Cancer Treatment
A cancer diagnosis can turn your world, and the world of your loved ones, completely upside down. At Redlands Community Hospital, we understand how terrifying it can be when you must seek out cancer care in Redlands, or anywhere else. Your cancer care team, whether you are facing a possible diagnosis or coming to terms with a confirmed one, will be made up of specialists from every corner of medicine, including but not limited to:
- Case manager - coordinates all of your care from start to finish, often advocating for you with your insurance company
- Medical/radiation/surgical oncologist - treats your cancer with drug therapy (chemotherapy, radiation) or surgery depending on your diagnosis
- Pathologist - determines whether a tumor is cancerous and what grade it is
- Oncology clinical nurse specialist - cares for patient/family, supervises staff, does research and educates patients about their cancer
These professionals are dedicated to providing you the best possible care and outcome during this very difficult time.
Surgery
Surgery is generally the ideal treatment, as it can sometimes be as simple as one or two procedures to completely rid your body of the cancer. The surgical oncologist will remove the tumor, along with some of the surrounding healthy tissue or lymph nodes to make sure it has not spread.
There is a long list of surgery types for cancer. RCH prides itself on constantly innovating to improve patient care, so we are proud to be a leading healthcare provider of robotic surgery, which can often be utilized in cancer treatment.
Our revolutionary Trumpf Medical™ TruSystem® 7000dV surgical tables and da Vinci Xi robotic surgical system, made possible by a Redlands Community Hospital Foundation grant, can move in 32 different positions allowing the surgeon to tilt it and improve navigation during minimally invasive surgical procedures. Robotics are increasingly becoming an integral part of medicine and reduce hospital stays, pain, surgical site infections, scarring and recovery time.
Chemotherapy
While chemotherapy is unquestionably one of the most effective ways to treat cancer, it is also one of the most debilitating. Our Oncology Services and Infusion Center, led by Medical Director Emad Ibrahim, M.D., provides comprehensive care and maximum comfort throughout all stages of cancer treatment.
Chemo uses systemic drugs to shrink or kill cancer cells anywhere in the body by eliminating them or slowing their spread. It can also be used to lessen the pain of incurable cancer. It is delivered via oral medication, injection or IV, and is usually five days a week for several weeks.
Radiation
Radiation treatment is very similar to chemotherapy, and can be equally hard on the patient. Radiation kills cancer cells via x-ray or other invisible beams. It is usually focused only on the cancerous part of the body, and can be delivered externally through those beams, internally through a radioactive object placed in your body, or less commonly via pill or needle.
Our Oncology Services area provides outpatient chemotherapy and radiation, diagnostic tests such as PET scans and MRIs, and lab work or biopsies. Our team stays updated on the latest available therapies, including reduced-side-effect chemo, targeted therapies and immunotherapies.
Infusion Center
Our infusion center strives to provide the most aggressive yet comfortable cancer treatment in Redlands. It is designed for emotional and physical comfort, with well-padded heated recliners, WiFi and iPads, snacks and even a snow cone machine to keep the patient and family cozy and entertained.
Another generous gift from the Foundation of nearly $4,000 provided our treatment rooms, which must be kept cool and can often be uncomfortably chilly for patients, with a blanket warmer that keeps 10 to 12 blankets warm and ready to go at all times. It uses patented heating zone technology to keep the shelves safely and evenly heated.
