Journeys SPRI N G 2017
Creative approach to healing
Discover ballet-inspired fitness class
Caring comes full circle
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Accreditations The Nassif Community Cancer Center and its partners meet the highest accreditation standards for cancer care.
2 Journeys | Spring 2017
Quality Cancer Care: Recognizing Excellence
Copyright ÂŽ 2017 UnityPoint Health. All Rights Reserved. ÂŽ SM trademarks of UnityPoint Health.
Journeys Contents 4 Creative approach to healing 6 Radiation therapy with a personal touch 8 Helping patients today and tomorrow 10 Caring comes full circle 12 C onnecting you with the care you need 14 You can be the difference 15 Turkey-Broccoli Stir-Fry 16 Discover ballet-inspired fitness class 18 Moving lung cancer care in the right direction 19 Colon cancer is preventable
Reaching for the future A new year brings new hope in the fight against cancer. Here at the Helen G. Nassif Community Cancer Center, we are proud of our role in shaping the future of cancer care in our community. Together with our clinical partners, Nassif Community Cancer Center is advancing treatment options through new services including brachytherapy for prostate cancer patients, which takes radiation directly to the tumor, and electron-based Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IOeRT) for faster, more precise breast cancer treatment. We are also enriching the lives of cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers through support services that meet their needs—body, mind and spirit. From the freeing dynamic of creative art sessions to a new approach to exercise, we are excited to offer innovative programs drawn from patient feedback and our collaborations with community organizations. Above all, I am so proud of our amazing team for the difference they make. As patient Traci Burns says on page 4, “You know they care about you as a person.” Every day I see the gratitude and relief in the eyes of our patients and their loved ones. And I know it is the direct result of the wonderful staff, providers, partners and donors who believe in what we do. To date, more than $3.1 million has been raised through the St. Luke’s Foundation “Cancer Care Services Campaign.” Connecting the generous support of our friends and neighbors with the important work of this organization is a full circle moment for me. With your help, Nassif Community Cancer Center will continue to provide patients and families with high-quality, compassionate care throughout their cancer journey. Kimberly Ivester, MS, BSN, RN, OCN
administrative director, Nassif Community Cancer Center director, Cancer Care, UnityPoint Health® – St. Luke’s Hospital
Spring 2017
| Journeys 3
Creative
Traci Burns loves sharing art classes with her dad, Bob Burns.
approach to healing
Art sessions offer an alternative to traditional support groups Sylvia Anspach has been helping cancer patients for 30 years. During that time, Anspach, a nurse practitioner with Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa Hematology & Oncology, has seen changes in how we treat cancer—and in the resources that help patients navigate their cancer journey. Take support groups. Anspach says, “I led a traditional support group for years. But that model of sitting around talking about your disease is not how people communicate any more.” 4 Journeys | Spring 2017
Instead, the Nassif Community Cancer Center offers support through activities, from pilates and yoga to creative art sessions. Anspach finds these “support groups that move” have a completely different dynamic. “The initial focus is on the activity, not the disease,” explains Anspach. “Then as people become more comfortable, they begin to open up. They can share what they want to share, when they are ready to share it.”
Traci Burns agrees. Burns, 46, was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2015. Since then, she’s been through surgery and six months of chemotherapy. Along the way, Burns has taken advantage of several Nassif Community Cancer Center programs. She especially loves the creative art sessions. “I’ve never painted before but it’s really relaxing,” says Burns. “It’s fun to be creative!” Because most of the other participants and even the instructors are also cancer survivors, Burns appreciates the camaraderie, too. “It’s nice to be around people who understand, because they’ve been through it themselves. It gives me someone I can turn to if I have a question.” Burns also likes the fact that members of her care team have seen her artwork and talk to her about it. “It makes your relationship more personal. It’s not just about your cancer. You know they care about you as a person.” Sylvia Anspach sees another reason why patients love the art program: it sets them free. “When you’re going through cancer treatment, life is very regimented. You have to be at your appointments, take your medications at a certain time. But with art, there are no rules. Here patients can do whatever they want.” Creative art participants can also bring a guest and Burns is accompanied by her father, Bob Burns. “My mom is the one who usually goes to chemo appointments with me,” she says, “so it’s nice to have this time with my dad. I think he’s looking forward to the next class as much as I am!”
