M ISSI O N H O PE CAN CER CENTER A New Standard in Cancer Care The recent spring opening of Mission Hope Cancer Center, located on the Marian Regional Medical Center campus, marks a milestone in cancer care for patients and their families in the Santa Maria Valley and surrounding communities. It is the first integrated, comprehensive cancer care facility on the Central Coast, meaning patients will no longer have to travel to different locations to receive cancer diagnoses and treatments. Mission Hope Cancer Center features expert physicians and highly-trained staff, innovative treatments, and the latest technologies as well as patient advocates and support services for patients and families, all at one location. After practicing on the Central Coast for many years and witnessing the added stress cancer patients were facing in having to visit several different locations for their diagnosis and treatment, Dr. Robert Dichmann, Marian Cancer Care Medical Director and Founder of Mission Hope Cancer Center, began planning to bring all aspects of cancer care together in one facility. In working with Marian and various community members and after many years of committed planning, Dr. Dichmann’s vision became a reality. “Since opening in late March of this year, we have already heard numerous patient stories of how important and special a center of this level is for those with cancer,” explained Dr. Dichmann. “Patients are truly grateful that the Central Coast now has a comprehensive cancer center with state-of-the-art technology and treatment services, and we are seeing how Mission Hope Cancer Center is truly improving care and the quality of life for cancer patients and their families.”
technology also has a 4D imaging system and respiratory gating that improves accuracy to under a millimeter and reduces radiation exposure to the patient by one-quarter. Mission Hope is one of only 200 sites in the world to install this sophisticated radiation therapy technology and is the only non-teaching facility. Mission Hope Cancer Center also features the Marian PET/CT Center, which includes a PET/CT scanner and a state-of-theart CT scanner dedicated for patients undergoing treatment planning for radiation therapy. Using these scanners, physicians will be able to quickly and accurately identify tumors, as well as healthy tissues to be avoided. In addition to the highest quality images available today, these scanners will also provide Mission Hope physicians with the ability to target movement in a technique called 4 Dimensional Computed Tomography (4DCT).
Carol Dichmann and Denise Labastida, cancer survivor, “cut the ribbon” to celebrate the opening of Mission Hope Cancer Center.
Not only does Mission Hope provide a compassionate approach to cancer care, but it features the latest technologies and innovative treatment options usually available only at major teaching centers. One example is the Varian Truebeam linear accelerator – a newly advanced technology that represents an exponential leap forward in the speed, power and precision of radiation therapy. The TrueBeam Linear Accelerator delivers radiation at a faster dose rate than most conventional linear accelerators, which translates into shorter treatment times for patients, even cutting treatment periods up to 50 percent. The TrueBeam
8
An Imaging Technician tracks the progress of a CT scan in the Marian PET/CT center at Mission Hope Cancer Center.
