New Cancer Center in Mebane Now Open Cancer patients who live in the Mebane area now have access to a convenient, state-of-the-art cancer center. The new 8,000-square-foot facility opened on Sept. 1. "The new center allows us to see more patients in Mebane," says Cindy Johnson, RN, MSN, OCN, Clinical Director of Alamance Regional's Cancer Center. "The Mebane location offers patients full access to the same chemotherapy protocols available at our Alamance Regional location, and our oncologists are available Monday through Friday. In addition, the Mebane Outpatient Center laboratory provides the convenience of an in-house lab." The center includes six exam rooms, a window-lined chemotherapy treatment area, physician offices, a pharmacy, lab specimen collection area and a patient resource center. For more information about the Alamance Regional Mebane Cancer Center, call (919) 563-1160.

Thanks to three specialty clinics held in conjunction with Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, university-level cancer care can be found right here in our community. This partnership pairs some of Wake Forest's top oncology specialists with our own leading physicians to offer highly specialized care for many types of cancer.

Specialty clinics are currently conducted for three categories of cancer: gynecologic (uterine, ovarian, cervical), urologic (bladder, prostate, kidney) and thoracic (lung or esophagus).

Wake Forest specialists are available to meet with patients and recommend treatment plans. Many of these special oncologists also scrub in with local surgeons to help with cancer surgeries and coordinate post-surgical treatment and care with local oncologists.

"Our partnership with Wake Forest Baptist offers area patients the technology and expertise of a nationally recognized comprehensive cancer center and the convenience of being able to receive care close to home," says Janak Choksi, MD, Medical Director, Alamance Regional Cancer Center.

Urologic Oncology Clinic – This clinic is conducted twice a month by urologic oncologists from Wake Forest. Patients can receive pre-operative care, including radiology and laboratory tests, and post-surgical therapies at Alamance Regional, while also having the option to benefit from the da Vinci^® surgical system and tissue bank located at Wake Forest. The da Vinci robot is used in several minimally invasive surgical procedures related to urological cancer.

Thoracic Oncology Clinic – Patients with lung and esophageal cancer are seen once a week at the thoracic oncology clinic by a cardio-thoracic surgeon. In addition, a Thoracic Disease Team at Alamance Regional, which includes oncologists, radiologists, surgeons, pulmonologists, pathologists and a thoracic navigator, determines the specialists required for each case.

"Bringing together all the specialties that are involved in the entire process, from diagnosis to treatment, means we are able to develop the best care plan for each individual patient," says Brendan Fitzpatrick, Executive Director, Alamance Regional Cancer Center. "This team is also reducing the amount of time from a suspicious finding, such as nodules on an X-ray, to a definitive diagnosis."

Gynecology Oncology Clinic – Patients with uterine, ovarian or cervical cancer meet with a gynecologic oncologist for evaluation and recommendations as well as outpatient post-operative care.

In addition to these clinics, a new neurological oncology clinic that will be conducted in conjunction with UNC Health Care is currently planned. A neurosurgeon from UNC will offer pre- and post-operative care to patients with brain tumors.

Alamance Regional Cancer Center also offers patients PET/CT imaging for the most accurate treatment planning, Image Guided Radiation Therapy, advanced chemotherapy, access to a wide range of national clinical trials, and a full array of support services. For more information about our cancer services, call (336) 538-7725.

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