The Oncology Nurse Navigator also provides educational resources and information about cancer to you and your family, and assists with wigs and prostheses when applicable.
By successfully navigating patients through the complex healthcare system, we have the opportunity to improve the patient experience and to break down barriers. At Memorial Hermann hospitals, the Oncology Nurse Navigator is there every step of the way with patient follow-up that includes frequent communication until patients are comfortable with their condition and considered well and confident enough to be on their own.
For more information, please call Gayle Hatch at 281-929-4152.
Unique elements of our cancer program include:
Breast Care Center
Our dedicated Breast Care Center provides the widest spectrum of services available today for the diagnosis of breast cancer.
Diagnostic studies include state-of-the-art digital mammography, breast MRI, breast ultrasound/biopsy, stereotactic biopsy and fine needle aspiration. Affiliated with our program at the Breast Cancer Center-Southeast is a fellowship-trained, dedicated, breast radiologist with a specialization in advanced breast imaging.
Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT scan)
PET/CT scans merge metabolic detection with computerized imaging to precisely identify problem areas in the body. PET provides the metabolic information, and CT simultaneously takes multiple images to create a map of the body. This helps pinpoint the location of cancerous tumors or metabolic activity in the brain.
Intensity Modulation Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
The most precise form of external radiation therapy, IMRT is an advanced form of 3-D conformal radiation, which uses computer-generated, 3-D images to vary the shape and intensity of the radiation that is delivered directly to the tumor. IMRT helps destroy cancer cells while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue.
Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)
Patients and their organs move, which means the tumor is also moving. This motion can result in the radiation beam missing its target. IGRT is currently the most advanced method to evaluate and correct for this motion. All patients undergo a CT scan as part of the planning process. The information from the CT scan is then transmitted to a computer in the treatment room, where the radiation oncologist is able to compare the earlier image with images taken just before treatment to see if the treatment needs to be adjusted. If the tumor has shifted, the radiation beams can then be corrected before the radiation treatment. This allows doctors to better target the tumor while avoiding surrounding healthy tissue.
Contura™ Multi-Lumen Balloon Brachytherapy
Contura delivers internally targeted radiation in only five days, compared to traditional treatment every day for six to seven weeks. This breast brachytherapy delivers radiation only to the breast tissue surrounding the lumpectomy site, rather than to the entire breast. Contura allows the radiation “seed” to be placed within the lumpectomy site through five separate “lumens” or channels, not just a single channel as in previous balloon brachytherapy. This allows the radiation dose to be shaped or “contoured” to the targeted area.
MammoSite®
Some women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer may be candidates for MammoSite. A quick and accurate radiation treatment after lumpectomy, this balloon catheter technique allows qualified patients to complete radiation therapy in one week compared to the typical course of six to seven weeks.
Syed Template
Syed applicators provide effective, high-dose treatments to extensive cervical cancers. These applicators are used to treat patients with advanced cervical cancer extending to the pelvic sidewalls. A series of flexible catheters are implanted in the patient for a short period of time, enabling radiation sources to target the tumor. This internal placement of radiation allows a much higher dose of treatment to be delivered to any extensive residual tumor than would be possible with external-beam radiation alone.
High-Dose Radiation (HDR) Brachytherapy
HDR brachytherapy enables the radiation oncologist to place a small but powerful radiation source next to the patient's tumor site though a very thin tube. HDR is used to shrink the tumor without affecting the vital healthy tissues that surround it. The insertion, removal and dose applied by the tiny source is all computer controlled.
External-Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT)
External-beam radiation therapy is generally delivered in the form of either X-rays (photons) or electrons. This therapy can be used to treat cancer that lies deep in the body or close to the skin surface, adjusting the energy of the beam accordingly.
Triple-Energy Linear Accelerator
Linear accelerators deliver a uniform dose of high-energy X-ray to the tumor, destroying the cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissue. Our Elekta Synergy linear accelerator offers the most advanced clinical capabilities in the industry today. Its advantages include high-precision, high-energy radiation beams focused accurately on the tumor without damaging surrounding tissues. This technique minimizes uncertainties that can occur due to organ movement or change, or slight differences in patient set-up.
Multileaf Collimator
Our computer-controlled multileaf collimator accurately designs the size and shape of a radiation beam to conform to the tumor during the treatment planning process. Individually adjusted metal leaves vary beam intensity by blocking and filtering to protect healthy tissue and ensure precise distribution of radiation therapy.
CT Simulator
CT simulation transmits X-rays through tissue to create a graphic display of the tumor and surrounding normal tissue. Using a high-speed, high-capacity computer, the CT simulator helps physicians understand the complex relationship between healthy and cancerous tissues. The information is recorded, analyzed and used to design an optimal treatment plan.
Laboratory Medicine
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine staff at Memorial Hermann Southeast includes specialists in all areas of anatomic and clinical pathology. They are experienced in cancer diagnosis, as well as evaluating and responding to other medical problems, including infection and effects of treatment. Pathology services include autoimmune testing, coagulation, surgical pathology, toxicology and transfusion medicine.
For more information, contact:
Memorial Hermann Cancer Center-Southeast
11920 Astoria Blvd, Suite 100
Houston, TX 77089
281.929.4200