Breast Cancer Treatment

Multidisciplinary Cancer Care Approach

If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, you’ve experienced a staggering blow followed by the need to schedule appointments with different physicians and coordinate care and communications. We strive to provide the highest level of patient and family-focused, multidisciplinary care that ensures the best possible quality of level before, during and after treatment.

Treatment and supportive care for people with breast cancer involves a number of different medical and allied health care professionals. Evidence indicates that a team approach to cancer care, in which health care professionals together consider all treatment options and develop an individual treatment plan for each patient, can reduce mortality and improve quality of life for the patient. Such an integrated approach to health care is known as multidisciplinary care

Jacqueline M. Wilentz Comprehensive Breast Center in Monmouth Medical Center is committed to improving the uptake of multidisciplinary cancer care for our cancer patients. To consistently contribute to the improvement of patient outcomes by elevating the knowledge, competency, and performance of healthcare professionals who care for and treat those individuals with various forms of cancer. To provide the most-up-to date clinical information that will improve cancer care and outcomes for patients through specialty products, across multimedia platforms, reaching multiple stakeholders and customers.

Because communication among these specialists is vital, the entire team meets weekly at the Jacqueline M. Wilentz Comprehensive Breast Center in Monmouth Medical Center. This multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Conference is to plan care for breast cancer patients. At these meetings, participants share information and insights from patient care and research, leading to the best possible treatment for each patient.

Then each specialist meets individually with the patient to explain treatment choices and answer questions. In most instances the patient will meet with a medical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, a surgeon and others. A multidisciplinary cancer care coordinator organizes the meetings and schedules subsequent care. Additional resources are available either at the clinic or during subsequent visits. These services often include genetic counseling and a social worker for financial matters.

The patient is encouraged to ask questions and be actively involved in the assessment. At the conclusion of the visit, the multidisciplinary cancer care coordinator acts as a patient advocate to ensure the patient understands the plan of care and continues to act as a resource throughout the treatment process.

Who Is Involved in the Medical Team?

• Medical Oncologist
• Radiation Oncologist
• Surgeon
• Radiologist specialized in women’s imaging
• Pathologist
• Social Worker
• Nutritionist
• Genetic Counselor
• Clinical Trial Nurse
• Multidisciplinary Cancer Care Coordinator

For further questions or if you wish to make an appointment with our multidisciplinary cancer care coordinator, please call our breast center at 732-923-7700.

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