Cancer Care at Wellstar North Fulton
Wellstar North Fulton Cancer Center now offers comprehensive cancer care in one place. Our experienced physicians, nurse navigation and support team ensure a treatment plan tailor-made for you.
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Comprehensive Cancer Care Near You
Wellstar North Fulton Cancer Center
High-tech care close to home
CyberKnife
CyberKnife provides new hope for many patients with cancers that were once considered untreatable, including patients who have had prior radiation or those with tumors next to critical structures like the spine or brain. This precise treatment uses high-tech computer software, a robotic arm and a miniature linear accelerator to deliver large doses of radiation in a pencil-thin beam to destroy tumors, while sparing surrounding tissue, organs and nerves. In many cases, CyberKnife can reduce eight weeks of traditional radiotherapy to just five, two-hour sessions. Our Cancer Center is proud to be home to the second CyberKnife in the Wellstar Health System.
IORT
Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is an intensive radiation treatment that's administered during surgery, eliminating the need for radiation treatment later on. This also allows direct radiation to the cancer while sparing normal surrounding tissue. Often used to treat cancers that are difficult to remove through surgery, this approach allows doctors to temporarily move nearby organs or shield them from radiation exposure.
Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy is radiation therapy designed to fight cancer in a targeted way. Also known as internal radiation or radioactive seed implant, brachytherapy targets cancer with concentrated doses of radiation, while protecting healthy tissue located nearby. High- and low-dose brachytherapy can be used to treat many types of cancer, including prostate, skin and gynecological cancers, and may be used along with external radiation therapy.Why people trust our experts
Our cancer physicians are board-certified and fellowship-trained at some of the world's premier institutions. Paired with years of experience, this translates to unrivaled care and outcomes for people fighting cancer.
STAT Clinics
Our patient-centered model allows you to meet with your multi-disciplinary physician team in one day and in one location. This reduces the need to schedule multiple appointments at many different offices, thereby reducing the wait for treatment and helping improve survivability. We collaborate in meetings called tumor board conferences, as well as cancer-specific tumor boards within the Wellstar Cancer Network. For example, our patients’ cases can be reviewed in focused tumor boards and STAT Clinics for breast cancer, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, and brain and spine cancer. STAT Clinics include medical oncologists, cancer surgeons, radiation oncologists, pathologists and radiologists, among other specialists. They collaborate on staging, diagnosis and treatments designed to give you the most personalized care for your specific type of cancer, while also considering your underlying health conditions.Collaborative Care
Wellstar and Mayo Clinic are working together to improve the delivery of healthcare. Through our collaboration, Wellstar combines the wisdom of Mayo with the expertise of Wellstar to offer the best care and treatment plans for even the most complicated diagnoses. As part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, physicians at Wellstar can request consults with Mayo Clinic specialists on complex cases at any time. The best part? This service is offered at no cost to our patients.
Nurse Navigators
Part of what sets our program apart is how easily patients can communicate with our physicians and support teams. Oncology nurse navigators offer a highly personalized and empathic level of guidance, and surgeons are known to pick up the phone to answer questions and help calm patients prior to a cancer procedure. The nurse navigator can provide you and your family with support from the moment of diagnosis through treatment and follow-up at no additional cost. When there are questions and concerns pertaining to your treatment, you can call them directly. They will be with you every step of the way, providing a range of support including everything from answering questions and providing emotional support to assisting with appointment scheduling. The nurse navigator helps facilitate timely appointments with your physicians and is there to help serve as a resource as you weigh the best treatment options. Once you make a decision, they can answer questions you may have related to the effects of treatment and follow-up care. They also can introduce you to all of Wellstar’s resources, including support groups, oncology dieticians, social workers, genetics counselors and many other support services.Family Atmosphere
The Cancer Care team at Wellstar North Fulton helps people face cancer with confidence. While our cancer experts perform a high volume of robotic surgery and other advanced cancer treatments, our patients say their care team treats them like family.
Health Highlights & PeopleCare Stories
Our Services
Screening & Diagnostics
The goal of our cancer screening and genetic assessment programs is to help people discover cancer in earlier stages when it is most curable. We use the most advanced protocols and technology at Wellstar North Fulton and Wellstar Avalon Health Park, where patients can have screening, diagnostic imaging and labs.
