For the past 25 years, Pottstown Memorial Regional Cancer Center (PMRCC) has been a local leader in the fight against cancer.

Today, PMRCC offers a full range of cancer services, including a multidisciplinary cancer team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, radiation therapists and nurses, as well as some of the most advanced technology available to treat cancer.

To remain on the cutting edge of cancer care, PMRCC has a relationship with nationally renowned Fox Chase Cancer Center. This gives patients access to the latest in cancer research, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and education, including more than 100 groundbreaking clinical trials.

Recently, PMRCC was reaccredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer as a Community Hospital Cancer Program, and received the ACoS’s Outstanding Achievement Award. PMRCC was one of 39 community cancer centers in the country to be awarded this distinction in 2005.

What does this mean to local residents? It means patients are receiving excellent cancer care, treatment and support right here in their community without having to travel to an urban, university-based hospital.

Comprehensive services at the Cancer Center include:

Convenient access to your doctor: A full-time staff of medical and radiation oncologists is available right here at the Cancer Center. “Everything you need is done in the Cancer Center, from doctors’ visits to lab work and tests to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Our patients only have to make one stop,” says Peggy Neese, RN, BSN, OCN, director of medical oncology and radiation oncology at PMMC. This is a great benefit to patients undergoing cancer treatment who can be both emotionally and physically exhausted.

Multidisciplinary care: A multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals work together to coordinate each patient’s treatment. The team includes board-certified physicians in medical oncology, radiation oncology, gastroenterology, pulmonology and urology; board-certified surgeons who routinely perform laparoscopic and reconstructive procedures; oncology-certified nurses; tumor registrars; registered dietitians; pharmacists; physical and occupational therapists; home care nurses; and chaplain.

Preventive screening: Preventing cancer is a primary goal. The Cancer Center offers routine mammography screening, as well as breast MRIs for women at high risk of developing breast cancer and young women with dense breasts. The hospital conducts regular screenings for prostate cancer and skin cancer and also offers smoking cessation programs.

“We want to educate the community about the importance of healthy living habits. Our overall goal is to decrease cancer incidence and increase to cure rates,” says Ms. Neese.

Diagnostic imaging: A full range of on-site imaging technology is used to diagnose cancer and guide treatment: high and low field MRI, PET/CT Scan, interventional radiology, CT Scan, mammography and chemoembolization.

Advanced treatment modalities: The Cancer Center offers the newest technological advances in radiation therapy, including intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT); computer treatment planning using CT simulators, MRI and PET fusion, and linear accelerators. Patients receive on-site chemotherapy as well as targeted therapies, which target cancer cells without destroying normal cells.

The Cancer Center’s advanced PET/CT scanner detects and guides treatment more quickly and accurately than ever by combining the power of a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner with a multi-slice Computed Tomography (CT) scanner.

Breast cancer care: Women are diagnosed through a variety of procedures beyond the initial mammogram: stereotactic breast biopsy, Mammotome® biopsy, breast MRI, sentinel lymph node dissection, lymphedema services and breast IMRT.

New patient resources: To better understand patients’ symptoms and their impact on the care they receive, the staff of PMRCC recently began using the innovative Patient Care Monitor to improve patient care. Patients answer questions on an e-tablet before they see the doctor, to more thoroughly report their symptoms. The information also is used in a National Cancer Institute clinical research study.

“This new system is helping us better understand what our patients are going through, so we can continue to provide the best care possible,” explains Ms. Neese.

Cancer risk assessment program for women: In conjunction with Fox Chase Cancer Center, PMRCC will be participating in an assessment program to identify individuals at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer and provide them with education, screening guidelines and prevention options.

“Genetic testing is the way of the future,” says Ms. Neese. “Our goal is to identify people who are genetically predisposed to cancer and provide them with careful screening before any symptoms are present. That way, if people do develop cancer, we can diagnose it early, when the cure rate for most cancers is significantly higher.”