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EXCEPTIONAL Cancer Care in Maine

At York Hospital, you and your family will receive exceptional, patient-focused care from our outstanding team of physicians, clinical oncology pharmacists,  nurses, physical and occupational therapists, social workers, nutritionists and wound care experts who all work together to provide you with the best care available today. The wide scope of providers mirrors the varied impact cancer imparts on a person’s health and well being, as well as those of their family and loved ones. We work together to ensure that the care you receive will address all of your needs, from medical to emotional and psychosocial and provide you with a personalized cancer care plan tailored to your needs.

 


PERSONALIZED CANCER CARE

Our team of board certified oncology doctors works closely with your primary care provider, and, based
on the type of cancer being treated, a team of sub-specialty physicians involved in pathology, radiology, general surgery, plastic surgery, urology, otolaryngology, gynecology, orthopedic surgery and more. This dynamic team of specialists has also developed relationships with many tertiary care centers from Boston, MA, to Portland, ME to ensure optimal care. Our clinical affiliation with 
Massachusetts General Hospital brings added expertise and connections for specialized care and, working with the Massachusetts General Cancer Center, we can offer our patients access to specialized care services like gynecologic oncology, genetic testing, and thoracic surgery. We share common goals, ensuring that all our patients have the best chance for the best outcome. York Hospital puts our
patients and their families front and center and our ongoing relationship with Massachusetts General means that everyone has easier access to advanced care as needed.

Please note, that as of Monday, July 18, 2022, our phone systems will be on auto attendant between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m.. Please click here for more information.


CANCER CARE SERVICES:

Medical Oncology and Hematology

Medical Oncologists/Hematologists are physicians who specialize in the care and treatment of cancer and blood disorders. Medical oncology is the treatment of cancer using medicine delivered both by IV and oral therapy. It also includes careful attention to related medical problems, as well as management of symptoms and side effects. Our medical oncology program encompasses several leading-edge therapies, including chemotherapy
and targeted therapies.

MEET OUR PROVIDERS

Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy treatment uses anti-cancer drugs either administered
intravenously or in pill form to destroy cancer cells.

Our goal is to return you to your highest level of health by treating you with chemotherapy focused on the location and type of
your cancer.

Immunotherapy
Your body’s natural defenses can fight your cancer. Immunotherapy
is considered a modern breakthrough in the fight against cancer.

Our cancer center is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital, a
leader in immunotherapy research that is pioneering the use of cancer immunotherapy as a growing form of treatment. These therapies use
drugs to target specific genetic mutations triggering cancer growth.

This personalized approach hones in on the genetics of each individual’s cancer cells to create a treatment plan that is
unique to you.

Clinical Trials Program

York Hospital is home to clinical research in both oncology and hematology. It is the hospital’s belief that patient should
have access to clinical trials closer to home. Please click here for more information

Genetic Counseling

You may have an increased risk of developing cancer or a particular medical syndrome based on your personal or family history.

A certified genetic counselor will help you better understand your specific technical and genetic information and how it is relevant to you and your family.

Those eligible for genetic testing include individuals and/or families in which:

  • Cancer was diagnosed at an age earlier than usual
  • Multiple biological relatives have been diagnosed with cancer
  • Someone has been diagnosed with more than one primary cancer
  • Family members have developed a rare or unusual cancer
  • Individuals have been diagnosed with bilateral cancer of paired organs

Genetic assessments may offer personalized information and referral for ongoing treatment, monitoring and follow-up for hereditary cancers including:

  • Breast
  • Ovarian, uterine and fallopian tube
  • Colon, rectal, pancreatic and gastric
  • Kidney
  • Thyroid, pituitary and adrenal
  • Melanoma

Counselors also offer testing and counseling for a number of syndromes, including the more common:

  • Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (BRCA1/2)
  • Hereditary colon cancer syndrome (HNPCC/Lynch, FAP/Garnder’s, MYH)
  • Hereditary renal cell cancer/Von-Hipple-Lindeau Disease (VHL)
  • Hereditary melanoma
  • Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS)
  • Cowden syndrome (CS)
  • Multiple endocrine neoplasias (MEN)

Get the best information to move forward with your health decisions.  The Genetics Clinic is held on the fourth Thursday of each month at York Hospital Oncology in Kittery, 75 US Route 1 By Pass.  For more information about genetic counseling, please call 207-351-3777.