Our robust screening and genetic risk assessment programs help patients find cancer earlier when it is more treatable. Learn more and find contact information about our programs for breast cancer screening, lung cancer screening, and genetic risk assessment. We also encourage everyone to have
regular colonoscopy screenings
and men to have their PSA levels checked by a urologist on a regular basis to screen for colon cancer and prostate cancer.
Cancer Surgery at Wellstar North Fulton
Wellstar North Fulton has a team of specialized cancer surgeons with a high volume of experience in minimally-invasive procedures, such as robotic surgery. While these surgeons have a high level of technical training and skill, patients say they appreciate their caring and unrushed manner. Our cancer program is committed to treating patients with the most state-of-the-art technology, which includes the latest da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System. While we’re a community hospital with a family feel, our patients have access to subspecialists with a high level of experience in treating people with lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, gynecological cancer, brain and spine cancer, and head and neck cancer.Thoracic cancer (lungs & throat)
Our thoracic surgeons collaborate in a multidisciplinary fashion with pulmonologists and other specialized physicians to individualize cancer care for our patients. When a cancer is diagnosed, patients are evaluated in the Lung Cancer STAT clinic, which allows them to meet all their cancer providers at one appointment during one afternoon in one location and they leave with a comprehensive treatment plan. When surgery is recommended as a part of the treatment plan for both lung and esophageal cancer, it is typically performed with a minimally-invasive approach using the state-of-the-art da Vinci robotic surgical system for more precise and accurate surgery. The benefits of minimally-invasive surgery for lung and esophageal cancer include less pain, less scarring, less blood loss, a lower infection rate, shorter hospital stay and shorter recovery time with quicker return to work and better patient satisfaction. After surgery, patients also have access to programs like pulmonary rehabilitation, which help to facilitate recovery.
Prostate & kidney cancer
Our urologic cancer surgeons have performed thousands of minimally-invasive surgeries for prostate and kidney cancer. This is important because high levels of surgical experience leads to significantly better outcomes for patients. One of Wellstar North Fulton's urologists was the first in the state of Georgia to perform laparoscopic prostate removal surgery and later, became the first in the state to perform a robotic prostate removal.
Breast cancer
Patients who have surgery for breast cancer here have access to the most advanced surgical techniques, including Hidden Scar-certified surgery and intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT). IORT is one of the latest surgical advancements for patients who are candidates for breast-preserving surgery. Wellstar North Fulton is one of a few medical centers in Atlanta to offer this advanced procedure, which combines breast surgery and radiation therapy to spare surrounding tissue.
Gynecological cancer
Gynecologic oncology is a rare field, with less than 1,000 of these specialists practicing in the U.S. Studies show that women treated by a gynecologic oncologist tend to have better survival rates than those who are not treated by a specialist early in their care.
This highly specialized care for women with cancer of the reproductive organs is available to women in North Fulton. Your gynecologic oncologist will help coordinate all aspects of your care from diagnosis onward. When it is appropriate for a patient, we utilize minimally-invasive surgical techniques including robotic surgery. Gynecologic oncologists also have experience administering chemotherapy and can manage that aspect of your treatment. Our patients can also benefit from pioneering treatment with access to NRG Oncology-sponsored clinical trials through a partnership between the Wellstar Research Institute and Mayo Clinic.
Head & neck cancer
Wellstar North Fulton’s neurosurgeons offer a full spectrum of care for people with head, neck and spinal tumors. These highly specialized neurological cancer experts perform complex open surgery to remove tumors. Our neurosurgeons also treat highly vascular tumors with minimally-invasive techniques to lessen blood loss and make treatment safer for the patient. Our Head & Neck STAT Clinic gives people with head and neck cancer the opportunity to visit with specialist head and neck surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists on one day and in one location. Patients have access to specialized surgical procedures not offered in many places in the Southeast. This includes complex excision, reconstruction with microvascular free tissue transfers and CyberKnife radiation technology. Specialized surgeries available at Wellstar include laryngectomy, oral cavity surgery, oropharyngeal cancer resection, neck dissection, reconstruction and microvascular free tissue transfers (also known as free flaps), and skin cancer resection and reconstruction.Medical Oncology at Wellstar North Fulton
Medical oncologists and gynecological oncologists at Wellstar North Fulton offer our patients the latest immunotherapy and chemotherapy drugs. Immunotherapy wakes up a patient’s own immune system to fight their cancer. Newer chemotherapy medicines have been developed with fewer side effects, and newer cancer support drugs — such as anti-nausea medicines — help improve the treatment experience.Infusion centers
For our patients' convenience, there are two infusion centers at Wellstar North Fulton Cancer Center. Our outpatient infusion center serves patients with all types of cancer, and our gynecological oncology infusion location serves patients with gynecological cancers. Patients who receive intravenous chemotherapy, immunotherapy or other treatments have these treatments in comfortable seating areas with privacy curtains.
