News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2010
MEDIA CONTACT: Joyce Brennan
Public Information Officer
Southcoast Health System
Phone: 508-961-5270
Fax: 508-961-5876
Pager: 508-387-9605
brennanj@southcoast.org
www.southcoast.org/news/releases/
Southcoast Hospitals announces Thoracic Cancer Clinic
For diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of all lung cancers including stereotactic body
radiotherapy treatment
FALL RIVER, Mass. — Southcoast Hospitals Group announces the region’s first clinic
dedicated to treating patients with lung cancer. The Thoracic (Lung) Cancer Clinic at the
Southcoast Center for Cancer Care in Fall River pulls together the expertise needed to diagnose,
treat and coordinate care for patients who have been diagnosed with lung cancer and need a
multidisciplinary team approach.
“Our team at the thoracic clinic treats patients with all types and stages of lung cancer
from commonly occurring lung malignancies to unusual and more challenging cases,” said
Therese Mulvey, MD, Physician-in-Chief / Medical Oncologist at the Southcoast Centers for
Cancer Care.
“All of the patients treated at the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care have a dedicated
team of oncologists and clinicians overseeing their care,” Dr. Mulvey said. “In certain types of
cancer, such as lung cancer which are difficult to screen for, there are variations in the treatment
and management of the disease. Having a dedicated clinic for lung cancer patients ensures that
each patient benefits from an individualized, coordinated treatment plan that is developed by a
whole team of experts in lung cancer treatment who are working in concert to provide seamless
state-of-the-art services.”
Thoracic Team / Advanced Treatments
The highly skilled thoracic clinic team consists of thoracic surgeons, medical and
radiation oncologists, pulmonary specialists, pathologists, oncology nurses, the Patient Navigator
and support personnel such as nutritionists, rehab specialists and social workers.
Richard T. Miller, MD, a thoracic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive thoracic
surgery and thoracic oncology, said the clinic helps to ensure continuity of care for patients facing
this complicated diagnosis.
“Patients diagnosed with lung cancer have needs that reach far beyond their surgical
requirements,” Dr. Miller said. “Southcoast’s multidisciplinary approach enables them to provide
patients with the best possible comprehensive cancer care.”
The clinic features the latest in thoracic oncology treatments such as video-assisted
thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), a minimally invasive approach to lung surgery performed by
Dr. Miller and stereotactic body radiotherapy treatment (SBRT), a non-invasive surgical
alternative proven to control malignancy in hard-to-reach areas of the body.
“Stereotactic body radiotherapy treatment is a new technology that is used in early stage
lung cancers,” said Teresa Boyle, MD, Radiation Oncologist at the Southcoast Centers for Cancer
Care. “There are many benefits to the patients especially when SBRT is used as an alternative to
surgery. SBRT can be a treatment option for medically inoperable patients.”
Another technological advance is drug therapy that utilizes the latest molecular
diagnostic testing. This technology helps pathologists to determine the molecular make-up of
certain types of lung cancer, allowing physicians to pinpoint the most effective drugs for
treatment. Many new drugs have become available in recent years that have improved treatment
for this devastating form of cancer, Dr. Mulvey said.
Prevalence of Lung Cancer in the South Coast region
The South Coast region has one of the highest rates of invasive lung cancer in
Massachusetts and also has a persistently high rate of residents who smoke. Only 15 percent of all
patient diagnosed with lung cancer have a five-year survival rate. Lung cancer is the leading
cancer killer in the U.S., causing more deaths than the next three most common cancers combined
[colon, breast and prostate].
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, one in six adults in the
South Coast region smokes and the smoking rate almost doubles to more than 28 percent of
residents in New Bedford, Fall River and Wareham. Some 90 percent of lung cancers are caused
by smoking.
For further information and referral to the Thoracic Cancer Clinic, call 508-697-7816.
About Southcoast Health System & Southcoast Hospitals Group
Southcoast Health System is a community based health delivery system with multiple
access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern
Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes the three hospitals that make up
Southcoast Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in
New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
Southcoast provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty
and heart rhythm services, comprehensive cancer care, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery,
orthopedic surgery and advanced imaging services and is the only provider of maternity services
in the region. Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of
the community to provide services.
More information is available online at www.southcoast.org.
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