Supportive & Wellness Programs

It is challenging to cope with a cancer diagnosis. We are here to help.   We want to support you, your family and your caregivers, in any way we can. That’s why we offer an array of support groups, services and integrative therapies.

Our oncology social workers are here to counsel you and your family through all phases of cancer. We will work with you from the beginning to help cope with a diagnosis of cancer, reduce stress and access information to understand your diagnosis and treatment.

We are here to assist you in considering decisions about treatment options and make referrals to support groups, creative art programs and wellness programs.

Rely on us to also help you with Advance Directives and Advance Care Planning.

For more information, please contact Susan Kelly Westman, LMSW, at (207) 351-3721.

Integrative Therapies

While being treated for your cancer at York Hospital Oncology, take advantage of our many opportunities to focus on you.

Enjoy six free massages from our Wellness Center. 
Or try the ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture which is believed to help restore the body’s balance of energy. Six free Acupuncture sessions are available to our patients to alleviate pain caused by cancer and side effects of treatment, including nausea, fatigue and dry mouth.

Also, while being treated in our clinics try the gentle-energy work of Reiki which can provide deep relaxation to calm you if you are stressed and anxious.  You may also find it helpful with pain management, sleep problems and overall comfort.

Nutrition and Exercise

Eating well is especially important during cancer treatment, recovery and to stay healthy.

Consult with our registered dietitian to optimize your nutrition before, during and after cancer treatment.

We can help with preparing for your treatment, managing nutrition-related treatment side effects and customizing nutrition plans.

For more information, please call (207) 351-3777.

Exercise helps you make the transition from treatment and rehab to getting back to your life.

Take advantage of our 16 free Living Well with Cancer Exercise Classes as well classes in Hatha Yoga, Nordic Walking, Zumba Gold and Forest Therapy Walking.

For more information, consult with your treatment team at the York Hospital Oncology or contact Elisa Fraser at [email protected].

Rehabilitation

Our professional cancer rehabilitation team of physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists work together with your health care team to create a customized rehabilitation plan for you.

Our program is focused on improving the treatment side effects, helping you to stay as strong and independent as possible during treatment, and regain the strength, function and independence to do the daily activities most important to you.

Creative Arts Programs

As a patient at York Hospital Oncology, art classes are available to patients that use the creative process as a springboard for an individual’s own personal, spiritual and healing growth.  The classes offered are many and varied and free of charge.  They include a Silk Scarf Painting workshop; Memories, Moments & Meaning writer’s workshop; Scrapbooking workshop; Affirmation Art classes; Zentangle meditative drawing workshop; Music Therapy workshops, Dot Mandala painting class and Felting Flowers Workshop.

One on One Art Instruction is also available through our artist in residence while patients are in clinic for treatment.  Some of the projects available are painting, drawing and or origami.

Financial Counseling

York Hospital is committed to providing quality health care regardless of one’s ability to pay and is pleased to offer several programs to help patients manage their medical bill.

For Financial Assistants, Please Click Here


What is Cancer?

