Wellstar North Fulton Hospital

Wellstar now offers advanced care for people with head and neck cancer — a complex disease that is often aggressive and requires coordination amongst multiple cancer experts. The new STAT Clinic for Head & Neck Cancer opened on the campus of Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center on August 11, 2022. 

People with all types and stages of head and neck cancer now have access to expert care and advanced treatments that are typically only available at academic centers. Treatments available in North Fulton include complex excision and reconstruction with microvascular free tissue transfers as well as CyberKnife radiation treatments.

Technologically advanced CyberKnife care close to home

In Wellstar’s STAT Clinics — short for Specialty Teams and Treatments — patients can see multiple cancer subspecialists to be diagnosed, have questions answered and finalize a treatment plan in a single day. This reduces the need to drive to different locations and helps the patient start treatment faster. 

“The concept of multidisciplinary care is tried and true and shown to be effective for cancer patients,” said Dr. Fiyin Sokoya, the head and neck cancer surgeon who co-founded the North Fulton STAT Clinic for Head & Neck Cancer. “This model decreases the time to proceed and receive care.”

First, a group of medical specialists including a head and neck oncological and facial plastic surgeon, a radiation oncologist, a medical oncologist, a pathologist and a neuroradiologist review the patient’s pathology and imaging as a group to diagnose, stage and create a personalized treatment plan. 

Next, the patient and their family meet one-on-one with the head and neck cancer surgeon, radiation oncologist and medical oncologist. This is an opportunity for the patient to learn about the recommended treatments and ask questions. 

“Traditionally, patients must drive to several different appointments to learn the stage of their cancer, meet with different specialists and make decisions,” said Dr. Nagender Mankan, the dedicated medical oncologist in the new STAT Clinic. “At that point, four to five weeks have gone by. In STAT Clinic, we are expediting the complicated decision-making process.” 

The patient also meets with a nurse navigator. This specialized nurse helps coordinate many aspects of care for the patient including scheduling appointments and connecting patients with support team members, such as a registered dietitian, a speech therapist or a dentist who may help relieve irritation in the mouth and throat. 

Why STAT Clinic is good for patients, and what to expect

When a STAT Clinic patient needs surgery, Dr. Sokoya is one of only a few surgeons in the region to perform complex excision and reconstruction with microvascular free tissue transfers.

“North Fulton has now become a destination center for head and neck cancer treatment because of our ability to offer advanced surgical care,” he explained. “The launch of this STAT Clinic is exciting, and it’s going to bring very advanced, high-level care to this area.”

Hundreds of patients travel to Roswell each year to seek Dr. Sokoya’s expertise from Georgia, Florida and Alabama. 

Patients from all over the Wellstar system are seeing Dr. Sokoya for complex head and neck cancer management,” said Dr. Mark McLaughlin, a Wellstar radiation oncologist who co-founded the STAT Clinic.

Adding the new clinic allows us to invite those patients to come to North Fulton for evaluation and discussion of treatment options. Then we can work with their hometown doctors.”

Technologically advanced CyberKnife care close to home

Patients of the STAT Clinic who are candidates for radiation therapy will soon have access to the latest CyberKnife technology when the new Wellstar North Fulton Hospital Cancer Center opens in early 2023. The CyberKnife radiation suite will be one of just two in the entire metro Atlanta area.

People with complex head and neck cancer such as large or recurrent tumors often benefit from CyberKnife radiation therapy. The technology minimizes radiation exposure to healthy tissue and limits side effects while shortening treatment courses. Normally patients receive five to eight weeks of radiation therapy. In many situations, they can complete their radiation course in as few as one to five treatments with CyberKnife.

“This highly advanced technology treats advanced head and neck cancers,” Dr. McLaughlin said. “You don’t have to go all the way into Atlanta.”

STAT Clinic for Head & Neck Cancer at Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center is located at 4500 Hospital Blvd, Suite 120 in Roswell, Georgia. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the nurse navigator at (770) 751-2556.

This summer, in addition to staying safe in hot weather, you can work to prevent driving-related injuries or deaths as you and your family travel for vacation or holidays. Driving sober and wearing a seatbelt can significantly reduce your chances of traumatic injury or injuring or killing someone else.

Wearing a seatbelt can reduce the risk of serious injury and death by 50%, and nearly one in three traffic deaths in the U.S. involves a driver under the influence. Also, if you’re spending some time swimming this summer, there are a few safety precautions you can take to reduce the risk of drowning or injury.

Swim in designated areas with lifeguards, and never swim alone. If you are supervising children, keep a close eye on them, even if they have already learned to swim. Don’t leave children unattended near water, and make sure children and inexperienced swimmers wear life jackets.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading cause of death and disability among ages 0-45 is traumatic injury. When someone experiences a traumatic injury, getting timely, expert care is crucial. With Georgia's largest trauma network, Wellstar has expertise and experience in providing emergency and trauma care when it matters most.

• Wellstar Paulding Medical Center and Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center are Level IV Trauma Centers.
• Wellstar Cobb Medical Center is a Level III Trauma Center.
• Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center and Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center have both earned the Level II Trauma Center designation.
• Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center is a Level I Trauma Center — the designation signaling the highest level of care.

Wellstar’s trauma centers are part of a statewide team that collaborates closely to provide expert care.

“With the largest trauma network in Georgia, Wellstar is a leader in trauma care. This means patients get the right level of care during the critical hour following injury," said Dr. Katherine Kohler, trauma medical director at Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center.

In addition to an extensive trauma network, Wellstar is also home to the largest emergency department in the Southeast and the second largest in the country at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center. To serve younger patients, specialized pediatric emergency departments are located at Wellstar Cobb Medical Center, Wellstar Douglas Medical Center, Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center and Wellstar Paulding Medical Center.

To learn more about emergency and trauma services at Wellstar, visit wellstar.org/emergencycare.