Treatment Overview

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If you are ever faced with cancer, having care available close to home can bring special comfort. Patients in Southeast Missouri have access to care at the renovated Danny Bell Cancer Center. We’ve brought our cancer services together under one roof, where specialists work as a team to create your unique plan of care. The cancer facility at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center has options to accommodate both a communal experience or a more private option as each patient prefers.

At the center, radiation technology enables doctors to visualize tumors more precisely and target them with better accuracy - and treatments may take only minutes a day. Our care includes screenings, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation and support services right here at home.

Part of Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center’s care program includes special support services to address the unique needs of cancer patients and their families. The multidisciplinary team includes primary care doctors, oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, nurses, pain management specialists, dietitians and other professionals who work together to provide individualized care.

Treatment options include:

• Chemotherapy
  Also known as medical oncology or hematology, chemotherapy uses chemicals to destroy or slow the growth of cancer cells. Surgeons often use chemotherapy in conjunction with surgery to destroy surrounding tissue after a tumor is removed.
• Immunotherapy
  Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses a person's own immune system to fight cancer and can boost or change how the immune system works, so it can find and attack cancer cells. By stimulating, or boosting, the natural defenses of your immune system, this treatment allows your own immune system to work harder and smarter to find and attack cancer cells.
• Hormone Therapy
  Hormones can kill cancer cells, or slow or stop their growth. Doctors can prescribe medications that affect the activity or production of hormones, or may surgically remove a gland that produces hormones.
• Radiation Therapy
  The Radiation Oncology Center is equipped with advanced technology - like the linear accelerator - and is staffed with knowledgeable physicians and treatment teams. Imaging technology allows physicians to visualize, in real time, the tumor that is being treated. And since every tumor is different, the system can shape the radiation beam to more accurately match the size and form of just about any tumor regardless of its shape. During treatment, this technology allows more precise targeting of the tumor to minimize exposure to the surrounding healthy tissue.
• Surgery
  The cancer care teams at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center carefully evaluate each patient’s needs to determine whether surgery offers the best chance for success. When surgery presents the best option, doctors utilize minimally invasive techniques whenever possible, including robotic surgery, which can allow greater precision and may offer patients less scarring and a faster recovery.