Services

Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Detection and Diagnosis

Marshall Medical is the only all digital imaging health system in north Alabama. All facilities offer filmless imaging at both hospitals and both imaging centers. The principal advantage of this technology to you is that your physician and one or more of our board certified physicians or surgeons, even though miles apart, can consult on your case, study your imaging exam and render your diagnosis all at the same time. No more making copies of films, no more pick-up and delivery of studies to this doctor’s office and then to the next, images are shared at the speed of light.

Whether it's virtual colonoscopy or breast MRI, the imaging equipment at Marshall Medical is truly second to none. Our PET CT scanner is the envy of hospitals all over the south. It is among the fastest and most accurate scanners anywhere in the world and the good news is it's right here in Marshall County.

In addition to conventional x-ray, CT, Nuclear Medicine, MRI and PET/CT, we offer Mammotest needle core breast biopsies. This innovative, computer guided biopsy technique allows the accuracy of conventional surgical open biopsies with a simple needle directed to the core of the abnormal lump in the breast. Since approximately 80% of breast lumps are non-cancerous, the benefits of this technique are:

  • Little or no scarring
  • Little or no pain during the procedure
  • Return to work the next day
  • Assurance that your diagnosis was delivered on the latest state-of-the-art equipment

Sentinel Node Mapping and Biopsy

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) describes sentinel lymph node mapping as: "The use of dyes and radioactive substances to identify the first lymph node to which cancer is likely to spread from the primary tumor." Cancer cells may appear first in the sentinel node before spreading to other lymph nodes and other places in the body.

This is important to know, since determining your sentinel node can make it possible for your care team at Marshall Medical to determine the exact location for treatment and prevention and spread of your cancer, while avoiding more extensive surgical biopsies and the resulting after effects.

Depending on the stage of your breast cancer and how far it has spread, a sentinel lymph node biopsy may be suggested as part of your breast cancer treatment plan. A sentinel lymph node biopsy is used to allow your surgeon to determine which lymph nodes need to be removed, and hopefully, help your surgeon to preserve remaining lymph nodes in the axilla (underarm). This innovative procedure can reduce the number of your lymph nodes that need to be removed for biopsy during your breast cancer treatment.

A sentinel lymph node biopsy may also lessen the chance of developing lymphedema, a condition in which excess fluid collects in tissue and causes swelling. In lymphedema, the removal of lymph nodes from the underarm changes the way the lymph fluid flows within that side of the upper body, making it more difficult for fluid in the arm to circulate to other parts of the body.

Three-dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy

Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy is an innovative high-technology radiation technique that is being used at Marshall Medical. Computer simulation produces an accurate image of a tumor and surrounding organs so that multiple radiation beams can be shaped exactly to the contour of the treatment area. Because the radiation beams are precisely focused, nearby normal tissue is spared. This technique is being used to treat prostate cancer, lung cancer, and certain brain tumors.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, or IMRT, is a state-of-the-art radiation delivery system offered at Marshall Medical. It has been called the most significant breakthrough in radiation therapy in the past three decades. IMRT can treat difficult-to-reach tumors with new levels of accuracy such as tumors in the spine, head, neck, prostate, lung, liver, and brain. Marshall Medical is able to use higher radiation doses than traditional methods would allow in these areas, and yet spare more of the surrounding healthy tissue, compared to standard radiation therapy. For example, a tumor that surrounds your spinal cord can be effectively treated with IMRT, with very little radiation reaching the cord. IMRT may be useful if you previously have had conventional radiation therapy and are experiencing recurrent tumors in the treated area. Two ways that IMRT differs from conventional radiation are:

IMRT employs a powerful, advanced three-dimensional computer program to plan a precise dose of radiation, based on individual tumor size, shape and location;

IMRT directs radiation at the tumor and modulates the intensity of radiation with laser accuracy.

For some patients, IMRT replaces conventional external beam treatments; however, in most cases, IMRT is used in conjunction with or after another primary treatment, such as chemotherapy.

If you have previously undergone conventional radiation therapy, you may be considered a candidate for IMRT, because its accuracy will allow Marshall Medical to administer more than the maximum allowable dose of conventional radiotherapy, even at multiple sites. Your physician will evaluate you to determine if IMRT may be a viable treatment option for you.

Image Guided Radiation Therapy or IGRT

IGRT is image-guided radiation therapy, a technique which enables your physician to locate the tumor before each dose of radiation therapy is delivered. By locating the tumor and directing the radiation beam at the tumor and not to surrounding normal tissue, this technique spares more normal tissue exposed to radiation during treatment and provides better outcomes and long-term survival rates. Marshall Medical currently employees this technique to treat prostate cancer. Plans are under development to provide this treatment option to other tumor sites as well.