Your best chance at beating cancer is at a comprehensive cancer center that features teams of specialists working together in the same facility where state-of-the-art cancer treatment is given, and relevant research is conducted.
Our multidisciplinary care teams include specialists from each diagnostic, treatment and supportive care discipline including surgery, hematology and medical oncology; radiation oncology; pathology; radiology; patient navigation, clinical research, nursing; supportive care; and, when appropriate, genetics.
The teams consist of physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, dieticians and others and are each designed and staffed specifically to ensure that patients and their families get their cancer diagnosis and treatment right the first time.
Multidisciplinary Care Teams ​
Disease site teams, or multidisciplinary care teams, are specialists from each diagnostic, treatment and supportive care discipline working together in the same facility where state-of-the-art cancer treatment is given, and relevant research is conducted.
Experts across the nation agree: Multidisciplinary care is the gold standard for treating cancer patients. From tumor board meetings, where physicians review and discuss treatment options, to specialized teams that focus on some of the most prevalent cancers affecting Gulf Coast residents, multidisciplinary care takes many shapes at the Center.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable, treatable and beatable cancers. Although colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer in the United States, more than 90 percent of colorectal cancers can be cured when caught in their earliest stages. Early detection is key.
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has a team approach to the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer care that starts with screening. For more information on colorectal cancer and to find out if you should be screened, click here.
Treatment outcomes for rectal cancer patients are enhanced when their care is managed by a multidisciplinary team that includes surgeons, pathologists, radiologists and medical and radiation oncologists and other experts. The rectal MDT brings together specialists with different areas of expertise to collaborate and evaluate the optimal level of care for patients based on their disease. This ensures each rectal cancer patient treated at the Cancer Center receives the most individualized, comprehensive and effective treatment plan possible.
In the last decade, there has been a movement to enhance rectal cancer care throughout the country, sparking the creation of a new quality improvement initiative, the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, in collaboration with Our Lady of the Lake, is the only program in Louisiana and one of only 15 in the United States to receive this recognition. Every rectal cancer patient’s case is reviewed by the rectal MDT, ensuring the most effective and comprehensive treatment plan and best possible outcome.
The Head and Neck Cancer Multidisciplinary Care Team is a group of experts specializing in the diagnosis, treatment and management of people with cancers of the head and neck. The team, along with other Cancer Center doctors and staff members, are often called on by other head and neck cancer specialists throughout Louisiana to offer insight on difficult cases. Members of the Head and Neck Team use the latest technologies to fight cancer, including the da Vinci® Surgical System, a sophisticated robotic platform designed to enable complex surgery using a minimally invasive approach.
For more information on head and neck cancers and to find out if you should be screened, click here.
Hepatobiliary, or upper gastrointestinal cancers, include esophagus, stomach, pancreas, gallbladder, small intestine, gastrointestinal, liver and intrahepatic bile duct. Diseases that affect the hepatobiliary system, such as cancer, can inhibit the normal functions of digestion, preventing the body from properly absorbing nutrients and processing toxins.
Approximately 219,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with lung cancer every year. The Cancer Center’s Lung Cancer Multidisciplinary Team is a group of experts that collaborates to increase the early detection of the disease and ensures best treatment options for patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Comprised of pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, patient navigators, nurses and other ancillary staff, the team focuses on improving patient outcomes and survival through evidenced-based care while monitoring quality to enhance the program’s growth.
The Cancer Center offers a number of lung cancer clinical trials. Learn more about lung cancer and when you should get screened.
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 2 million cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed this year. Because of this startling statistic, our Skin and Soft Tissue Cancer Multidisciplinary Care Team, which includes physician-experts in all aspects of skin cancer, are collaborating on best practices, prevention and treatment of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers. They are also urging greater awareness and education during National Skin Cancer Awareness Month in May and throughout the year by offering basic pointers on how adults and children can protect their skin: stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; use sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher; cover up with long sleeves and a hat; and check your skin once a month for changes.
For more information on skin cancers and to find out if you should be screened, click here.