For more information about
our creative art sessions, visit communitycancercenter.org.
Art sessions help unlock cancer patients’ creativity. Spring 2017
| Journeys 5
Radiation Therapist Mallory Delagardelle offers patients reassurance and support.
Radiation therapy with a personal touch St. Luke’s Nassif Radiation Center makes life easier for cancer patients The first day of radiation therapy can be intimidating—even frightening—for patients. So Mallory Delagardelle, radiation therapist at the Albert G. & Helen Radiation Center, says her first priority is to reassure them. “A lot of patients are nervous because they don’t know what to expect. So before I begin treatment, I explain everything I’m going to do. I also let them
6 Journeys | Spring 2017
know what side effects might occur and when, and talk about their concerns. Once we get that out of the way, we can talk about other things during their treatment and they can relax.” Radiation therapy is used to fight many types of cancer. St. Luke’s Nassif Radiation Center offers external beam radiation therapy, brachytherapy (radioactive seeds placed near the tumor) and
Electron-based intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IOeRT), which combines surgery with an initial, concentrated dose of radiation. St. Luke’s Nassif Radiation Center is home to the TrueBeam™ Linear Accelerator—the most advanced system used to treat cancers anywhere in the body with pinpoint accuracy. Explains Delagardelle, “We can be precise down to a millimeter. The radiation goes to the tumor while minimizing exposure to healthy tissue. And the imaging quality is excellent.” While treatment varies depending on the cancer, most patients receive radiation therapy every day, Monday through Friday, for up to 44 days. Some patients also begin chemotherapy the same day as their first radiation treatment. Delagardelle says the St. Luke’s Nassif Radiation Center makes that easier. “Everything our patients need is right here. Chemo is just across the hall as well as the support personnel, from dietitians to social workers, who care for patients throughout their treatment. We see you every day and we all get to know you. That’s nice for our patients and for us.” Patients also appreciate the coordination between radiation therapy, medical oncology and support services. Care coordinators work closely with treatment teams to reduce the number of visits they have to make for their treatments, so patients move smoothly from one appointment to the next. And when an individual’s treatment is complete, Delagardelle says it’s something they all celebrate. “It’s such a big day! You’ve been getting treatment every day for weeks. Now you don’t have to do it any more and you’re getting well.” She adds, “Our goal is to get the patient back to a healthy life and doing the things they love.”
For more information about
St. Luke’s Nassif Radiation Center, go to unitypoint.org/radiation.
“A lot of patients are nervous because they don’t know what to expect. So before I begin treatment, I explain everything I’m going to do. I also let them know what side effects might occur and when, and talk about their concerns. Once we get that out of the way, we can talk about other things during their treatment and they can relax.” – Mallory Delagardelle, radiation therapist
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Helping patients today and tomorrow Clinical trials at Nassif Community Cancer Center help pave the way for the future
Clinical trials play an important role in the fight against cancer. They can lead to new ways to prevent disease, detect cancer sooner, reduce side effects for better quality of life and improve outcomes.
through the National Cancer Institute, as well as trials conducted by industry or pharmaceutical companies, giving patients the opportunity to be part of advanced clinical trials right here at home.
“That’s how we advance,” says Kristin Sperfslage, regulatory and study coordinator for Nassif Community Cancer Center. “The standard of care our patients receive today was developed through clinical trials. The therapies we’re testing now may benefit others tomorrow.”
