North Coast Cancer

Hereditary cancer conditions increase the risk of developing cancer and possibly passing it on. Determining whether you have one of these conditions is important because screening and sometimes surgery can help prevent cancer. In the Center for Personalized Genetic Healthcare, medical genetics experts review medical and family histories to identify hereditary cancer conditions. We explain health risks, and offer education, guidance and support for the entire family.

When to consider genetic counseling

A cancer genetics evaluation may be recommended if one or more of the following apply to you or a relative:

• Breast, colon or another cancer before age 50
• Several family generations with the same or related cancers (e.g., breast and ovarian cancer, or colon and uterine cancers)
• Multiple cancers in one individual
• Breast or ovarian cancer in women of Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish descent
• Identification of a BRCA1, BRCA2 or other gene mutation
• 10 or more colon polyps
• A rare tumor (e.g., male breast cancer, paraganglioma or medullary thyroid cancer) 12-GMI-754

Preparing for your appointment

It helps to gather family health history information before the appointment by asking:

• Were any family members diagnosed with cancer, and how are they related?
• What type of cancer did each relative have?
• At what age was each relative diagnosed?
• Have any relatives had genetic testing?
• How old are our relatives? At what age have other relatives died, and what was the cause?

Creating a personalized plan

Our medical geneticists and genetic counselors provide education about the diagnosis and discuss options for genetic testing, if appropriate. We work with patients’ physicians and Cleveland Clinic specialists, if needed, to tailor a management plan.

Scheduling a genetics evaluation

Ask your doctor if a referral to genetic counseling is right for you. If you do not have a primary care provider, please call us to learn about other options for scheduling an appointment.

For an appointment or information, call Cleveland Clinic Genomic Medicine Institute’s Center for Personalized Genetic Healthcare at 216.636.1768 or 800.998.4785. If your doctor is not part of the Cleveland Clinic health system, please have relevant medical records faxed to 216.445.6935.

• http://clevelandclinic.org/cpgh

Comfortable, pleasant, and friendly - these are just three of the words that our patients have used to describe our infusion (or chemotherapy) room. The first thing most everyone notices as they enter is the view to the adjacent lake and healing gardens, and this is exactly how our physicians wanted it when the building was being designed.

In many ways our infusion area is the heart of Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers. Modern medicine has given us many tools, most of which are chemotherapy products that kill cancer cells. Our infusion room is where many patients spend several weeks or months receiving daily or weekly treatments. It is also a place where new friendships are born, where patients learn more about their disease and where they begin their journey to recovery through art therapy or another complementary program.

The infusion area can treat up to 21 patients simultaneously. Each treatment station has its own contoured chair and personal TV. In the event that patient needs privacy or family is joining them, they can use one of two private treatment rooms. The highly trained and experienced staff at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers can monitor everything from a modern nursing station complete with access to Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers' EMR system (electronic medical records).

One area that might get overlooked by patients, but that is critical to their care is our compounding pharmacy, located adjacent to the infusion area. Whether it is our refrigerated storage system for drugs, our Pyxis System for monitoring the inventory of those drugs, or the negative pressure hoods in which gown and masked technicians mix the drugs, this pharmacy is state-of-the-art and is dedicated to patient care.

• Video - Chemotherapy Basics: Information for Patients and Families

A team of the best and most experienced oncologists anywhere in North Central Ohio has been assembled at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers. Yet these skilled professionals are only as good as the diagnostic information they have. Therefore, a big part of making the proper diagnosis is a modern radiology department.

Unique to Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers, our radiology department is located just down the hall. This is part of our commitment to patient care and convenience.

Radiology at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers consist of three tools:

CT Scanning

CT scans have become an everyday part of most clinical settings, but what is CT Scanning? CT, or Computed Tomography, scans sometimes called CAT scans are non-invasive medical tests using X-rays that help physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions.

Literally steps away from a patients’ exam room, our CT scanner has been used to provide same-day diagnosis of tumors. This immediacy and quick attention to every medical detail is almost unheard of in modern medicine, but it is available now at our Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers - North Coast Care Sandusky campus.

PET Scans

PET scans are part of the everyday battery of diagnostic tools available to the physicians of Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers. What is a PET scan? Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine imaging technique which produces a three-dimensional picture of cellular level activity in the body. In a modern scanner like the one at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers Sandusky campus, images are constructed with CT scans performed on the patient during the same session, in the same machine. All of this is done using an injected radioactive isotope of glucose (sugar) which cancer cells consume so fast they "glow" on the PET scan. These scans can therefore be used to find cancer in the body and to track over time the success in treating that cancer.

