One-Stop Cancer Care
Fight Cancer, Not the System
Cancer patients often have to visit several physicians’ offices, try to remember what each says, and self-navigate their way through a baffling system.
But Georgia Regents University Cancer Center offers a better approach known as multidisciplinary care. Available at the nation’s leading cancer centers, the model is based on teams of physicians from various specialties who treat patients in one central location, streamlining the process.
“Our team works together to care for the whole person, with the patient at the center of the team,” says Samir N. Khleif, MD, director of the center.
Personalized Teams
Depending on the diagnosis, the team may include:
- a medical oncologist
- a radiation oncologist
- a surgeon
- a dietician
- a nurse navigator, pharmacist, social worker, therapists and others
One-stop, Same-day Appointments
Here’s how the system works.
The patient has an initial appointment with the entire team of specialists in one clinic. After the patient is seen and examined, the team collectively discusses the clinical situation and develops a plan of care that addresses the patient’s every need. They then bring the patient and family to the table to present and discuss the plan. This is all done on one day in the Cancer Center.
Nurse Navigators
Dedicated Nurse Navigators, who are RNs, serve as the single point of contact for patients, coordinating communications, providing support and helping with resources.
Multidisciplinary care is available for the following cancers:
- Breast
- Gynecologic
- Head and neck
- Bone marrow transplants/leukemia
- Lymphoma
- Gastrointestinal/liver/pancreas
- Prostate
- Lung
- Central nervous system
- Melanoma/sarcoma
Helpful Related Links:
GRU Cancer Center Specialized Services