Sperfslage and Samantha Simpson, regulatory and study coordinator for Nassif Community Cancer Center, work closely with patients from initial screening through followup. “We screen every patient who walks through our door so we can offer all possible options,” explains Simpson. “Even if there’s not a trial that’s right for you now, cancer care is always evolving and there may be something in the future.”
Together with Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa Hematology & Oncology, Nassif Community Cancer Center and St. Luke’s Nassif Radiation Center are part of the Iowa Wide Oncology Research Coalition (I-WORC). We participate in federally funded clinical trials
Patients benefit in many ways from research taking place at the Nassif Community Cancer Center. In some cases they have access to treatment
not generally available for their type of cancer. “It may be a new therapy their insurance won’t cover, but we can get it for them through a clinical trial,” says Sperfslage. The research department also helps physicians stay on top of the latest advances in cancer treatment. “Our doctors are always looking for the best therapies,” notes Simpson, “so they can provide the highest level of care for our patients.” Of course patient safety is paramount when it comes to clinical trials. The research coordinators explain the process thoroughly and have patients review the consent form at home so they can be confident they are making the right decision. There are currently 25 to 30 active trials underway through the Center, from testing a drug to see if it can prevent a recurrence of breast cancer, to a symptom-management trial evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture in relieving dry mouth for head and neck cancer survivors. And there may be last-line therapy trials available for patients for whom standard treatments have failed. “Patients who participate in these trials feel good about their role,” adds Simpson. “It gives them hope, and they’re proud to know they’re helping future generations, too.”
For more information on clinical trial options, talk to your doctor or call the Nassif Community
Cancer Center at (319) 558-4876 and ask to speak to a research coordinator. 8 Journeys | Spring 2017
Regulatory and study coordinators like Samantha Simpson help connect patients with clinical trials. (not pictured Kristin Sperfslage)
“We screen every patient who walks through our door so we can offer all possible options. Even if there’s not a trial that’s right for you now, cancer care is always evolving and there may be something in the future.” – Samantha Simpson
Caring comes
full circle Two families connected by cancer and kindness
Jack Hoeger was just five years old when he was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer in 2005. Cedar Rapids software technician Julie Kuehnle was 61 when she discovered a lump in her breast in 2016. Yet Hoeger and Kuehnle are connected in more ways than they could have guessed. Jack beat the odds when he became the first known survivor of his type of cancer. “But even in remission, the cancer’s not through with you,” says his mother, Jen Hoeger. Jack has battled seizures, brain damage and more. Despite that, Jack and his family are determined to help others. Since forming the I Know Jack Foundation, the Hoegers have raised over $125,000 to benefit patients and families impacted by cancer. Julie Kuehnle didn’t know any of that when she got her I Know Jack Pack from the Nassif Community Cancer Center. The I Know Jack Pack Foundation provides backpacks, filled with comfort items to support patients on their cancer journey, to every patient who comes to the Center. Kuehnle remembers, “I received it on my first chemo day. At that point, I didn’t even want to admit I had cancer. And then I got this Jack Pack full of fun things!” “When Mom got the pack, it came with a story about Jack,” adds Kuehnle’s daughter Jill Gallet. “I saw his picture and said ‘wait, I know him!’”
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Gallet’s summer job in college was with the ARC of East Central Iowa, an agency that supports individuals with disabilities. Among other things, she worked as a lifeguard when the ARC took kids to the Kennedy High School pool. “It was a really chilly pool and Jack didn’t like to get in,” she recalls. Instead of swimming, Jack and Gallet spent time talking about his love of baseball. “I didn’t know he had cancer,” she says. “I just knew he was a kid who needed some extra care.” Kuehnle loves little connections like that. “Isn’t it amazing?!” she says. “Here’s a child with so many needs, but he’s looking out for me”—just as her daughter once looked out for Jack. Today, Jill Gallet helps other kids as a special education teacher in South Carolina. Jack Hoeger and his family continue to raise money to support cancer patients from diagnosis through survivorship. And Julie Kuehnle? As she moves ahead with her treatment, she proudly wears her hat from the I Know Jack Pack. “They even let me wear it when I had my surgery,” says Kuehnle. “It’s a real comfort to me.”
