Other Cancers

The HSHS Wisconsin Clinical Research Institute is a top national research center, with more than 25 years of experience in conducting clinical trials. More than 700 different clinical trials have been provided to more than 2,500 patients. The ability to conduct research studies opens up new avenues of hope, as they provide our patients with more treatment options.

Research compares the best-known treatment with new treatments, which have a possibility of improving current outcomes. Standard treatments used today are a result of past clinical trials.

In cancer research, clinical trials are designed to answer questions about new ways to:

• Treat cancer
• Find and diagnose cancer
• Prevent cancer
• Manage symptoms of cancer and/or its treatment
• Whether or not to take part in a clinical trial is always the patient’s decision. All treatment options should be considered.

One important benefit of participating in a clinical trial is the possibility of being part of a breakthrough discovery in the treatment of cancer. Clinical trials help people who may get cancer in the future. But whether or not to take part in a clinical trial is always the patient's decision. All treatment options should be considered.

Through the HSHS Wisconsin Clinical Research Institute, patients of the St. Vincent Cancer Collaborative have access to 130-140 clinical trials at any given time. Many of these trials are also available at our affiliated locations in the Regional Cancer Collaborative.

To find out more about clinical trials, call the HSHS Wisconsin Clinical Research Institute at 920-433-8889

HSHS St. Vincent Hospital Cancer Centers uses a wide array of diagnostic tests to detect cancer. Accurate identification of cancer allows Oncologists to choose the most effective treatment specifically for you. A few of the most common diagnostic methods include: biopsy, endoscopy, diagnostic imaging, and blood tests. Our team of experts will help to diagnose your cancer in its early stages, which will improve your recovery.

• Stage 0 - Carcinoma in situ (CIS): Cancer that has not spread
• Stages I-III - Higher numbers indicate more extensive disease: Larger tumor size and/or spread of the cancer beyond the organ in which it first developed to nearby lymph nodes and/or organs adjacent to the location of the primary tumor.
• Stage IV - The cancer has spread to another organ(s)

Screening is used to detect cancer in its early stages – which increases the effectiveness of your treatment. Some types of screening we offer include:

• Physical exam: A check of general health, including signs of disease, such as lumps or anything else that seems unusual. A history of health habits and past illnesses and treatments will also be taken.
• Laboratory tests: Medical samples of tissue, blood, urine, or other substances in the body.
• Imaging procedures: Pictures of areas inside the body.
• Genetic tests: Tests that look for certain gene mutations (changes) that are linked to some types of cancer.

Surgery can be used to diagnose, treat, or even help prevent cancer. Most people with cancer will have some type of surgery. It often offers the greatest chance for cure, especially if the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body. Surgery is the oldest form of cancer treatment. It also plays a key role in the process of diagnosing cancer and finding out how far it has spread (staging). Advances in surgical techniques have allowed surgeons to operate on a growing number of patients with good outcomes. When a surgeon has to cut into the body to operate, it is called invasive surgery. Today, operations that involve less cutting and damage to nearby organs and tissues (minimally invasive surgery) often can be done to remove tumors while saving as much normal tissue and function as possible.

Throughout your journey to wellness, you will be meeting with specialists in many different fields working together to provide you with the very best care possible. Coordination of your care occurs between members of this treatment team both individually, or as a group in meetings we call “Tumor Board”. Each week, HSHS St. Vincent Hospital Cancer Centers hosts meetings to allow our team to collaboratively develop individualized treatment plans to meet the precious needs of our patients. Surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, genetic counselors, radiologists, pathologists, clinical research professionals, nursing and other supportive staff all attend these tumor board meetings. All of these experts are sitting together, reviewing your history, pathology, and imaging studies and discussing the most appropriate treatment course. Between these meetings, this multidisciplinary team continues to work together one on one as needed, to meet the individual needs of their patients, according to a timeframe suitable to you.

You can be assured this team of skilled experts is working closely together to develop the best treatment plan possible to treat your cancer and to give you all treatment options available.