (which is now available through a research protocol)
• Total skin electron beam therapy
• Large-field radiation techniques
• Hypo and hyper-fractionation
• Conventional simulator with fluoroscopy
• CT simulation
• 3-D conformal therapy
• IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy)

General surgeons and surgical oncologists contribute greatly to the success of Mount Carmel's cancer program. Surgical exploration and biopsies provide a basis for the diagnosis of cancer. Once a diagnosis has been made, the surgeon's findings are often discussed in concert with a multidisciplinary team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists and pathologists to provide evaluation and recommended therapies for a wide range of cancers.

For certain types of cancer, surgical removal of the tumor is the easiest, most effective method of treatment. Specialized, surgical treatments offered at Mount Carmel include:

• Ultrasound guided breast biopsy
• Stereotactic breast biopsy
• Partial mastectomy, lumpectomy
• Total mastectomy
• Sentinel node biopsy
• Local and wide surgical excision
• Melanoma surgery
• Colorectal surgery
• Lung surgery
• Gynecological oncologic surgery
• Radiofrequency ablation of liver lesions
• Renal cryotherapy
• Video assisted thoracic surgery