To learn more about the resources available for cancer patients, visit communitycancercenter.org.
Julie Kuehnle and Jack are surrounded by care on her cancer journey.
Spring 2017
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If an abnormality is found during the annual exam, a breast care coordinator reaches out to the patient. “The coordinators are excellent,” says Dr. Metzger. “From the very beginning, they make sure the patient understands each step of the journey.”
Ann Metzger, MD UnityPoint Clinic Family Medicine – Marion
St. Luke’s Breast Care Coordinator Mona Cook explains, “We schedule ultrasounds, biopsies, whatever is needed. If tests show the patient does have cancer, we talk about what type it is, because there are several types of breast cancer. Then we try to calm their fears and see what questions they have.” Adds Cook with a smile, “I tell patients my job is to take away the deer-in-the-headlights look.”
Connecting you with the care you need
Cook also lets patients know they won’t be making their cancer journey alone, assuring them, “The Nassif Community Cancer Center has a whole team waiting to meet you.” Because all services from diagnostic testing to cancer specialists, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and wellness programs are conveniently located in the Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa Medical Pavilion, team members work closely together to meet each patient’s individual needs.
A woman’s breast cancer journey often starts with her primary care provider
The care coordinators take care of referrals within the team. They also connect patients and their family caregivers with free support services through the Cook Cancer Wellness Program. Says Mona Cook, “Cancer affects not just the physical body but the emotional, psychosocial and spiritual body as well. We offer resources for the whole person, from cooking classes to holistic therapies, creative art programs, and exercise classes we call moving support groups.”
For many women, a breast cancer diagnosis often begins with a visit to her family doctor. “A baseline mammogram and a clinical breast exam are part of the annual well-woman visit, usually beginning at age 40,” explains Ann Metzger, MD, a physician with UnityPoint Clinic® Family Medicine in Marion. “Fortunately we have 3D mammography right here in Marion, which is helping us detect cancer sooner.”
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Adds Dr. Metzger, “We’re very fortunate to have such excellent cancer services from diagnosis through recovery. I recommend Nassif Community Cancer Center highly.” While Dr. Metzger is not directly involved in her patients’ cancer care, she keeps up with their progress through reports from specialists and the coordinators. “It might be
a year before I see the patient again because they’re tied up with cancer treatment. But I’m able to see what’s going on with them at all times.” That’s important, says Mona Cook. “Your primary care provider will be there for you long after you complete your cancer treatment. She needs to know what the plan is now so she can continue to direct your care in the future. That collaborative approach is how we keep the patient at the center of all we do.”
Mona Cook, BSN, RN, CBCN Breast Care Coordinator
For more information on patient-centered care at Nassif Community Cancer Center, visit communitycancercenter.org.
St. Luke’s Breast and Bone Health UnityPoint Health® – St. Luke’s Breast and Bone Health provides professional, personalized care, from screening mammography to advanced treatment for breast cancer. St. Luke’s Breast and Bone Health is recognized by the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers Program™ as a Certified Quality Breast Center. Breast and Bone Health, with locations in the PCI Medical Pavilion in Cedar Rapids and on St. Luke’s Marion Campus, uses state-of-the-art technology including digital 3D mammography for early breast cancer detection. Walk-in mammograms are available at both locations for added convenience. All you need is a doctor’s order. Call (319) 286-4344 for more information.
