Multidisciplinary Team Approach

When the pathology report says "cancer," appropriate treatment usually means visits to different specialists, likely in different offices. The process could take days to conclude, but MCG patients under the care of a multidisciplinary team initially meet all needed health care providers on one day at the MCG campus.

Teams include surgical, medical and radiation oncologists and other ancillary staff. The patient goes home with a patient-driven plan of care. Nurse navigators serve as advocates for the patients and follow them medically throughout treatment and later visits.

When it is medically appropriate, patients also have an opportunity to participate in clinical trials and gain access to the most exciting new drugs available. The MCG Cancer Center participates and sometimes initiates Phase I and Phase II trials — basically the earliest stages of a new drug or a new use of an old drug. Many drug interventions currently in use today are relatively recent developments. They, too, emerged through a clinical trials process and proved they were superior to previous standards of care.

Patients may donate tumor tissue, bone marrow, blood or other bio-fluids to The MCG Tumor Tissue and Serum Repository. These specimens can show researchers how and why a treatment failed and why it worked. They can also teach scientists more about cancer biology, one of the most important fields of study in cancer treatment and prevention.

Specialized Teams:

• Bone Marrow Transplant
• Breast
• Cutaneous Malignancies
• Gynecologic
• Hematologic
• Gastrointestinal
• Genitourinary/Prostate
• Head and Neck
• Thoracic

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