At Memorial Health System Cancer Center, our doctors and specialists of multiple disciplines come together as a team to coordinate your cancer care from the very start. With our unique team approach, you essentially get all your expert medical opinions all at once saving precious time and assuring a well-coordinated cancer care plan.

- -

Our Team of Cancer Doctors

Doctors who may be helping you include:

• Oncologist/Hematologist

An oncologist, also known as a medical oncologist, is a physician with special training in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. A hematologist is a physician who specializes in the functions and disorders of blood. Your oncologist/hematologist works with you to create a treatment plan and usually acts as the coordinator of your cancer care.

• Surgeon

A surgical oncologist is a physician who specializes in using surgery to treat cancer. Once you have been diagnosed, you may see a surgeon who, in turn, may refer you to a medical oncologist.

• Radiation Oncologist

A radiation oncologist is a physician who specializes in using radiation to treat cancer. Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy rays (such as x-rays) to kill or shrink cancer cells. The radiation may come from outside of the body (external radiation) or from radioactive materials placed directly in the tumor (internal or implant radiation).

- -

Our Team of Cancer Specialists

At Memorial Health System Cancer Center, we offer many comfort and supportive services not offered by most cancer programs. These services are provided, most at no cost to you, by a wide variety of specialists, who may include:

• Oncology Nurse

Our oncology nurses have special training in cancer and caring for patients during treatment. They help carry out the treatment plan your oncologist creates and help guide you through treatment. They are able to give you cancer medications, check your progress, and answer your questions about treatment. If you are undergoing chemotherapy, oncology nurses will monitor any side effects.

• Nurse Navigator

Our nurse navigators (for lung and breast cancers) are oncology certified nurses with the specific role to guide you as a teacher, counselor and coach through your journey of healing. It's like having another best friend with you from the time you enter the hospital until the time you leave.

• Cancer Resource Navigator

American Cancer Society (ACS) resources and services are available in all patient care areas. Specially-trained cancer resource navigators, who are dual American Cancer Society and Memorial Volunteers, are available to provide you one-on-one sessions which include cancer information and resources and to help with day-to-day activities, such as transportation and financial resources as well as emotional support.

• Oncology Social Worker

Our oncology social workers provide continuous consult and counsel to you (and those close to you) for emotional, financial and social hardships. Our social workers are also available to help you understand your diagnosis and treatment, and assist you in finding support groups or other cancer-related services. There is no cost to you for medical social work services and your information is kept strictly private and confidential.

• Genetic Counselor

Our genetic counselors provide an assessment of risk factors you may have inherited from your parents. They also provide information to patients and their relatives concerning the consequences of a disorder, the chance of developing or transmitting it, how to cope with it and ways in which it can be prevented, treated and managed.

• Integrative Therapist

Our integrative therapists help you cope with symptoms of your condition and the side effects of treatments that may occur. Many of our integrative therapies are provided by Memorial Volunteers and are offered to our patients at no cost. These services include: Healing Through Art, Healing with Pets, Healing with Music, Reiki, Healing Touch, Jin Shin Jyutsu and more.

• Cancer Rehabilitation & Exercise Therapist

People with cancer sometimes need help recovering after treatment. Physical therapists, speech therapists, respiratory therapists, exercise therapists, occupational therapists, and others can be helpful to many patients, depending on the type of cancer and treatment.

• Dietitian

Cancer and cancer treatment can make eating difficult. Some people lose weight or have trouble eating foods that provide the right energy. Registered dietitians (RD) help people maintain healthy eating habits during cancer treatment.

• Volunteers

The contributions of our cancer center volunteers are immeasurable. They are truly wonderful and giving people with a never-ending passion to help you in any way they can to make the healing process as comfortable as possible for you.

• Clinical Trials & Research Team

Our clinical research team oversees numerous clinical trials for various cancers. Patients are offered clinical trials from the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), the National Surgical Adjuvent Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), American College of Surgeons (ACOS), the Sunbelt Melanoma Trial, Clinical Trial Support Unit (CTSU), the John Wayne Cancer Institute, the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and pharmaceutical groups.

» More about: Available Cancer Clinical Trials at Memorial Health System

• Cancer Registrars

Our Memorial cancer registrar is a fully accredited cancer program with the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. The Memorial Health System is also approved as a Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Program. The role of the cancer registrar is to collect, manage and analyze cancer diagnosis and treatment data. The registrar also conducts lifetime patient follow-up. In 2006, our cancer registry program received the Gold Award from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for Excellent Performance in Timely Reporting.

 » More about: American Cancer Society

- -

Schedule an appointment

- -

Nurse Advice Line

- -

Related Services

» Breast care (Mary Lou Beshears Breast Care Center)
» Lung care (Lung Nodule Clinic)
» Integrative medicine & wellness
» Rehabilitation & physical medicine

- -

Continue to learn more about our cancer center ...

» Step 3: Our Cancer Treatments & Procedures