Sidney Health Center offers Cancer Care close to home

Close to 10 years ago in January 2011, Sidney Health Center expanded its outpatient cancer services to include radiation therapy when it opened Phase I of the Cancer Care suite. Sidney Health Center installed a TomoTherapy Hi-Art radiation treatment system, which was the first of its kind in Montana.

Since that time, Sidney Health Center Cancer Care has gone through transformations to continue to meet the needs of those requiring treatment in the MonDak region.  There were more than 1,800 medical oncology visits and more than 4,200 radiation therapy visits at Sidney Health Center Cancer Care in fiscal year 2020.

The Cancer Care team is comprised of full-time, board-certified medical and radiation oncologists, a nurse practitioner, medical physicist, nurses certified in chemotherapy administration, radiation therapists and administrative support staff who take time to understand and guide patients through their care plan. The team is rounded out with support from pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, surgery and rehabilitation services. 

As a Medical Oncologist, Dr. Chad Pedersen works as part of a team in treating cancer, knowing when to offer chemotherapy and ensuring safe and effective use of chemotherapy in combination with other treatments such as surgery or radiation. In January 2020, Martha Nugent, AGNP joined the medical oncology team to assist Dr. Pedersen with providing patient care and guide oncology patients through the stages of their treatment.

Dr. Ralf Kiehl, Radiation Oncologist, specializes in the treatment of cancer patients using radiation therapy as the main method of treatment.  His practice utilizes the technology of TomoTherapy, Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), and CT scanning equipment to adapt the treatment plan of cancerous tumors. 

The TomoTherapy Hi-Art radiation treatment system, combines CT scan imaging with its cancer treatment delivery, ensuring the most accurate radiation treatment with the fewest side effects.

IMRT radiation is delivered in smaller doses over the course of several weeks, with patients receiving daily treatments during that time. On the other hand, SBRT allows physicians to deliver a higher dose of radiation over the course of two to five treatments.  

To diagnose and treat a wide variety of cancers, Sidney Health Center has state of the art imaging capabilities including 3-D Mammography, CT, MRI, Ultrasound and PET/CT imaging through a mobile service. 

For more information about Sidney Health Center’s Cancer Care services including chemotherapy, IV therapy, medical oncology and radiation oncology, visit the website at www.sidneyhealth.org/Cancer-Care or call the Cancer Care Suite at 406-488-2504.