Education
About Surgery
Our surgical services teams are comprised of surgeon specialists, anesthesiologists, registered nurses and surgical technologists. Minimally-invasive surgical techniques help speed your recovery.
Michael Eickerman, MD, performs many cancer-related surgeries at Valley General Hospital, including sentinel node biopsies for breast tumors.
- Endoscopy
- Biopsy
- Sentinel node biopsy
- Oncologic surgery
- Reconstructive surgery
About Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with drugs that can destroy cancer cells by stopping the growth of existing cancer cells or stopping the production of new cancer cells. Some newly developed drugs set up cancer cells for destruction by the body’s own immune system. The administration of these “anticancer” drugs most often does not require an overnight hospital stay.
Chemotherapy is ordered by medical oncologists from Western Washington Medical Group’s Department of Oncology who see patients on the second floor of Valley General Hospital’s Specialty Suites. The treatments are given in the infusion suite located right next to the oncologist’s office and exam rooms. Patients are treated and monitored by Oncology Certified nurses as well as the physicians.
Patients are supported with 24 hour access to their physicians and follow up visits here at Valley General Hospital. Side effects are usually mild, but when admittance to the hospital is necessary, patients are cared for at Valley General Hospital by hospital specialists.
About Radiation
Radiation therapy directs high-energy rays at the tumor site and some surrounding tissues to kill cancer cells. It may by used as the only required therapy for a disease, but is more often used in addition to other treatment modalities. The treatment doses are usually divided and given over days or weeks of short, weekday visits.
Radiation is usually administered at regional centers, as the equipment is high specialized and very costly. At this time, patients who are directed to receive radiation treatments by the oncologists at Valley General Hospital are referred to the Flynn Center at Providence Everett Pacific Campus or to the radiation center at Overlake Hospital Medical Center. Besides seeing radiation specialists at those medical centers, these patients are still followed and supported by the oncologist and staff here at Valley General Hospital.
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