CentraState - Healthy Directions

Conquering Breast Cancer with Minimal Side Effects puts in long hours to ensure her company is successful. It is that kind of determination—along with physician expertise and advanced treatment techniques at CentraState Medical Center—that helped her achieve success in surviving cancer. As Angela was diagnosed last October with early-stage cancer in her left breast after undergoing an annual screening mammogram. She describes learning the news as feeling "like a wall fell down on me." In December, she underwent a lumpectomy to remove the affected tissue. Following the procedure, Angela's surgeon referred her to CentraState for radiation therapy, which has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of a recurrence of breast cancer following a lumpectomy in cases like Angela's. In February, Angela began treatment with board-certified radiation oncologist Oren Cahlon, MD, using a unique approach in which the patient receives treatment lying facedown using a specially designed positioning system. Oren Cahlon, MD, board-certified radiation oncologist "Traditionally, breast radiation therapy has been performed with patients lying on their backs [supine position], but CentraState also offers the prone approach, during which patients lie on their stomachs," says Dr. Cahlon. "Prone treatment allows the breast to fall away from the chest, which reduces radiation exposure to the heart, lungs, and ribs. In addition, intensity-modulated radiation therapy [IMRT], used in conjunction with the prone position, minimizes skin irritation, a common side effect of breast radiation therapy. By using the prone position and IMRT, we were able to minimize Angela's skin reaction and avoid radiation exposure to the underlying vital organs. That allowed her to feel well during her treatment and remain active." www.centrastate.com a bank manager in her hometown of Jackson, 59-year-old Angela Cali REGAINING ENERGY EACH DAY Angela continued to work during her treatment, which ended in March. Before most radiation therapy sessions, she participated in Fit Care at CentraState's OceanFirst Rehabilitation Center, a research protocol available only at CentraState, to determine the effect of exercise during cancer treatment. She credits the upper-body exercises and time spent on the treadmill during Fit Care with helping her feel good mentally and physically during treatment. Today, she is cancer-free and can feel her energy level growing daily. "Everyone I encountered at CentraState was clearly part of a team—from the receptionist to the technicians to Dr. Cahlon—and they took time to get to know me," Angela says. "I became a part of the team, not just a patient walking in the door periodically. You don't see that kind of care everywhere." For more information about radiation therapy or to find a radiation oncologist at CentraState, call (866) CENTRA7 (866-236-8727) or visit www.centrastate.com/cancercare. On the web page, you can click on a video link to hear more of Angela's story. HD Another Approach to Breast Radiation Therapy CentraState Medical Center is among a select group of medical centers in New Jersey to offer the prone approach to breast radiation therapy, according to board-certified radiation oncologist Oren Cahlon, MD, who brought the technique to CentraState from Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, where the approach was pioneered. "Historically, prone treatment was typically reserved for women with large breasts, but recent studies have shown it can also be beneficial for women with average-size breasts," says Dr. Cahlon. "Each patient's anatomy is different, and treatment should be individualized. When determining the optimal treatment position, we consider the location of the initial disease, chest wall shape, cardiac anatomy, and whether or not the lymph nodes need to be treated. The prone position is beneficial for about 50 percent of patients, and the supine position is preferable in the other half of patients. It is important to have a team of physicians, physicists, and dosimetrists with experience using both approaches. At CentraState, we individualize treatment and use whichever approach is best for each individual patient." September/October 2011 11 Angela Cali benefited from breast radiation therapy utilizing the less common prone position, which lessens patient risk and is offered at CentraState.

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