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When patients come to us at Green Spring Station Cancer Hopkins we really take them
in like a family member.
I know that this diagnosis of cancer brings a lot of hardship and difficulties
to personal lives and the unknown that comes with it.
We are equipped to care for a wide range of cancer diagnosis, from the most common
cases to the very complex and complicated cases.
The benefits of coming to Green Spring are many. The two main physicians here have two
decades each of experience. We have multiple clinics, the latest in
equipment, and an incredibly expansive radiation support team where there's
a radiation oncologist, a surgeon, a medical oncologist, social work, and plastic
surgery often all working together on a single case to ensure that everything goes perfectly.
In our recently renovated Green Spring Station Radiation Oncology Department
great care was given to make sure that the environment is comfortable and also gives
a sense of security.
We're right off the 83 and 695, parking is easy, we're conveniently located in the
Green Spring Station area. Patients are seen by myself or one of my colleagues.
In a majority of cases there are multiple options in treating that specific disease
and these different options require different disciplines, different specialists.
We need to take a personalized patient approach because each person is an
individual and have different needs and requirements and we have to take those
needs and requirements into consideration when planning to treat their tumor.
During that process of course its recommendations is going to be discussed,
the side effects of radiation therapy and all the options.
In a Radiation Oncology Discipline which is a very high tech field we want to
assure that what I prescribe for my patients is what is delivered by these
high tech equipment and therefore we have a very strong quality assurance program in place.
Before the beam is actually turned on all the therapists must have a timeout to
verify that everything is in position.
Even once the treatments are started the patient's plan and patient's films are
inspected by the treating physician at least once a week - this is to ensure that
everything has gone well and will continue to go well.
The technology that we have available at Green Spring includes 3D conformal
radiation, intensity modulated radiation therapy, and image guided radiation therapy.
Another great tool that we have available and this is called ABC, also known as
active breathing control, the patient holds their breath for 20 seconds,
the tumor is essentially fixed in space so that we're able to pinpoint the tumor,
decrease the margin around the tumor, therefore decrease the radiation to normal
lung tissues which should decrease the side effects.
At Johns Hopkins at Green Spring our physicians are quite active in clinical
research as well. This can be of a great benefit to some patients.
Things that 10 years ago were at the level of research now it is in the clinic
and making us capable of providing a better cure rate.
I talk to my patients about their willingness to participate in the clinical trials.
Those trials today are offering that better treatment for the future.
I have been sitting in a patient's chair once in my life and I think that has given
me the privilege of understanding really what my patients go through.
I always tell my patients that if they can give me half an hour of their time per
day that's all we need.