september 2006
SOMC Oncologist Explains Prostate Cancer Treatments
September 27, 2006 » In 2006, about 235,000 Americans will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, making it the most common cancer among males. If caught early, prostate cancer is very treatable and usually curable.
“There often are no signs of the disease, but some patients may notice changes in urinary flow, pain when urinating and blood in the urine,” Li-Fen L. Chang, MD, PhD, FACRO, Senior Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at Southern Ohio Medical Center, explains.
“At routine physicals, doctors usually take blood to check your level of prostate specific antigen (PSA). If your PSA level is high, your doctor will remove a small piece of tissue from your prostate to look for cancer.”
Dr. Chang began practice at the SOMC Cancer Center in 2005, recently celebrating her first anniversary. Physicians at the cancer center use a variety of technological advances to track and treat prostate cancer.
“If you are diagnosed with cancer that has not spread from the prostate, the main treatments are external beam radiation therapy, brachytherapy and surgery,” she says. “Hormone therapy may be added to radiation therapy to shrink the gland. Hormone therapy stops your body from producing hormones that stimulate the growth of new cancer cells.”
Dr. Chang notes that sometimes, a combination of treatments is the best way to deal with this type of cancer. Among those common approaches are:
External beam radiation therapy: During this treatment, a radiation oncologist aims radiation at the tumor to destroy the cancer cells.
Treatments are painless, last about 30 minutes and are scheduled five days a week for several weeks. The patient may be able to continue normal routines during radiation treatments.
“Here at SOMC Cancer Center, we offer the state of art IMRT (Intensity modulated Radiation Therapy) and use BAT-Cam (Bi-Modal Acquisition Targeting ) ultrasound system to guide daily treatment,” Dr. Chang says.
Brachytherapy: Often called “seed implants,” this treatment involves placing radioactive sources in or just next to the tumor to kill the cancer cells. The sources may be left in place permanently or temporarily, depending on the type of cancer and the seeds used. “At the SOMC Cancer Center we use ultrasound-guided permanent seed implant for selective patient,” Dr. Chang says.
Surgery: A doctor operates to remove the cancerous prostate. At SOMC two urologists perform radical prostatectomy.
Watchful waiting: For a very slow growing type of cancer, the patient may be able to monitor his condition and not undergo any treatment. This option is for older men or men who have other health conditions.
“Before undergoing any treatment, talk with several cancer specialists, including a radiation oncologist, about the options available to you,” Dr. Chang concludes.
The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology offers a free brochure on prostate cancer. For a copy, visit www.rtanswers.org. The SOMC Cancer Center is located at 1121 Kinneys Lane and can be reached at (740) 356-7490.
SOMC Rehab Honors Buckeye Day
September 27, 2006 » The staff of Southern Ohio Medical Center Outpatient Rehabilitation Services welcomed patients and visitors with “OSU Buckeye Day” Sept. 21 with refreshments and Ohio State University-themed clothing and souvenirs. Cornhole boards were set up and fans were welcomed for fun as well as their therapy throughout the day’s festivities. Shown are staff members in the lobby of the facility, adjacent to the SOMC LIFE Center, 1202 18th St.
SOMC Nurses Present At National Conference
September 27, 2006 » The Emergency Nurses Association met in San Antonio, Texas, September 13-16, 2006. This conference was attended by more than 4,000 nurses and vendors from across the United States and around the world.
The theme for the program was, “Your Step to Success.” Topics included Emergency Department Operations, Patient Flow, Triage, Emergency Equipment and Documentation Systems, and Emergency Preparedness.
Kathy Lute, RN, Nurse Manager, Southern Ohio Medical Center South Campus Emergency Department, and Angie Hodge, RN, BSN, CEN, presented a poster titled, “Ambulatory Infusion Clinic and Emergency Services…Model for the Future.” This poster presentation will also be published later this year in the Emergency Nurses Association Journal.
Other staff who attended included Sherry Foster, RN, Nurse Manager, Wheelersburg Urgent Care Center, and Mary Kate Dilts Skaggs, RN, MSN, CNA, Director of Nursing for Emergency & Outpatient Services for Southern Ohio Medical Center.
SOMC Cancer Center Honors Miss Ohio
September 22, 2006 » SOMC Cancer Center representatives Wendi Waugh and Norma White, who are cancer patients themselves, presented Stacy Offenberger, 2006 Miss Ohio USA and third runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant, with a certificate of thanks for her work in raising more than $50,000 for breast cancer research. The presentation was made during the welcome dinner of the Miss Ohio USA and Miss Ohio Teen USA Pageants Sept. 21. Offenberger also toured the SOMC Cancer Center Sept. 22 with (from left) Dr. Li-Fen Chang, White, Waugh, medical oncology nurse Sheryl Grooms and Dr. Ebenezer Kio.
SOMC Among First Ohio Hospitals Using New Scope
September 22, 2006 » Southern Ohio Medical Center is among the first hospitals in central and southern Ohio to introduce high definition television (HDTV) technology as part of a new endoscope platform to screen patients for colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men and women combined in the U.S.
Reshma Banerjee, DO, is one of the doctors at SOMC who already uses the new endoscope platform, the world's first to deliver both HDTV and Narrow Band Imaging™ (NBI) technologies.