Clinical trials
Wellstar has a track record of success in clinical trials. At Wellstar North Fulton, women with specific types of gynecological cancer may be eligible to be entered into clinical trials for potentially groundbreaking treatments. The Wellstar Research Institute offers these clinical trials through an affiliation with Mayo Clinic and NRG Oncology.Radiation Therapy at Wellstar North Fulton
Radiation oncologists serve as part of Wellstar North Fulton's multidisciplinary cancer team to help patients get all the answers about radiation therapy so they can move forward with treatment. At Wellstar North Fulton Cancer Center, we offer targeted radiation treatment with CyberKnife. This advanced technology helps improve results by focusing radiation on specific cancerous tissue, while protecting nearby healthy tissue. With CyberKnife, the number of treatments needed to fight cancer may be reduced. For example, typical radiation therapy treatment might occur daily for up to eight weeks; CyberKnife treatment can reduce that to as few as one to five sessions. Wellstar is the first health system in Georgia to offer this state-of-the-art treatment approach at both Wellstar North Fulton and Wellstar Kennestone Regional medical centers. We also perform intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT). While the patient is asleep in the operating room, their surgeon removes the tumor and a radiation oncologist directly applies radiation – in many cases resulting in the completion of treatment during the surgery. IORT benefits include sparing surrounding tissue and reducing time spent in radiation therapy. For prostate cancer patients, we offer radioactive seed implant — also known as brachytherapy.STAT Clinics for Breast, Lung, Head & Neck Cancers
At Wellstar, our STAT clinics -- short for Specialty Teams and Treatments – allow you to meet and collaborate with all of your cancer treatment specialists more quickly and efficiently. This increased speed to care helps improve survivability. Wellstar North Fulton's leading cancer specialists give patients with lung, breast, head or neck cancer the most patient-centric care model to get diagnosed and be involved in their own treatment plan. Patients meet with a team of specialists in one day in one place. Typically, patients have a treatment plan before they leave the building and start treatment up to two weeks faster than what is typically possible when meeting with various specialists on different dates. Wellstar’s STAT Clinic for Lung Cancer has cared for patients at more than 10,000 visits with excellent patient satisfaction scores. This served as the inspiration for Wellstar North Fulton’s cancer experts to create the first and only STAT Clinic for Breast Cancer. Head and neck cancer is a complex condition which typically requires collaboration for care among multiple specialists. People with all types and stages of head and neck cancer now have access to expert care and advanced treatments at our Cancer Center that are typically only available at academic centers. Treatments available here at Wellstar North Fulton include complex excision and reconstruction with microvascular free tissue transfers as well as CyberKnife radiation treatments. Learn more about our STAT Clinic for Head & Neck Cancer.Support Services at Wellstar North Fulton
Facing cancer with confidence is as much about emotional and spiritual healing as medical care. That's why our program offers comprehensive care to support you every step of the way. Patients at Wellstar North Fulton and their families say their oncology-trained nurse navigators offer an incredible level of guidance, helping them understand their diagnosis, make informed decisions and assist with various physical and emotional needs. Our patients often see a Wellstar genetic counselor, who can help patients with specific cancer types and genetic mutations better understand which medical or surgical options could lead to the best outcomes. Physical therapists and pain management specialists can help patients before, during and after treatment. We have physical therapy locations at Wellstar North Fulton and Wellstar Avalon Health Park. These therapies help many people with cancer reduce pain, improve their quality of life, and return to work and other activities. Our patient’s support teams can also include a Wellstar dietitian, social worker or financial counselor.Support groups give patients the opportunity to learn from others and share their experiences to stay emotionally and physically healthy. If you're interested, ask your nurse navigator to connect you with your peers.
Learn more about support services for people with cancer at Wellstar.