Cancer Treatment

Once cancer is diagnosed, the physicians, working together with the patient, put a treatment plan into action. Cancer treatment requires the expertise of a specialized team of healthcare providers.

At South Coast Medical Center, these cancer specialists include medical oncologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, dietitians, physical therapists and oncology nurses. This team of oncology specialists meets regularly to discuss and coordinate the patient's plan of care.

Treatment options may include medical oncology, radiation oncology or surgery.

Medical Oncology

Board-certified medical oncologists, affiliated with South Coast Medical Center, provide chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Depending on the type of cancer, they often coordinate a patient's treatment among all other cancer specialists.

Medical oncology refers to treating cancer with medicine, as opposed to surgery or radiation. The most advanced treatment therapies are offered at South Coast including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and hormonal therapy.

Radiation Oncology

Another commonly used weapon in the fight against cancer is radiation therapy, a form of treatment that uses high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, cobalt, neutrons and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.

The radiation oncology department at South Coast Medical Center offers state-of-the-art radiation therapy to South Orange County residents. The department features the most technologically-advanced CT simulator and CT scanner available. These sophisticated simulators and scanners can increase the accuracy of the treatment plan.

A radiation oncologist, a doctor who specializes in using radiation to treat cancer, will prescribe the radiation treatment protocol that's right for each patient. South Coast Medical Center patients have consistently reported that they were very pleased with their care in the radiation therapy department.

Radiation Oncologists

• Chu Pei Feng, M.D., Ph.D.
• Ernest Ngo, M.D.

Radiation Physicist

• Bouchaib Rabbani, Ph.D.

Surgery

Often one of the first treatment options for cancer is surgery. Board-certified surgeons perform cancer surgeries on an inpatient and outpatient basis.

When indicated, the sentinel node biopsy is performed. This new technology can identify the affected lymph nodes, which spares the patient from having healthy lymph nodes removed. It is used for breast cancer and melanoma cases.

Cancer surgery can successfully remove a malignant tumor, organ or diseased tissue. Depending on the type of tumor, a combination of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy may be used to ensure the best outcome.