Spring 2017
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A Little Motion
You can be the difference Your gift provides help, healing and hope Because of the Nassif Community Cancer Center, a newly diagnosed patient has someone to turn to for answers, reassurance and support. A cancer survivor finds renewed strength and peace of mind through wellness classes. A family gets the help they need to care for a loved one battling cancer. And all of this is made possible by people like you. For example, generous support from the family of Jane Borg Cook and other donors mean most of our wellness services are free for cancer patients and their loved ones, regardless of where the patient received treatment. Says cancer survivor Tara Beem, “The wellness program is such a great resource to help you get better. They have cooking classes, meditation, exercise—and there’s no charge! It’s a wonderful thing for our community.” Every gift matters in the fight against cancer. Here are just some of the ways you can make a difference for cancer patients and their families:
• Sponsor a photograph through “The Healing Power of Art.” Choose one of our timeless images for display in the Nassif Community Cancer Center or St. Luke’s Radiation Center to honor a loved one, celebrate a survivor or make a lasting gift. Visit communitycancercenter.org/healing to view the photos. • Establish your legacy through planned giving. A planned gift supports the Nassif Community Cancer Center in the future—and can provide significant tax and income benefits to you today. • Sponsor a creative art program, from visual art sessions to music activities, creative writing, and horticultural therapy, for groups or individuals. • Sponsor a wellness class or integrative therapy like meditation or yoga to help us continue to provide these programs at no cost to participants. • Donate now with a one-time gift through our website at communitycancercenter.org/about/donate, or mail your gift to the Nassif Community Cancer Center using the enclosed envelope.
Your gift can change lives. For more information or to talk about how you can help, please call Danielle Rauser, fund development manager, at (319) 369-8100.
14 Journeys | Spring 2017
Turkey-Broccoli Stir-Fry Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 11/2 cups) What’s not to like about stir-fry? This traditional Chinese technique is one of the fastest cooking methods as well as one of the healthiest. With stir fry, you cook ingredients at a high temperature using little or no oil. Quick cooking preserves the nutrients, resulting in a meal that’s high in taste and low in fat and calories. Dietitians at the Nassif Community Cancer Center have collected their most popular healthy recipes and posted them on our website. Whether you’re fighting cancer or you simply want to eat delicious, healthier meals, visit communitycancercenter.org/wellness/recipes.
Ingredients •
2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
•
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
•
1 (1-pound) turkey breast, cut into thin strips
•
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
•
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
•
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
•
4 garlic cloves, minced
•
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
•
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
•
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
Preparation Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 teaspoon sesame oil to pan and tilt to coat evenly. Add turkey and stir-fry 5 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink in center. Remove turkey and set aside. Combine broth and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl; stir until cornstarch dissolves. Set aside. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; add pepper strips and broccoli; stir-fry 1 minute. Add water chestnuts and stir-fry 30 seconds. Increase heat to high. Stir broth mixture, and add to pan with soy sauce, turkey, and any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve with cooked brown rice. Nutritional Information per serving: 262 calories, 11 grams fat , 27.6 grams protein, 13.1 grams carbohydrate, 3.7 grams fiber, 74 mg cholesterol, 12.3 mg iron, 351 mg sodium, 43 mg calcium Recipe from myrecipes.com
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| Journeys 15
Barre Above is a fun new fitness class set to lively music.
Discover Barre Above™
New ballet-inspired fitness class improves strength and balance Lois Pienkos calls breast cancer “just a bump in the road in my life.” Of course it wasn’t always that way. When Pienkos was diagnosed in January 2009, it was a scary time. But she adds, “Once you get past the fear, you do what you have to do.” For Pienkos that included surgery, chemotherapy and wellness classes to help rebuild her strength. “Unfortunately my body keeps aging,” laughs Pienkos,
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now 67. “So I have to be proactive and Barre Above fits perfectly with that.” Barre Above is a new exercise program offered through the Nassif Community Cancer Center’s Cook Cancer Wellness Program. “It’s an up-andcoming trend in fitness,” explains instructor Stacie Merta. Fusing the best of Pilates, yoga and aerobics, Barre Above is ballet-inspired but it is not a dance
class. It incorporates floor work and hand weights—as well as the use of chairs in place of the traditional barre—to help participants improve strength and balance. Other benefits of this fun workout done to lively music can include increased bone density and range of motion to help patients and survivors get back to the activities of daily living. “Exercise like this can also help with side effects, from neuropathy to depression,” says Merta. Tara Beem, 61, loves Barre Above. “It’s a great workout,” says this breast cancer survivor. “Barre classes are all the rage now so it’s nice to be on the cutting edge of exercise trends. And Stacie makes it a good workout for everyone, regardless of your strength or ability.” Beem also appreciates the community she and her fellow survivors have built through their participation in the Nassif Community Cancer Center’s wellness classes. “Everyone here has a common background with cancer,” she explains. “It’s a really diverse, wonderful group of people and I’ve come to count on them.” Pienkos agrees. “It’s wonderful having other people around who can both commiserate with and support you. That’s a very important part of the Cook Cancer Wellness Program.” As for Barre Above, Pienkos adds, “It pushes me further than the Pilates I was doing and I like that. Today I feel as strong as I’ve ever felt!”
