St. Nicholas Hospital’s comprehensive, integrated oncology (cancer) services offer patients battling cancer and their families a source of strength, care, support, and hope.  The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons approves St. Nicholas’ cancer care program.  The Hospital is a member of the Association of Community Cancer Centers, the leading national interdisciplinary organization that defines quality care for patients with cancer and influences change to continually improve oncology care.  The oncology care team includes board-certified medical and radiation oncologists, oncology-certified nurses, radiation therapists, dietitians, spiritual and pastoral support staff, and other highly skilled individuals from a variety of specialized fields of medicine needed to treat the complex disease processes of cancer.  The team works with the patient and family, the family physician, and doctors specializing in surgery, pathology, and radiation and medical oncology. Radiation therapy is often an important facet of cancer care on either an inpatient or an outpatient basis.  With a state-of-the-art, dual-energy linear accelerator, highly trained radiation therapists are able to treat cancer patients with both photons and electrons, as well as with IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy). IMRT uses three-dimensional imaging and a specialized treatment planning technique to target cancer cells with high doses of radiation. While at the same time minimizing the radiation received by nearby healthy tissue. Radiation therapy destroys tumors or reduces their size through exposure to high does of ionizing radiation that kills or damages tumor cells.  The therapy is usually delivered in a series of small treatment doses over a period of several weeks to allow healthy tissue surrounding the tumor the opportunity to repair itself between doses.  In the case of prostate cancer, brachytherapy, or radioactive seed implantation offers a therapeutic treatment option.  Radiation therapy can be used for curative purposes in combination with surgery or chemotherapy or by itself.  It can also be used in a palliative manner to control bleeding or pain or be used to shrink tumors, making them easier to remove surgically.  Services are provided by board-certified radiation oncologists and registered radiation therapists and physicists. Chemotherapy, which is also given on an inpatient or outpatient basis, is the use of drugs to treat cancer.  These drugs destroy cancer cells by stopping them from growing or multiplying at one or more points in their cell cycle. Because some drugs work better together than alone, chemotherapy may consist of more than one drug. This is called combination chemotherapy.  Chemotherapy may be used in combination with surgery and/or radiation therapy and may be palliative or curative. Prevention and early detection of cancer are encouraged through a variety of programs such as the Wisconsin Well Woman Program, which provides free mammography for under-insured or uninsured women. A lending library of books and videos, support groups, and other services provide other support for patients and families. In addition, wigs, hats, turbans, and other headwear items are available for women who experience hair loss because of cancer treatment. Oncology • 920-459-4745 Radiation Therapy • 920-459-4767 Medical Directors: H. Marshall Matthews, MD and William J. Pao, MD Return to Hospital Services