What is Cancer?
Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by excessive growth of cells. There are over 200 different types of cancer and within each type of cancer are a number of subtypes. Within a given type of cancer the risk factors, clinical symptoms, treatment options and expected course can vary substantially, so that cancer type alone provides little insight into how a cancer will behave. The fundamental element that cancers share is that they originate when a cell begins to make too many copies of itself, leading to excessive cell growth. It is the excessive cell growth which gives rise to most of the symptoms that a cancer patient experiences, and is the focus of most of the treatments used today.
How is Cancer defined?
Cancer is defined by the site of origin of the cell that begins to grow in excess, which can occur in any organ of the body including the blood and lymphatic system. The cancer type is the first of many categories which are used to define the disease, so that knowing the cancer type alone provides little additional information. Cancer type does not change as the regions of the body involved change, so that a lung cancer which has spread to bone is referred to as “lung cancer with bone metastases,” rather than bone cancer.
CANCER DIAGNOSIS: HOW IS A CANCER DIAGNOSIS MADE?
Cancer may be detected when symptoms or abnormalities, such as a lump or growth, are recognized by a patient or doctor. Diagnostic imaging is often then used to for visualization of abnormal masses using high tech machines that create images, such as x-rays, computed tomography (CT), positron emission test (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and combined PET/CT. Detection or assumption of cancer is not the same as diagnosis. A cancer diagnosis begins with the confirmation of abnormal cell growth and typically requires analysis of cells under a microscope or other instrument which analyzes cells. The source of tissue chosen to make a cancer diagnosis will depend on the type of cancer suspected, as well as the site of the body suspected of harboring cancer. A procedure designed to confirm a suspected cancer is referred to as a biopsy. Many biopsies are performed by surgeons, while others are performed by radiologists specially trained to use medical imaging such as CT scan or MRI to guide a biopsy. The material obtained from a biopsy is sent to a physician specially trained to identify diseases in the laboratory, known as a pathologist. A pathologist uses their knowledge of the normal appearance of cells to determine the site of origin of a cancer as well as additional information which may be obtained.
WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP AFTER A CANCER DIAGNOSIS?
Once a pathologist confirms the cancer type, the next step is generally to determine the extent of cancer in the body, an important process referred to as cancer “staging.” During cancer staging additional information is gathered such as medical imaging and further testing, which may entail additional biopsies and procedures. Some patients find that cancer staging is a slower process than they anticipated, especially in light of the anxiety surrounding a new cancer diagnosis. Cancer staging must be performed meticulously, however, since it is one of the single most important determinants in the overall treatment plan.
CANCER STAGING- HOW IS IT PERFORMED?
Staging is performed in a number of different ways, and the methods used for a given patient depend not only on the type of cancer, but also the level suspicion of additional body sites of involvement. Staging methods can vary from simple physical examinations to specialized procedures, some of which require medical imaging. There are established national guidelines to ensure consistency and accuracy of cancer staging, so that each cancer type has its own “rules” to guide staging. These guidelines are set forth by leading cancer organizations such as the American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). The providers on your cancer team at York Hospital will work together to ensure that your cancer is properly staged, in order to determine the most appropriate treatment plan.
CANCER TREATMENT- WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?

Cancer care is a rapidly evolving field of medicine. Our medical oncology program encompasses several leading edge therapies, including:
Chemotherapy—Chemotherapy treatment uses anti-cancer drugs either administered intravenously or in a pill form to destroy cancer cells
Targeted Therapy—Targeted therapy is the leading edge of cancer treatments and the focus of extensive and continuing cancer research.
   These treatments are specifically designed to precisely identify and attack cancer cells while sparing damage to normal cells. Targeted therapy
   includes immunotherapy which uses your body’s natural defenses to fight your cancer. The therapies use drugs to target specific genetic mutations
   triggering cancer growth. This personalized approach hones in on the genetics of each individual’s cancer cells to create a treatment plan than is
   unique to you. Biological Therapy uses your body’s immune system to kill cancer cells for many types of cancer to prevent or slow tumor growth
   and prevent the spread of cancerll

Treatments & Services

Cutting edge treatment next door. York Hospital provides the same treatments and protocols you would receive anywhere else – including larger academic institutions and tertiary care centers). Here, we are able to give you personalized attention and care and get your treatment programs started quickly – and with your family at your

 

side.

Clinical Trials

A clinical trial is a research study designed to answer a question which is relevant to current patient care.  Clinical trials are the major way advancements in medical care occur, and current Oncology care is based on results from previous clinical trials.  In order to conduct clinical trials it is often necessary to perform extensive research in a laboratory to demonstrate that a particular drug or treatment is worthy of investigation. 

 


Health Information

The following is additional educational information to help you learn more about services available at York Hospital

  • York Hospital Living Well Cancer Support Group
    York Hospital Living Well Cancer Support Group provides emotional support and information for those coping with diagnosis, treatment and recovery from cancer. The group meets the second Monday of the month from 1:00 – 2:30 PM at the Living Well Center library at 127 Long Sands Road, York. For more information: (207) 351-3721.
  • York Hospital Living Well Center
  • York Hospital Wellness First

The following links contain additional sources of web-based information and education about diagnoses, treatment options, medications, and support.

  • MedlinePlus
  • Reach to Recovery: American Cancer Society: The American Cancer Society Reach to Recovery program has helped people (female and male) cope with their breast cancer experience. This experience begins when someone is faced with the possibility of a breast cancer diagnosis and continues throughout the entire period that breast cancer remains a personal concern. Contact the American Cancer Society to find a specially trained Reach to Recovery volunteer in your community. Call 1 (800) 227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

If you want to have more information, some reputable websites to check are:

www.cancer.org
www.cancer.net
www.uptodate.com
www.cancer.gov