For more information on the Cook Cancer Wellness Program, visit communitycancercenter.org.
Wellness is powerful medicine Nassif Community Cancer Center takes a mind-body-spirit approach to wellness that focuses on the whole person, not just on treating the disease. Through generous support from the family of Jane Borg Cook and other donors, most services are free for cancer patients and their loved ones. Programs designed to promote lifelong well-being include: • Fitness center/ open gym
• Massage therapy*
• Yoga
• Reflexology*
• Tai Chi
• Reiki*
• Barre Above
• Cooking demonstrations
• Creative art sessions
• Psychosocial and spiritual support
• Zumba
• Sexuality and body image resources
• Pilates • Meditation * Nominal fee required
For more information, visit
communitycancercenter.org/wellness.
Spring 2017
| Journeys 17
Moving lung cancer care in the right direction Lung Cancer Clinic takes a team approach to detection and treatment Muhammed Anwer, MD, UnityPoint Clinic Multi-Specialty “Early detection and advances in how we treat lung cancer are moving us in the right direction,” says pulmonologist Muhammad Anwer, MD.
“We target a group of the population age 55 to 74 who have a strong history of smoking,” says Dr. Anwer. “We look for tiny nodules that could indicate cancer.”
Dr. Anwer of UnityPoint Clinic® Multi-Specialty – Cedar Rapids is part of the Nassif Community Cancer Center Lung Cancer Clinic—a team approach to detecting, diagnosing and treating lung cancer. Pulmonologists, oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, and radiation oncologists, as well as care coordinators from the Nassif Community Cancer Center, work together for the best possible outcome for every patient, every time.
If a nodule is detected and follow-up tests confirm it is cancer, Dr. Anwer brings the patient in to explain the diagnosis and treatment options. The patient also meets with a care coordinator from the Nassif Community Cancer Center. “The care coordinators are amazing!” says Dr. Anwer. “If patients have questions, they call the coordinator and she takes care of it. It’s so easy for patients to have one number to call for everything.”
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women—and the leading cause of cancer death. “The problem with lung cancer,” explains Dr. Anwer, “is by the time you have symptoms, generally the cancer is very advanced.”
Dr. Anwer says coordination is important because teamwork is essential in treating lung cancer. Pulmonologists, oncologists, and radiation oncologists meet every week to review all lung cancer cases. “We share our expertise with one another. If the patient isn’t progressing and we need to change the treatment plan, the care coordinator helps us get the patient in quickly.”
Today early detection is helping doctors save lives. “We’ve diagnosed some patients at stage one,” says Dr. Anwer. “Their cancer was so small we could treat it with just radiation therapy. If diagnosis had been delayed a year, things could be very different.” Dr. Anwer credits St. Luke’s Lung Check with helping to catch cancer at its earliest, most treatable stage. An accredited program of UnityPoint Health® - St. Luke’s Hospital and Nassif Community Cancer Center, Lung Check is a non-invasive test that uses low-dose X-rays to provide a detailed image of the lungs.
