Receiving a cancer diagnosis is scary, and at Great River Health we do everything we can to provide the most supportive, innovative, and individualized care possible to every patient.
Our team of highly experienced oncologists, nurses, and support staff see beyond the diagnosis and treat everyone as a whole person: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Our mission is to improve the lives of our patients living with cancer, whatever that means to them.
We understand cancer affects everyone differently and we will be by your side from the beginning to provide patients and their families an informed, comfortable, and comprehensive treatment experience.
There are many cancer treatment types, which is why our Hematology & Oncology department provides individualized care for every patient. Some patients need surgery, while others need chemotherapy or radiation, and others have all three. Our providers work together to create the best treatment plans.
The standard cancer treatments include:
Surgery: The first-line treatment for many forms of cancer is the surgical removal of a tumor before the cancer cells have a chance to spread. Usually, surgery is used with other treatment types to destroy any lingering cancer cells and destroy them completely. Biopsies are performed after surgery to stage and type your cancer to provide further diagnostic insight to your oncology team.
Chemotherapy: or “chemo,” is the use of medication to kill rapidly growing cancer cells, slow their growth, and relieve cancer symptoms. There are many types of chemotherapy drugs, and sometimes several drugs are combined. A pharmacist mixes chemotherapy IV drugs in our cancer center. The process of receiving chemotherapy through an IV is called infusion. In some cases, oral chemotherapy drugs are prescribed.
Radiation therapy: This treatment helps kill cancer cells confined to one localized area, which is then blasted with radiation to kill the malignancies. This therapy may be enough to treat your cancer by itself, but usually, radiation therapy is combined with chemo and/or surgery.
Blood-product transfusions: Chemotherapy, some types of cancer, and blood disorders may affect blood counts. Some patients need transfusions of whole blood or blood components such as red cells or platelets.
Bone marrow biopsies: A bone marrow sample can confirm anemia, leukemia, and lymphoma.
Immunotherapy: This treatment bolsters a weakened immune system caused by cancer or other diseases.
Patients may be referred by a family or internal medicine physician, surgeon, or other medical specialist. Some self-referrals are accepted. All medical reports, diagnostic imaging reports, and laboratory results must be received before the first appointment.
For information about the cost of cancer treatment, please call Patient Financial Services-Patient Billing at 319-768-3625, option 2.