Inpatient Oncology
MidState’s 24-bed oncology and surgical unit is specially designed to meet the needs of patients with cancer and their families.
Comprehensive, compassionate care – To ensure the finest care, patients are seen daily by interdisciplinary health care teams that include physicians, nurse practitioners, oncology social workers, oncology-certified RNs, pharmacists, physical therapists and other professionals.
Experienced, specialized nursing – Our highly skilled nurses have special expertise in oncology, including administration of chemotherapy and management of pain and symptoms.
Trained volunteers – Specially trained volunteers visit daily to provide support and extra comforts such as hand and foot massages.
Medical Oncology
Outpatients receiving chemotherapy at MidState are treated by the board-certified physicians of Medical Oncology and Hematology, PC, a practice with private offices on-site. The expertise of these physicians ensures that patients receive the finest care available. MidState Medical Center also participates in a number of clinical trials and new protocols to provide our patients with the widest possible range of treatment options.
Radiation Oncology
MidState’s advanced radiation planning and treatment capabilities and its skilled and caring staff ensure the finest care for patients with cancer. The team is led by Allan S. Kratzer, MD, who completed his residency in Radiation Therapy at Harvard Medical School’s prestigious Joint Center for Radiation Therapy.
Our leading-edge capabilities include:
CT Simulation allows MidState technicians to create extraordinary three-dimensional images of the patient’s body in order to outline and digitally target a tumor. This enables radiation therapists to align lasers to direct radiation beams to the tumor with pinpoint accuracy.
This state-of-the-art treatment delivers high doses of radiation directly to cancer cells, while sparing surrounding normal tissues. IMRT allows safer and more accurate treatment of cancerous tumors and can be used to treat tumors that might have been considered untreatable in the past, due to their close proximity to vital organs and structures.
The Elekta SLI linear accelerator at MidState Medical Center is the most technologically advanced accelerator currently available. This machine can deliver higher doses of radiation more precisely to tumor sites, thereby maximizing the likelihood of destroying cancerous tissue, while minimizing damage to surrounding normal tissues. The Elekta SLI has three photon energies and five electron energies to irradiate tumors at any depth. It has an eighty -leaf multi-leaf collimator and is digitally computer driven, allowing for the most precise delivery of radiation therapy using "dynamic conformal radiation therapy."
In addition to external beam radiation therapy, the cancer program at MidState also offers a prostate seed implant program. With this procedure, radiation can be delivered to the prostate by surgically placing small radioactive seeds directly into the prostate using ultrasound guidance. The advantage of brachytherapy is its ability to deliver higher doses of radiation to the prostate gland, with smaller doses to surrounding tissues (bowel, bladder, rectum). Prostate Seed Implantation reduces the risk of treatment-related side effects including impotence. Urologists and radiation oncologists collaboratively plan and perform the procedure in the operating suite at MidState Medical Center.
In addition to external beam radiation therapy, the cancer program at MidState also offers a prostate seed implant program. With this procedure, radiation can be delivered to the prostate by surgically placing small radioactive seeds directly into the prostate using ultrasound guidance. The advantage of brachytherapy is its ability to deliver higher doses of radiation to the prostate gland, with smaller doses to surrounding tissues (bowel, bladder, rectum). Prostate Seed Implantation reduces the risk of treatment-related side effects including impotence. Urologists and radiation oncologists collaboratively plan and perform the procedure in the operating suite at MidState Medical Center.
Surgical Oncology
MidState affiliated surgeons including surgical oncology, thoracic surgery, urology, and otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat), are Board Certified in their respective specialties and are available for outpatient and inpatient consultation, as well as collaborative multidisciplinary management of a broad spectrum of malignancies.