From Spotlight on Health Oct./Nov. 2007

The Cancer Center offers outpatient chemotherapy, radiation therapy and a hematology/oncology clinic. As the only specialty center exclusively dedicated to the treatment of cancer in the 12-county area, the Coborn Cancer Center has nearly doubled its size to 44,326 square feet. This expansion is vital for providing optimum care for cancer patients.

Visual therapy images transform the environment into a relaxing space for healing.

“This place just keeps getting better,” said Karen Jurgens, who is undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma. “What a wonderful change! I have been a patient at the center since 2002 and have watched as it was stretching at its seams. The new waiting area provides a feeling of warmth and calmness. We are so fortunate to have the latest technology available locally.”

Resource Center and Library
The expanded Resource Center and Library is a hub for cancer patients, professionals and the
community. The literature available, as well as Internet access, help cancer patients and their loved ones find information about their diagnosis and ways to cope with their illnesses. These resources were made possible by a gift from the Bauerly Families/MDU Foundation.

“The Resource Library now is more visible and is a comfortable place that can be easily accessed
by patients or caregivers while they are waiting,” Jurgens said.

Cancer Survivorship
In 2006, Coborn Cancer Center created the Cancer Survivorship Network to enhance the support for patients and their families who have experienced a cancer diagnosis. The program goal is to provide comprehensive services for people surviving cancer in Central Minnesota. Jurgens understands the need for the Survivorship Network.

“Providing the necessary scientific medical care is paramount to recovery. In addition, addressing
the needs of the whole person -- body, mind, emotions and spirit -- is important for restorative
healing of both patients and their caregivers,” Jurgens said.

Radiation Oncology
Radiation is one of three main ways of treating cancer, the other two being chemotherapy and surgery. Sometimes these treatments are given in conjunction with each other and other times they are given separately. Approximately 500 cancer patients receive radiation each year at the Coborn Cancer Center. Some of the more common diagnoses are cancers of the breast, prostate, lung, brain, and head and neck.

Coborn Cancer Center offers the latest technology for patients who undergo either external beam therapy or High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy. With external beam therapy, the patient is treated from several different angles using a High Energy Linear Accelerator. The goal is to focus the radiation on the tumor while sparing the normal healthy tissues as much as possible. With (HDR), the cancer is treated directly by placing the radiation source inside the patient, rather than treating from the outside, allowing even more healthy tissue to be spared. Early stages of breast cancer can be treated with the new MammoSite technique using HDR.

Research studies
The oncology doctors participate in cancer research studies to provide patients with prevention trials, control studies and chemotherapy and radiation trials. Within the past year, the medical oncologists began to offer newly approved chemotherapy, biologic and targeted therapies for advanced renal cell cancer, metastasis colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndrome.

Care Coordination
Patients facing a new diagnosis of lung cancer quickly find themselves facing a tremendous number of critical and often times frightening decisions. Approximately four people are diagnosed with respiratory cancer every week. In January 2007, Debbie Corrigan, R.N., became the lung cancer care coordinator to help patients navigate the complex diagnosis and treatment journey.

Support from the community, funded through CentraCare Health Foundation, has impacted a variety of areas within the Coborn Cancer Center.

Learn more about Coborn Center Center.

Learn more about CentraCare Health Foundation.