River Forest Center for Cancer Care
River Forest Center for Cancer Care
7420 Central Avenue
River Forest, IL 60302
708-488-0882
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The Oncology Program
The West Suburban Medical Center Oncology Program seeks to provide guidance, support and compassion at every stage of a patient’s journey through diagnosis, treatment and recovery, ensuring quality of care and quality of life. The knowledgeable health care professionals who make up the Oncology team will partner with one another and with individual patients to come up with the best course of action for each person, whether in an inpatient or outpatient setting. With this team-centered approach, we serve our patients, assist their families and care for their caregivers. We believe that our knowledge, experience and commitment truly make a difference.
We believe that we can make a difference in the lives of our patients. Whether assessing risks for cancer, performing screenings and examinations, treating patients who have cancer or assisting them on their path to recovery, the West Suburban Medical Center Oncology team is dedicated to making a difference by providing committed, comprehensive and compassionate care to every individual.
We understand that cancer affects the whole person, including one’s emotional life, and we seek to offer care that is not only state-of-the-art, but also sensitive to the needs of our patients. We've worked hard to make it as easy as possible for our patients to get the care they need.
Highly Skilled Oncology Team
Our staff includes physicians who have been caring for people in the community for years. They’ve earned a reputation for excellent care, and for going the extra mile for their patients, in every way possible. The Oncology Program at West Suburban Medical Center is dedicated to a team- and patient-centered approach. Primary care physicians, oncologists, surgeons, nurses and other staff work together with the patient to come up with the best program of care. The members of our dedicated nursing staff have years of oncology experience and are deeply committed to advocate for each patient. Our patients have a personal relationship with all of the staff—we help you navigate the system, we walk with you through each step of the process and we consider you the center of our team.
Screening and Diagnostic Services
Cancers that can be detected early through screenings include those of the breast, prostate, colon, rectum, cervix, oral cavity and skin.
Through the Oncology Program at West Suburban Medical Center, physicians work with patients to assess their risks for cancer through cancer-related checkups, conduct screenings and tests to detect cancer before it causes symptoms.
We use the latest radiological and diagnostic technologies to diagnose patients and determine the best plan of care. We continue to educate other physicians and the community about screening and recommendations.
Our screening and diagnostic services include:
- Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test
- Breast imaging (mammograms and ultrasounds)
- Computed tomography (CT scan)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Stereotactic and ultrasoundguided biopsies
Treatment
The Oncology Program at West Suburban Medical Center offers specialized cancer treatment for the following cancers: breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, gynecological, skin, leukemia, lymphoma and others. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are given at the River Forest Center for Cancer Care—one of the most sophisticated Centers in the Chicagoland area.
- Chemotherapy - We offer the latest in chemotherapy treatments, including new cancer-fighting drugs that make side effects less unpleasant than they once were. Chemotherapy treatments are administered in a comfortable, attractive environment.
- Radiation - The Oncology Program offers a breakthrough radiation therapy known as intensity modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT. Using specialized software and computers, radiation oncologists are able to map the tumor exactly, create thin beams of varying intensities of radiation and accurately guide the beams around sensitive normal tissues. When IMRT is used on certain types of cancer, patients may experience fewer side effects and complications, and cancer control rates may be improved. IMRT is the most precise form of external beam radiation now available.
- Other treatment therapies - The Oncology Program offers other treatment therapies that include hormone therapies, biologic therapies, blood and platelet transfusions.
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Clinical trials - The River Forest Center for Cancer Care enrolls a number of patients in clinical trials, research studies that explore new ways to treat cancer. We employ an on-site clinical trials nurse so we can offer patients the newest cancer-fighting drugs and technologies. Many of the therapies administered during trials are accessible only at select cancer centers.
Comprehensive Support
West Suburban Medical Center’s Oncology Program firmly believes that education is a vital part of caring for people with cancer. Physicians and nurses educate patients and their families so they can make informed decisions about their care.
Support staff members are on hand to guide people through non-medical issues that can be as complex and overwhelming as the care itself. These support professionals include a dedicated clinical nurse coordinator, social workers, physical therapists, financial counselor, pharmacists, clergy and dietitians.
Cancer is both a physical and an emotional trial that affects the patient as well as the patient’s family, friends and caregivers. Our support team strives to meet each patient’s physical and emotional needs. Social workers and clergy are available for private individual counseling and physical therapists are available to work with patients after surgery and treatment. A financial counselor will meet with patients and their families to discuss financial issues that arise with cancer care. The clinical nurse coordinator on staff is the patient’s personal advocate, care coordinator and resource provider. She consults with patients and family members and serves as the liaison between the patient and physician team.
As they educate patients and guide them through the cancer experience, members of the Oncology Program Support Team can bring a sense of peace and hope during a difficult time. They are always on hand to counsel, to reassure and to listen.
Doctors you've known and trusted for years
The medical staff at the River Forest Center for Cancer Care includes physicians who have been caring for people in your community for years.
They've earned a reputation for excellent care and for going the extra mile for their patients, in every way possible. The physicians who join their team are chosen because they share this total commitment to patient care. And the same goes for the nurses and staff who are such an important part of the care we provide.
The body, mind and the spirit
Cancer is a disease of the body. But it can sorely test the mind, and the spirit. So the comprehensive care we offer at the Center includes all the support our patients will need to live a life worth living while their cancer is being treated.
One on one, in times of need
To help patients cope with cancer, private individual counseling by social workers and clergy is readily available.
These deeply caring professionals have been a source of comfort, encouragement and strength to countless patients. They know the road, and how to smooth it. They're always available to talk on short notice. They work closely with our medical staff, as part of the team that treats the person, not just the disease.
And if needed, this same kind of personal attention is available through home care services offered by the Center.
Fighting cancer is hard enough. Your care shouldn't make it harder.
At the Center, we've worked hard to make it as easy as possible for our patients to get the care they need.
For those who need medications, we have a pharmacy within the Center. For those who need tests, the Center has its own laboratory and CT scanner.
A full range of diagnostic services, including mammograms, ultrasounds, nuclear medicine and X-rays, is available in the West Suburban Center for Primary Care, just a few steps away.
And there is ample free parking, right outside our door.
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