Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Parkridge
Community Outreach
During 2011, the community outreach for Hamilton County and the surrounding counties focused on providing information on early detection of colon cancer with proper screening, education on breast self exams for early detection of breast cancer, and prostate screening education.
Click Here to View the Quarterly Cancer Committee Outreach Report »
The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center houses radiation therapy services, the cancer registry, clinical trials office, patient resource center, a healing garden, and centralizes a number of services for cancer patients and their families. The center is affiliated with the national network of facilities based in Nashville.
The wit, wisdom and honesty of Sarah Cannon's beloved character, Minnie Pearl, were all born out of Sarah's own remarkable love of life. A passion that was evident even during her own battle with cancer.
Today - right here in Chattanooga - The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center offers the remarkable hope of life. With a network of 400 participating oncologists in 22 states, state-of-the-art treatment technology, and the widest variety of clinical trials.
The experienced doctors at Sarah Cannon are dedicated to bringing the most promising cancer research and treatment to those who need it today. In fact, they're commited to seeing any patient with 24 hours because they know that earlier detection - even mere hours - can mean a world of a difference in the battle against cancer.
Sarah wouldn't have it any other way.
About Xoft Axxent Radiation Therapy
The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Parkridge Medical Center is the first hospital in the state of Tennessee to offer the Xoft Axxent High Dose Rate (HDR) electronic brachytherapy (eBx) system for the treatment of cancer. This technology gives area cancer patients a more convenient and comfortable alternative to traditional radiation therapy, which often requires a patient to undergo multiple rounds of treatment while isolated in a lead-lined vault.
The Axxent HDR eBx technology has many advantages compared with conventional radiation oncology. “With the Axxent system, the source of the radiation is x-rays and not radioactive material,” said Michael Howard, Director of Medical Physics for The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Parkridge. “The use of this relatively lower energy radiation has the potential to minimize radiation exposure for surrounding healthy tissues during treatment.” The Axxent’s use of this lower-energy x-ray technology also allows medical care providers to be in the room with a patient during treatment, an approach which can be comforting to patients.
Axxent HDR technology also features Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) capability. “This means that patients can receive radiation therapy at the same time they undergo a surgical procedure,” notes radiation oncologist Dr. Stephen Golder, Medical Director of The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Parkridge Medical Center. “The Axxent system can be brought into the operating room and treatment can be performed just after a tumor is removed. This means that it may be possible for some patients to complete their entire course of cancer therapy at one time.”
Because the Axxent system does not use radioactive isotopes, there is less need for special handling and hazardous materials handling related to cancer treatments performed with the system. The Axxent system can be used in a variety of applications, and Parkridge plans to treat breast, skin, and gynecologic cancers with the new device. For more information about Xoft Axxent Radiation Therapy, call MedLine at 800-242-5662.
Physician Specialities
The following list of specialties are available through The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Parkridge Medical Center:
- Surgical Oncology
- Gynecologic Oncology
- Hematology
- Medical Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
- Pain Management
- Urology
- Gastroenterology
- Pulmonology
- Neurology
- Cardiology