18 Journeys | Spring 2017
Dr. Anwer adds, “Our goal is to get the patient from diagnosis to the start of treatment within two weeks. In most hospitals, it’s nearly impossible to do that. But the level of care here is so good, there’s no reason to leave town.”
For more information on the Lung
Check screening or other services through the Lung Care Clinic, call (319) 558-4876.
“Colon cancer is so preventable.” Cancer specialist says early detection can save lives Dr. William Fusselman is an expert at treating colon cancer. But he’d rather patients didn’t need his services at all. “Colon cancer is so preventable and treatable,” emphasizes Dr. Fusselman, of Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa Hematology & Oncology. “In many cases it’s avoidable by making lifestyle changes like exercise and a healthy diet. And if it does develop, if we catch it early, surgery is all that’s required. The cancer is gone.” The key is early detection. Dr. Fusselman says today’s screening options, from colonoscopies to non-invasive methods, can find colorectal cancer when it’s very small and easily treated. “It’s only when cancer gets advanced that we have to do chemotherapy,” he explains. “Our goal is to find it when we have the best chance to get a cure with the least toxic treatment.”
William Fusselman, MD Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa Hematology & Oncology cancer is linked to lifestyle, so patients often need exercise and education about a healthy diet. Because some families are at a higher risk, they may need a referral to the Risk Assessment and Genetic Clinic. We participate in clinical trials through the Nassif Community Cancer Center. And the palliative care team can help improve quality of life for people with very advanced disease.”
Colorectal cancer typically grows slowly over several years. It usually starts as a non-cancerous polyp—a small growth in the colon or rectum. With a colonoscopy, doctors can find polyps and remove them before they turn into cancer or when the cancer is very small.
Above all, Dr. Fusselman urges everyone age 50 or above to get regular screenings for colon cancer— sooner if you have a family history of the disease. He adds, “There was a time when people didn’t like to talk about breast cancer because it was too personal. Now women get mammograms and it saves lives. The same is true for colon cancer. We need to talk about it openly because this disease is preventable. Screening can save your life.
For more advanced disease, surgery is followed by chemotherapy. A typical course of treatment is six months, with follow-up testing and monitoring for five years.
To speak with one of our dietitians,
Dr. Fusselman and his team work closely with Nassif Community Cancer Center. “It’s tightly tied with how we take care of our patients every day. Colorectal
exercise specialist, genetic specialists or care coordinators about colon cancer please call (319) 558-4876.
202 10 th Street SE, Suite 285 | Cedar Rapids, IA 52403 communitycancercenter.org
Let’s Talk About Cancer The Nassif Community Cancer Center Speaker Series Is your group looking for an interesting speaker? Would you like to know more about the latest developments in cancer care? Nassif Community Cancer Center welcomes the opportunity to share our expertise with you through Let’s Talk About Cancer, our free community speaker series. Experienced cancer care professionals, including nurses, genetic counselors, dietitians, and exercise specialists, present information on cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as give you insight into Nassif Community Cancer Center services. Last year, Care Coordinator Chelsea Putz talked to more than 200 students and adults about risk factors for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and encouraged them to take the no-tanning pledge. “It’s important to educate young people about melanoma,” explains Putz. “It’s one of the fastest-growing cancers
in Iowa and one of the most common for those under age 30. Locally we’ve seen a big increase in young adults coming to our melanoma clinic.” Another 100 people with Stephen Ministries heard from Dietitian Mary Beth Peiffer and Exercise Specialist Matt Schmitz about the many resources available to cancer patients and their families at the Nassif Community Cancer Center. Let’s Talk About Cancer presentations are available for civic organizations, schools, churches and businesses throughout the community. Topics include most types of cancer, screening and prevention information, and quality of life issues. We’re happy to tailor a program to the needs of your group.
To find out more, call (319) 558-4876 or
visit communitycancercenter.org/resources.