“This new endoscope provides us with enhanced observation capabilities, and can shorten procedure time when using the new 180 wide-angle scope,” Dr. Banerjee says. “The technologies employed within the new equipment has been very beneficial. The HDTV signal from the video processor more than doubles the number of scan lines produced by conventional systems, so we view clearer images of the colon with a high level of detail and color.”
“Our commitment to using the newest proven technology is bringing the best in diagnostic and surgical approaches for our patients,” Howard Thacker, RN, Endoscopy Team Leader at SOMC. “The HDTV and NBI provides us with some of the sharpest imaging possible, enabling physicians with clarity never achieved before.”
Olympus' new image processing technique, otherwise known as NBI, manipulates the interaction of tissue and light, thereby improving visual contrast on mucosal surfaces during endoscopic observation of the GI tract. The result is remarkably clear views of anatomical structures and fine capillary patterns of mucous membranes, which are normally difficult to distinguish.
“NBI, also known as chromoendoscopy, helps identify suspicious areas in both the upper and lower digestive tract,” Dr. Banerjee says. “This is exceptionally helpful with conditions such as Barrett’s Esophagus, which can lead to cancer of the esophagus. With Barrett’s, you can’t detect abnormal cells with the naked eye, and the chromoendoscopy allows us to target the best areas for tissue samples.”
The American Cancer Society (ACS) projects that colon and rectal cancer will kill 55,170 Americans this year. The ACS also points out that the 5-year survival rate for people whose colorectal cancer is treated in an early stage, before it has spread, is greater than 90 percent.
Deeb Recognized For Quality Diabetes Care
September 6, 2006 » Wasim Deeb, MD, a physician on staff at Southern Ohio Medical Center, has received recognition for providing quality care to patients with diabetes. He has received certification from the American Diabetes Association and the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
Dr. Deeb is a board-certified specialist in Endocrinology, Internal Medicine, Diabetes and Metabolism. Endocrinology is the study and care of disorders of the glands and hormones of the body.
To receive recognition, which is valid for three years, Dr. Deeb submitted data that demonstrates performance that meets the Physician Recognition Program’s key diabetes care measures. The program supports the policy that patients receiving these key care measures are less likely to suffer complications such as heart attacks, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputations.
In practice at SOMC for more than three years, Dr. Deeb received the Outstanding Specialty Physician Award in 2005 from medical students at the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine (OUCOM), where he is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Endocrinology.
Dr. Deeb obtained his medical degree from Damascus University. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Jersey City Medical Center and Endocrinology Fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University. He began his practice at SOMC in March 2003 and has been an active educator about diabetes in the community.
200+ Runners Support Run For Your LIFE
September 5, 2006 » The 29th Annual Run For Your LIFE was held Saturday, Sept. 2 at the Portsmouth LIFE Center, 1202 18th St., with a shotgun start as 228 runners participated in 10k and 5k races, a 5k competitive walk, a 5k non-competitive walk and a kids’ fun run. The event raises funds supporting wellness programs at the SOMC LIFE Centers in Portsmouth, Lucasville and Wheelersburg.
Ground Broken on SOMC Expansion
September 5, 2006 » Southern Ohio Medical Center launched the next phase of the hospital’s Master Facility Plan Monday, Aug. 28, which will include more than $90 million in new construction, expansion and refurbishment.
The next phase of the plan includes expansions to Emergency Services, Surgical Services, a new patient care addition, 100 private beds, an open heart/cardiac unit, modified front entrance, and numerous adjustments within individual departments.
“The heart program will drive many of the upcoming changes taking place over the next five years at SOMC,” President Randy Arnett explained.
“The design of the facility expansion, the relocation of programs and services and subsequent halo effects of deploying the forth coming cardiac and vascular programs will bring the potential for much greater medical service to our community.”
The construction phase is divided into stages, beginning with the new emergency and surgical services additions adjacent to the southwest corner of the hospital near the MRI entrance. In November, ground will be broken in front of the hospital for the new patient care addition.
The SOMC Master Facilities Plan was unveiled in mid-2002. The plan retroactively includes the 1998 South Wing, 2000 parking structure, and Building C holding physician offices completed in 2001. The first phases, including the construction of Medical Office Building K holding more physician offices and the four-story parking structure, have been completed. Additionally, the new cancer center opened in 2004. Also this fall, a new wound healing facility will open and the Sleep Diagnostic Lab will relocate to the Main Campus.
SOMC Anticoagulation Clinic Moving Oct. 2
September 1, 2006 » The SOMC Anticoagulation Clinic in Southern Ohio Medical Center’s South Campus Building C will move Monday, Oct. 2 to Building A next door at the corner of Oakland Avenue and Kinneys Lane.
“This new location will provide a larger waiting area and more space to better suit the needs of our patients, which was our patients’ concern on our customer surveys,” SOMC Pharmacy Director Rory Phillips explains. “Our hours, telephone and fax numbers will all remain the same and patients are able to park in the same facilities, since the move is just to the building next door to the previous location.”
The clinic is open 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday. The clinic provides services to patients on blood-thinning medication therapy. For more information call (740) 356-7530.
