The physicians of Integrated Community Oncology Associates are dedicated to the medical treatment and care of adults with cancer and/or hematological disorders. In the community-based cancer centers of Florida Oncology Associates and Florida Radiation Oncology Group, our multi-disciplinary teams of medical professionals provide many of the services patients require while undergoing treatment for their specific disease including:
Medical Oncology Medical Oncology, an important component in the treatment of cancer, is the study and treatment of cancers using therapeutic agents such as chemicals, biological products or immunotherapy. Physicians determine the appropriate course of treatment a cancer patient requires. With the assistance of trained oncology nurses, they administer chemotherapy drugs, help alleviate temporary side effects, provide educational information, and closely monitor the patient during the course of his or her treatment. Florida Oncology Associates offers the most technologically advanced treatments and physicians trained at nationally accredited cancer hospitals
Chemotherapy Chemotherapy treats cancer by using anti-cancer drugs to kill cancer cells and stop them from spreading. Because there are over one hundred forms of cancer, various drugs or drug combinations are used dependent upon which type of cancer is diagnosed. Chemotherapy drugs are usually injected into the blood and pass through the body attacking cancer cells where they find them.
If your treatment plan includes chemotherapy, your physician will calculate the type and doses of medicine you require, the pharmacy staff will prepare the drugs, and the oncology nurse will carefully review them. Before starting any chemotherapy, your medical team will talk to you about what to expect during and after your treatment. Your chemotherapy schedule, follow-up appointments, lab work, and potential side effects will be discussed. You will be advised on how to properly care for yourself after your treatment. The nurse will provide written information and guidance to refer to while at home and will direct you toward additional resources you may need or desire.
Hematology Hematology is the study of the function and disorders of the blood and blood-forming tissue. Blood disorders can take many forms and can be either benign or malignant. Hematologists treat many diseases such as leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and multiple myeloma. In addition, hematologists treat patients with other medical conditions such as anemia, coagulation disorders such as hemophilia and various other blood diseases. The physicians of Florida Oncology Associates are specially trained in hematology to provide comprehensive targeted and molecular therapies to care for patients with hematological disorders.
Radiation Therapy Radiation therapy is one of the most common cancer treatments, and about half of all patients diagnosed with a malignant disease will receive some form of radiation. Radiation oncologists and physicists use specially designed equipment to deliver precise beams of high energy particles or waves, such as x-rays, gamma rays or electrons, to the cancerous tumor in order to destroy or damage the cancer cells and eliminate their ability to grow and divide. Radiation therapy is a local treatment and affects only the cells of the tumor and a tiny area around the tumor. Length of treatment depends on the individual diagnosis. The two most common types of radiation therapy are external beam radiation and radiation implants or seeds.
New external radiation technologies such as IMRT (Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy), which helps minimize the radiation exposure to normal tissues; IGRT (Image-Guided Radiation Therapy), which provides real-time scans or X-rays of the tumor site to assist in the precise positioning of radiation; and radiosurgery, which uses 100 or more precisely focused beams to allow effective radiation doses to be delivered in a single or very few treatments, are available to our patients. Florida Radiation Oncology Group offers these and other technologically advanced treatments, delivered by physicians and physicists trained at nationally accredited cancer hospitals.
LaboratoryFor your convenience, many of our practices have an on-site laboratory which enables us to do routine blood work. This allows us to have the results of most tests during your scheduled visit. Upon review of the results, if your physician feels additional lab work is required to further assist with the diagnosis or treatment, we will let you know. Specialized testing is done by outside laboratory facilities. Please be aware that many insurance companies contract with outside labs, so routine lab work may need to be done at other facilities. Unfortunately, this will result in the delay of your treatment.
Mental Health CounselingOur licensed social workers support our commitment to providing integrated, convenient and compassionate service. Stress can be a significant factor in dealing with a diagnosis of cancer, both for you and for your loved ones. Feelings of depression, fear, anger and anxiety can affect your ability to respond well to treatment and may influence the treatment’s long-term outcome. You may wish to discuss some of the common feelings that you and your family could expect to experience while you are going through treatment. Our goal is to help you and your family members prevent, control and manage the emotional stresses in your lives, especially those involved with receiving a diagnosis of cancer and having the necessary treatment.
Financial Counseling A financial counselor will meet with you during your first visit. He or she will verify your insurance coverage and determine procedures pre-authorized by your insurance company. For all amounts not covered by insurance, your counselor will work with you to determine an appropriate schedule of payments. Financial Counselors are also an excellent resource to advise on the availability of additional assistance from pharmaceutical companies, government agencies or private funds.
Pharmacy Services (cross link to Pharmacy Homepage) As part of our commitment to providing the highest quality of medical care and service, our patients may now pick up many oncology prescriptions at their practice. In most cases, when your physician prescribes a medicine, it can be picked up the next day. Refills can be scheduled for pick up at your next appointment or another convenient time. The pharmacy is operated by a licensed pharmacist who is available to provide you with counseling concerning your medications. Drugs are competitively priced with other pharmacies. Of course, you may already have a pharmacy that you use on a regular basis and that’s fine too. ICON Pharmacy wants to give you a competitive option that might make your day less stressful.
P.E.T./CT Scans Positron Emission Tomography or “P.E.T”. is a diagnostic examination which produces images of the body’s biological functions in order to evaluate a variety of diseases. Most often used to detect cancer and to examine the effects of cancer therapy, the scans can provide an image of the entire body or part of the body. Our mobile PET/CT units offer patients the convenience of having their scans performed at the same location as they have cancer treatment.
P.E.T. differs from C.T. or M.R.I. images because it shows areas of metabolic activity. Computed Tomography, or “CT” imaging is an x-ray or series of x-rays enhanced by a computer to produce a two dimensional cross section image of the bodies internal organs, tissue, bone and blood. P.E.T. images combined with C.T. or M.R.I. images can be used as a tool to help our physicians diagnose, stage and monitor disease and response to treatment.
Diagnostic Tests In our effort to always provide the most advanced tools to care for our patients, our physicians look for new diagnostic tests to assist in the treatment process. We offer a revolutionary new test for metastatic breast cancer called CellSearch. This simple blood test is the first diagnostic technology to automatically identify and count circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in a blood sample. Currently, this test is available to women who fit specific criteria who are diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. In the future, similar tests may become available for colo-rectal and prostate cancers. Please ask your medical team for additional information.
Clinical Research Clinical trials are research studies conducted to answer specific medical questions that could ultimately help find new ways to prevent, detect, diagnose or treat cancer. Treatment may involve use of promising new drugs or different drug combinations and diagnostic tests that are not current standard treatments. Clinical trials are vital in the fight against cancer because they answer important questions about which drug therapy or combination of therapies is the most effective for a particular type of cancer. Our Cancer Centers are involved in many clinical trials run by the National Cancer Institute, Oncology Research Cooperatives and by individual pharmaceutical companies. Your medical oncology team can further explain the advantages and disadvantages of particular studies and determine if participation is appropriate for your situation.
