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" At the Dyson Center for Cancer Care, every patient is viewed as a survivor. From day one, social workers and dietitians who are specifically trained in the problems of cancer patients meet with virtually all new patients. We have specialists in palliative care and symptom management, as well, and all of our advanced nurse practitioners are trained as nurse navigators for our specialty clinics. In addition, all of our oncology nurses are certified by the Oncology Nursing Society." JAMES LEONARDO, MD, PhD, FACP, MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL ONCOLOGY AT HEALTH QUEST MEDICAL PRACTICE and technology available close to home makes cancer treatment significantly more convenient for patients, who often have to travel for daily radiation treat- ments. Technologies such as stereotactic radiation, which precisely targets malig- nancies in three or five doses for patients who have small tumors and for whom surgery is suboptimal, are among the services Vassar Brothers Medical Center radiation oncologists provide. Microwave ablation, a therapy that can be provided by surgeons or interventional radiologists, is another technique that can be used to treat these tumors in certain situations. A nother of the high ly specia lized therapies available is intraoperative radia- tion, which unites the capabilities of the surgical and radiation oncology teams. Surgeons remove a tumor during a lumpec- tomy, and the patient is simultaneously given a one-time dose of radiation directly to the area where the cancer was located. Also performed at the Dyson Center for Cancer Care is a procedure for which the center created a protocol that was approved by the state: radioactive seed localization. Utilized for breast cancer patients in place of wire localization for non-topical tumors, radioactive seed localization involves placing iodine-125 radioactive seed in the tumor so a probe can detect the tumor's precise location, says Angela Keleher, MD, FACS, Director of the Dyson Breast Center and Director of Breast Surgery at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. The surgeon then knows exactly where to make the incision to resect the tumor and remove the seed. This procedure can be performed more quickly than wire localization. BREAST CANCER SERVICES The Dyson Breast Center has achieved a c c r e d i t a t i o n b y t h e N a t i o n a l Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) and is held to the highest stan- dard of patient care for patients with diseases of the breast. The comforting space that encompasses the imaging suite a nd breast ca re ser vices — including surgery and access to social workers and navigators — is found all in one location. This allows patients to schedule imag- ing and follow-up appointments for the same day, and to have procedures such as sentinel node biopsies performed on an outpatient basis. Mastectomies and reconstructions are also performed at the facility, with patients staying overnight at the Vassar Ambulatory Surgery Center (VASC) in a soothing, spa-like environ- ment with private rooms. " For s u r g ic a l pa t ient s , we work with a n a nesthesiolog ist who is spe- cifically trained to provide nerve blocks," Dr. Keleher says. "Patients with nerve blocks require less narcotics, experience less pain, and get up and move around more quick ly, which improves t heir recovery time." Vassar Brothers Medical Center also partners with other specialists to oˆer procedures that patients wouldn't other- wise have access to locally. For instance, the medical center is unique in the area in working with highly specialized plastic surgeons from New York City who are specifically trained to perform DIEP flap breast reconstruction, Dr. Keleher says. A DIEP flap reconstruction involves cutting fat, skin and blood vessels from the wa ll of the lower belly — avoiding cutting or removing muscle — and micro- surgically reattaching those vessels to the blood vessels in the chest. This approach allows the patient to recover more quickly and enhances cosmesis. Dr. Leonardo collaborates with his team at the Dyson Center for Cancer Care. 0 9 M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S M I D H U D S O N ■ 2 016 / 2 017