Informed - Parma Community General Hospital

THE CANCER CENTER AT PARMA HOSPITAL
Treating cancer with personalized care
BREAST CANCER
Taking time to live fully
When you’re diagnosed with
cancer, what you need is time.
Time to accept the diagnosis.
Time to understand what it
all means for you. Time to adjust to the
treatment. And time to return to living
your life.
Sandi Szuch DeChant, who had
surgery and chemotherapy in 2005 for
breast cancer, was struck by the healthy
regard her treatment team – from the
surgeon who performed the biopsy and
delivered the diagnosis to the nurses
who administered chemotherapy – had
for time.
DeChant’s breast cancer was discovered
by a routine mammogram. Trudi
Brown, MD, performed her biopsy and
later the lumpectomy. When Dr. Brown
told DeChant her lump was cancerous,
she encouraged her patient to return at
a later date – with any family members
she wanted – to discuss her treatment
options in more detail.
“She took the time and sat and talked
with me,” says DeChant, who brought
four family members and a friend along
for support when she met with Dr.
Brown the second
time, a 45-minute
appointment. “She
knew it was important
that they be
there with me.”
DeChant’s grandchildren
helped her
remain focused on
the future. Pathology
reports showed that
DeChant had a particularly
fast-growing
form of cancer, and
chemotherapy began.
Her grandson added
some levity to a somber
situation, checking
to see if her hair
was growing back
beneath her wig.
“The treatment
and care I received
was just wonderful,” said DeChant, who
appreciated that the Cancer Center was
“right around the corner” from her Concord
Square condominium. “They would
sit and talk with you if you had ques-
Patients can participate in art therapy sessions from 1-2:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of
each month at the Cancer Center. Here Dee Tellings and oncologist Wei Lin, MD contribute
to an artistic collage of handprints to grace the walls of the Center’s healing environment.
Sandi Szuch DeChant’s granddaughter, Aleksandra, inspires the breast
cancer survivor to focus on the future.
tions. They took time, and they were
always positive.”
For quick, convenient mammograms,
go to WellPointe Pavilion, 303 E. Royalton
Road, Broadview Heights.
SUPPORT GROUPS
A call for support
Pick up the phone when questions arise.
Patients can leave messages at any hour for
Jessica Young, RN, the oncology patient educator
who is available to all breast cancer patients, and
Anmarie Haynes, a social worker who follows all
inpatient and outpatient cancer cases.
Some patients call when they receive the hard
news. Others have questions when grappling with
decisions about which course of treatment to take.
Other reach for a helping hand much later on.
“When they get the news, they’re often tearful
and emotional,” says Young. “You’ve got to be in
the right frame of mind to hear the answers to your
questions.”
Kindred Spirits, a network that pairs the newly
diagnosed with survivors for one-on-one support,
is one of the many forms of support available to
Parma Hospital patients. For this and other support
groups, go to Page 8 of the class schedule.
Jessica Young can be reached at 440-743-2223.
Anmarie Haynes can be reached at 440-743-4154.
COLON CANCER
Comforting care, close to home
Why go to an outlying suburb
– or downtown – when the
care you require and the attention
you need are right here at
Parma Hospital?
Such was the rationale for Hennie
Godine of Seven Hills, who chose The
Cancer Center at Parma Hospital to treat
her colon cancer in 2002. Parma Hospital’s
seasoned staff of surgeons, nurses
and therapists, along with Cleveland
Clinic oncologists, provides oncology
care close to home.
“We have a very strong team here at
the Cancer Center,” says oncologist Wei
Lin, MD. Experienced nurses, excellent
surgeons, compassionate oncologists,
a strong management team and even
a dedicated pharmacist round out the
“first-class care.”
Every Wednesday for six months,
Hennie would come to the Cancer Center,
located on the hospital’s main campus
in Medical Arts Center 3, for chemotherapy
treatments. For every three
weeks of treatments, she would have
one week off to rebound.
“Who wants to go all the way to
Strongsville when Parma has a good
Cancer Center?” says Hennie, who liked
BRCA 1 & 2 TESTING
Of the more than 192,000
American women diagnosed with breast
cancer each year, up to 10 percent have
a hereditary form of the disease, according
to the National Cancer Institute.
Researchers can now test for inherited
alterations in the genes called BRCA 1
and BRCA 2.
A woman has a greater chance of
developing breast cancer and ovarian
cancer in her lifetime if she inherits
the approach of her oncologist,
John Hines, MD. “I’ll never
forget how well they treated
me. The nurses sat down and
explained what was going to
happen. They made me feel
welcome, and they made me
feel I could do it.”
The warm, welcoming
atmosphere and experienced,
encouraging staff also greeted
Richard Morgan, who was treated in
2006 for colon cancer. Like Hennie, his
cancer was found through a routine
stool occult blood test. A colonoscopy
confirmed the presence of cancer.
Richard, who lives in Parma, had
not known that Parma Hospital offered
cancer treatment. So after surgery with
Rick Gemma, MD, he was relieved to be
near home for seven months of chemotherapy
and visits to his oncologist, Dale
Cowan, MD.
“They were like family to me,” Richard
says of the Cancer Center staff. “They
made you feel comfortable with it.”
Annual CT and PET scans, which
indicate metabolic changes in the cells to
reveal the presence of cancer, keep Richard’s
mind at ease that he is cancer-free.
Test may hold key to genetic link
an altered BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene.
The incidence of these genes is highest
in families with multiple cases of
breast and/or ovarian cancer. Women
do not inherit the cancer, but rather
they inherit a higher risk of developing
cancer.
Blood can be drawn for this test at
the Cancer Center. Talk with your physician
to determine if you should be tested
for the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes.
Oncology Patient Educator Jessica Young, RN, OCN.
SCREENINGS
An ounce of
prevention
Annual screenings are the best
defense against cancer.
Colon cancer: The stool occult
blood test given by their primary care
doctors were the lifesaving difference
for both Richard Morgan and Hennie
Godine. All men and women over 40
should have a stool occult blood test as
well as a yearly digital rectal exam. A
colonoscopy or barium enema x-ray can
further examine the colon. Removal of
precancerous polyps can prevent cancer
from developing.
Breast cancer: Monthly self-exams
of the breasts and annual mammograms
beginning at age 40 can help detect
breast cancer early. Many doctors
recommend a baseline mammogram at
age 35.
When you sense a problem or are
experiencing symptoms that could have
serious consequences, remember the
words of Richard Morgan: Don’t wait too
long!
“If you have any idea something’s
wrong, see a doctor,” says Richard.
“I only hope people can benefit
from what happened to me. I’m very
grateful to be alive. Every day is a
good day now.”
4 Informed www.parmahospital.org Fall 2008 Informed 5