Doctors and surgeons specializing in cancer and blood disorders
Our doctors and surgeons are renowned for their skill and compassion in treating patients with cancer and blood disorders. You will be cared for by a variety of cancer specialists, because treatment often involves a combination of therapies.
Your doctors and surgeons will:
Explain your cancer diagnosis and staging (a description of where the cancer is located, if or where it has spread and whether it is affecting other parts of the body)
Discuss treatment options so you can decide what's best for you
Deliver high-quality, compassionate care through the latest technology
Help your quality of life by managing cancer-related symptoms and treatment side effects
Medical oncologists
Your medical oncologist is a doctor who has special training in diagnosing and treating cancer using chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy. These doctors are often the main health care provider for someone who has cancer.
Some medical oncologists also specialize in blood disorders (hematology).
Find a Christ Hospital medical oncologist.
Radiation oncologists
Radiation oncologists specialize in treating cancer with radiation therapy. This can include things like stereotactic radiosurgery, intraoperative radiotherapy and image-guided radiotherapy.
Find a Christ Hospital radiation oncologist.
Surgeons
Surgical specialists perform can perform numerous procedures related to cancer care. The type of cancer surgeon you encounter depends on the following types of surgery your doctor recommends for you:
Curative surgeries can be used as a cancer cure
Diagnostic (biopsy) surgery involves diagnosing your cancer
Palliative surgery is used to improve quality of life, like easing pain, disability or complications related to advanced cancer
Preventive surgeries are used to remove things like tissues or polyps to prevent the risk of cancers long-term
Reconstructive (restorative) surgery helps to return the body to normal or near-normal appearance or function following cancer treatment
Staging surgery helps to determine the extent of cancer – whether it has grown or spread in or outside the organ it originated in
Supportive surgery aids in cancer treatment, like the insertion of a port for frequent medical therapies
Pain specialists
Pain management specialists, called anesthesiologists, are doctors who provide patients with optimum pain control. Pain specialists design personalized treatment plans for each patient. Plans may combine pain management strategies, such as:
Non-pharmacologic methods––non-medicated ways for coping with pain such as physical therapy and massage
Pharmacotherapy - medical treatment using medications
Nerve blocks – injection of a nerve-numbing substance
Implants – devices placed inside the body that deliver pain medication
Other procedural pain management techniques
Your pain management specialist checks with you and your family often to see if any pain controls need to be adjusted. The goal is to keep you as comfortable and pain-free as possible.
Pathologists
Pathologists are doctors who interpret laboratory tests and evaluate cells, tissues and a variety of bodily fluids to diagnose disease. Pathologists report the extent of cancer within your body, especially whether it has spread. Pathologists are important because they help all of the cancer specialists caring for you determine treatment options.
Radiologists
There are many types of radiologists - doctors who specialize in planning treatment and testing for cancer. The radiology specialists on The Christ Hospital team include:
Interventional radiologists specialize in the use of image-guided, minimally-invasive techniques. They are experts in chemoembolization, radiofrequency ablation and implantable ports.
Diagnostic radiologists perform ultrasounds, CT, MRI and PET scans to diagnose disease. These doctors are known for their pinpoint accuracy and quick turnaround in interpreting your imaging tests.
Nuclear medicine specialists find the cause of a medical problem in its earliest stages by looking at how the organ, tissue or bone functions. Radiologists who specialize in nuclear medicine administer very small doses of radioactive materials (or tracers) to detect and stage a disease most accurately.