Digital, Flat Plate X-rays

Finally, standard X-rays have been around for nearly a century, but they remain a valuable diagnostic tool. This may be older technology, but it is still effective for use with searching for fractures, skeletal abnormalities or gross soft tissue problems.

Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers perform many of the routine lab tests that are required for patient cancer treatments on site. There may be some tests, however, not available at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers that must be performed by another laboratory. Additionally, some insurance companies require laboratory testing be performed by their contracted labs. Outside labs are timely in analyzing results, and all testing is handled in a confidential manner, no matter where it is performed.

Although the time often varies for processing and receiving lab results, you will not wait long—most outside laboratories quickly report back to us. Your oncologist will review your laboratory results as soon as they become available and will discuss them with you at your next visit. If any of your tests show conditions that require immediate attention, your physician or nurse will contact you.

Our laboratory is accredited by the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments of 1988 (CLIA).

Convenience and peace of mind - these are only two of the comments we get when patients talk about our in-house pharmacy. In fact, our retail pharmacy was established to respond to our patient’s expressed need for such a service.

We offer specialty medications including oral chemotherapy & injectable medications, in addition to a vast number of supportive medications. Whether it’s a prescription medication or just basic supplies, our staff of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians provides just what the doctor ordered! The best part is that your prescription is ready to go when your ready to leave.

We are located just off the lobby area, making pick-up of your prescription easy and hassle free. We will call your insurer, including Medicare and Medicaid, to obtain prior authorization if necessary, and/or work with a Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers patient financial counselor. We also accept cash and credit cards to make the whole process go smoothly.

Need a refill or need something that isn’t in our extensive inventory of over 200 medications? We can get it and have it for you within 24 hours. We are here to make your time with Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers as pleasant and convenient as possible.

North Coast Cancer - Radiation Therapy

Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is a type of radiation therapy involving the placement of radiation sources near the tumor or within a body cavity.

• Breast Cancer
• Esophageal Cancer
• Gynecological Cancer
• Liver
• Prostate Cancer
• Sarcomas

Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)

Image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) involves the use of imaging technology such as X-ray, ultrasound, or optical imaging to direct the delivery of radiation during radiation therapy treatment.

• All Sites
• M.D. News Article

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is the practice of delivering multiple beams of radiation to separate tumor sites in order to more effectively treat large tumor areas.

• All Sites

Rapid Arc

Available First in Ohio at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers. The main advantages of RapidArc® are precision and speed. RapidArc® focuses the radiation on the tumor while protecting healthy tissues. Each RapidArc treatment is completed in less than two minutes. Faster treatments improve the accuracy of radiation delivery, in addition to improving patient convenience and quality of life.

• Abdomen
• Brain
• Head & Neck
• Lung
• Prostate
• Spinal

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (Gamma Knife)

Available First in Ohio at Taussig. After 20 years of experience and expertise, Cleveland Clinic continues to offer patients the most technologically advanced stereotactic radiosurgery available.

• Arteriovenous Malformations
• Benign Brain Tumors
• Functional disorders (Trigeminal Neuralgia)
• Malignant Brain Tumors

Additional Radiation Therapies

View the complete list of radiation therapies available at Taussig Cancer Institute.

• View All Radiation Therapies

Clinical trials are studies that evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs or treatment strategies. They test the safety and effectiveness of new or modified cancer drugs, new drug doses, unique approaches to surgery or radiation therapy, and varied combinations of treatments. Participation in clinical trials is necessary for higher standards of care for the treatment of cancer and blood disorders, and the real values of research are many.

Cleveland Clinic Cancer Centers strive to provide patients the highest quality state-of-the-art care. Our physicians are involved in the latest clinical trials pertaining to the treatment of cancer and blood disorders. Our clinical trial program allows us to provide patients with a more extensive range of treatments than would otherwise be available.

We actively screen patients and offer clinical trials when applicable. The patient ultimately makes the decision to participate in a clinical trial. Clinical trials are conducted fairly and safely under the review of the clinical trial sponsor and a neutral group, the Institutional Review Board.

Usual costs associated with providing medical goods and services to patients are the responsibility of the patient and his or her insurance company. Research costs include data collection and management, research physician and nurse time, research drugs, and research testing. These research costs are usually covered by the sponsoring organization, such as a pharmaceutical company.

Ask your physician about clinical research trials. The value to you is very real; the implications for future patients could be far reaching.

• View North Coast Cancer's Clinical Trials
• Search All Cancer Clinical Trials at Taussig Cancer Institute