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Cancer Services

We've Brought The Best In Cancer Care Close To Home

The Catholic Health System is dedicated to offering the best in cancer care. In fact, the Sisters of Charity Hospital Oncology Program has been recognized by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons as offering the very best in cancer care. Only one in four hospitals that treat cancer receive this special approval. It is a recognition of the quality of our comprehensive, multidisciplinary patient care. We're proud to have brought the very best in today's cancer treatment closer to home.

Receiving care at a Commission on Cancer approved cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to:

• Quality care close to home.
• Comprehensive care offering a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment.
• A multispecialty, team approach to coordinate the best treatment options available to cancer patients.
• Information about cancer clinical trials, education, and support.
• Lifelong patient follow-up through a cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results.
• Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care.

The Catholic Health System has played an integral role in the treatment of cancer in the Western New York area for many years. With cancer being the second leading cause of death in our community, the Catholic Health System initiated the development of a coordinated and comprehensive cancer program.

 To read the Sisters Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center brochure, click here.

Colorectal Oncology

Sisters of Charity Hospital has a long and rich tradition of caring for patients with diseases of the colon, rectum, and anus. This has been a team effort that involves surgeons, oncologists, and endostomal therapists. Because of the special care provided by colorectal surgeons, improved outcomes have been achieved related to survival and quality of life.

Due to recent awareness of the importance of the importance of screening colonoscopy to find early lesions (polyps and carcinoma), increased effort has been made to evaluate all patients at risk. These procedures have been performed by colorectal surgeons with minimal morbidity.

in the future, the focus will continue to be on screening to find early lesions to lead to better outcomes. We believe that the increase in public awareness and early screening should decrease morbidity and mortality for this cancer from minimal to zero. Colorectal surgeons will continue to be on the forefront to achieve this goal.

General/Thoracic Surgical Oncology

Oncologic disease of the gastrointestinal tract (including liver and pancreas), the lymphatic system, lung, skin, and soft tissues, is managed by a group of specialty board-certified surgeons. These individuals are experienced not only in the most current techniques of surgical tumor ablation or palliation of symptoms, but, because of their backgrounds in general surgery, have a special knowledge of nutrition, fluid management, anesthesia, and other factors that impact on the total care of the cancer patient. They are experienced in managing patients in critical care units, since some oncologic surgery patients require intensive cardiopulmonary support in the peri-operative period. These surgeons are attuned to the whole patient and know the impact of surgical intervention on a patient, his/her family, and work. Every effort is made to return the patient to an active, functional life.

Gynecologic Oncology

Services include the treatment and surgical management of premalignant disease as well as consultation for benign gynecologic disease that may require surgical treatment beyond the normal scope of gynecologic training. Radiation services are available by two board-certified radiation oncologists, one on campus and the other four miles from Sisters Hospital. Chemotherapy services are provided on both an inpatient and outpatient basis at Sisters Hospital. Pathology services are enhanced by a pathologist at Sisters of Charity Hospital who has an international reputation in gynecologic pathology.

In addition to gynecologic oncology, the service maintains onsite office visits as well as supervising outpatient colposcopy clinics. Treatment modalities include LEEP and laser therapy. Gynecologic oncology services are an integral component of the obstetrics and gynecology residency program.

Medical Oncology

Medical oncology at Sisters of Charity Hospital is closely integrated with the disciplines of hematology, surgical oncology, and radiation therapy.

Care for medical oncology and head and neck patients is provided on the hospital’s dedicated oncology unit. There are six medical oncologists on staff, the majority of whom are board certified in this subspecialty. Five physicians are part of an oncology specialty group, and they have excellent collegial relationships with other physicians involved in cancer care. The oncology unit serves as the designated site for all inpatient and outpatient chemotherapy administration. Any patient seen in consultation elsewhere in the hospital who requires chemotherapy is transferred to the oncology unit for further treatment.

Most systemic chemotherapy is administered in the office setting. Those patients requiring high dose therapy or inpatient chemotherapy are admitted to the oncology unit. Select chemotherapy is also offered on an outpatient basis. Some of these patients also require concomitant radiation therapy, which can be provided in the Seton Professional Building adjacent to the hospital.

Plastic and Reconstructive Services

Plastic and reconstructive surgery at Sisters of Charity Hospital works in close collaboration with the Head & Neck Center at Sisters Hospital. They provide services in reconstructive surgery which encompasses breast reconstruction, expanding implant reconstructions, TRAM reconstructions, and latissimus dorsae flaps; head and neck reconstructions which include mandibular reconstructions, free tissue transfers, esophageal reconstruction; primary surgery for skin cancers including basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and melanomas. There is expertise in microvascular free tissue transfers as well as in facial reanimation procedures for facial paralysis.

Sisters of Charity Hospital’s plastic surgeons are board certified and have received extensive training in complicated reconstructive procedures. They also work very closely with the oncologic surgeons to provide complete and total care for their patients.

Radiation Oncology

Radiation oncology is one of the pillars for cancer management, both at Sisters Hospital and elsewhere. Sisters Hospital has three freestanding facilities providing radiation oncology services.

• Cancer Treatment Services: Located in the Seton Building, adjacent to Sisters Hospital, it is equipped with 6 MEV linear accelerator, generating 6 MEV x-rays with multiple electron energies. It does have stimulator and 3D treatment planning. Cancer Treatment Services is accredited by the American College of Radiology.
• Buffalo Radiation Oncology Center: Located at the Windsong Medical Park, it is integrated with the medical oncology services in the same area. It is equipped with computerized Siemens equipment providing 6 and 15 MEV x-rays as well as multiple electron energies. The department also provides 3D treatment planning and conformal therapy. There is high dose rate Nucletron equipment for high dose intrastitial and intracavitary radiation treatment.
• Radiation Oncology Group: This group was the first to begin providing radiation treatment to patients from Sisters Hospital and the Catholic Health System.

All three facilities are staffed with board certified radiation oncologists with vast experience in radiation oncology. The radiation oncologists provide brachytherapy services that range from prostate seed implant to different gynecological and head and neck intrastitial and intracavitary treatments. The radiation oncologist works closely with the surgeons and medical oncologists to deliver multidisciplinary treatments for cancer patients that are state-of-the-art.

Urologic Oncology

Urologic oncology at Sisters of Charity Hospital combines a well balanced integration of surgical, medical, and preventative medical disciplines. The urologists at Sisters of Charity Hospital continually strive to maintain their skills in order to give patients the best available opportunity of being cured of their cancer, while maintaining their quality of life.

The use of chemotherapy by the urologic staff is confined to hormonal and intravesical agents. Working collaboratively with medical oncologists, systematic agents, either alone or in combination with radiotherapy and/or surgery, are offered to patients with advanced neoplasms. The hospital further assists the urology department in the care of the cancer patient through the tireless efforts of the social work department and members of the spiritual care department.

Urologists are fully trained and certified in such new techniques as laser therapy, brachytherapy, and cryosurgery, rounding out their capability for handling nearly every phase of cancer treatment. The department has 13 urologists on staff serving the community. The prostate brachytherapy program is now four years old and has successfully treated many patients with same-day surgery.

Cancer patients have access to rehabilitative, supportive, and continuing care services at Sisters of Charity Hospital. Site-specific services are based on the needs of patients. Sisters of Charity Hospital utilizes a multidisciplinary team approach to planning and implementing supportive and continuing care services including clinical nutrition, hospice, oncology nursing, pharmacy, Rehabilitation, Social Work, and Spiritual Care.

 Click here tro watch a short video on Prostate Cancer Care.