Working Together Is the Best Way to Beat Cancer
It happened more than 1.6 million times in 2014. Someone in America was diagnosed with cancer.
Here at Main Street Hospital, we want to be your partner in the fight against cancer. And that’s what it takes—a partnership. We provide the tools and the technology, the expertise and the experience to diagnosis cancer early. We also provide a full range of cancer-treatment services close to home, where friends and family can provide much needed support. We promise to do our part. And we encourage you to do yours by having regular cancer screenings and making changes in your lifestyle that reduce your risk of cancer. Together, we can take the fight to this disease and save lives.
Here’s what you can do.
Did you know that only five to 10 percent of cancer cases are caused by heredity? In other words, the overwhelming majority of cancers—90 to 95 percent—have their roots in either the environment or a person’s lifestyle. And that means that all of us have much more control over cancer than we might think.
For example, up to 30 percent of cancer deaths are due to smoking and up to 35 percent are linked to diet. So if someone stops smoking and starts eating a healthy diet by avoiding fried foods and red meat and eating more fruits, vegetables and grains, he or she can dramatically decrease their risk of cancer. Other risk factors that we all can control are too much sun exposure, physical inactivity, stress, being overweight and drinking too much alcohol.
It all comes down to four simple words—“Take care of yourself.” Start exercising on a regular basis. Keep a healthy weight. Most important of all, perhaps, is to see your doctor at least once a year and talk about the cancer screenings you need to have. So do yourself a favor. Take control of your life. You really do have the power to reduce your risk of cancer.
At Main Street Hospital, we provide a full range of diagnostic technology used to detect cancer, including:
- MRI
- CT Scan
- X-ray
- Digital Mammography
- Colonoscopy
- Flexible Sigmoidscopy
- Fecal Occult Blood Test
- Pap test
If the findings from the cancer screening are unclear or show possible signs of cancer, a biopsy is often performed. Body tissue or a sample of cells is removed and then analyzed. Lab tests may also be used to analyze blood or urine for any signs that may indicate cancer.
Here’s what we can do together; the earlier, the better.
That’s the key thought to remember the next time you think about postponing a scheduled mammogram or avoiding cancer screenings altogether. Cancer is easier to treat and cure if it’s diagnosed early before it has spread. Regular cancer screenings can even detect the disease before symptoms ever appear. That’s the reason it’s so important to have an annual checkup with your primary care physician and discuss what cancer screenings are right for you.
Here’s what we’re doing.
If cancer is diagnosed, the following cancer-treatment services are available at Main Street Hospital:
Surgery: Most people with cancer will have some kind of surgery, either to remove the cancer from the body or to determine how far the cancer may have spread. In many cases, surgeons today can use less invasive techniques that don’t require large incisions to remove tumors and save as much normal tissue as possible. Surgery is usually followed by radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of the two.
Radiation Therapy: One of the most common treatments for cancer, radiation therapy involves the use of high-
energy waves, such as X-rays, which target a specific area of the body to damage or destroy cancer cells.
Chemotherapy: More than 100 different chemotherapy drugs are used today to fight cancer. Unlike radiation therapy, which pinpoints a specific part of the body, the drugs used in chemotherapy travel throughout the body to damage and destroy fast-growing cancer cells wherever they are found. Our chemotherapy specialists develop a targeted therapy plan to maximize the effectiveness of the treatment.
