Today's most advanced and promising treatments

On the frontiers of cancer treatment and research

All the experts at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center will be here for you and your family as you handle the challenges of cancer. Our Cancer Care Management team will help you find the answers to your questions. Some of the country's most experienced cancer specialists practice at Christiana Care, and they will come to you in unique multidisciplinary centers that focus on you and your particular cancer.

Our building on Christiana Care's Newark campus features the latest cancer care technology. Because Helen F. Graham Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute Community Clinical Oncology Program, we have the most advanced drugs and treatments.

Most effective treatments
We will help you sort through all the information and become knowledgeable about your disease. Cancer is a vast and complex set of very challenging diseases, and there are three key ways to treat cancer, chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. Decades of clinical experience show that combinations of these treatments are often most effective. We will tailor your treatment for your cancer and for you.

To schedule an appointment, call 302-623-4509.

One of the East Coast's most experienced radiation oncology departments

Teams of specialists who focus on you and your cancer
Every patient who visits Christiana Care's Helen F. Graham Cancer Center has the opportunity to meet with a team of physicians in one visit, including:

• A surgeon who can order diagnostic tests, perform a biopsy to see if your tumor is malignant and/or operate to remove cancer if necessary.
• A medical oncologist or hematologist who can give chemotherapy that kills the cancer cells.
• A radiation oncologist who can pinpoint the places where your cancer is growing and use precisely focused X-rays to reduce or destroy it.
• Together, these three cancer specialists, in consultation with your primary care physician, will work with you to create the most appropriate and effective plan of treatment for your cancer.

The focus is on you
Two services focus solely on you, our multidisciplinary centers and our Cancer Care Management team.

When you arrive at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, you will be met by your care coordinator- an oncology-certified or master's-prepared oncology nurse, who will be on hand to answer your questions throughout your entire treatment.

Your care coordinator is part of your own Cancer Care Management team, a group of Christiana Care professionals who will be there when you need them ‚ nurses, physicians, social workers, a health psychologist, genetic counselor, nutritionist, pastoral counselor and rehabilitation therapists.

On the day of your visit, we recommend you bring a friend or family member with you. Bring a notebook with any questions you would like to ask. Please bring your X-ray films, pathology results, complete insurance and any other information your physician has suggested.

For your convenience, and if appropriate, we try to schedule X-rays and tests while you're here for your first visit.

Because days can seem endless when you are waiting for a diagnosis or plan of action, during your visit to the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, our multidisciplinary cancer specialists will explain your test results and discuss your treatment options with you, your friend or family member and your cancer care coordinator. It's more convenient for you and it takes less time to get answers. It all adds up to a best-practices approach to care. In some cases, additional diagnostic work will be necessary in order to develop the best treatment plan.

Don't worry if you forget to ask something. When you get home, you may call your cancer care coordinator.

Bringing future care to you today
Christiana Care's Cancer Program features the most advanced equipment for cancer diagnosis and treatment at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and other locations in the Christiana Care system ‚ digital X-rays, positron emission tomography scans, ImageChecker technology to "see" tumors on mammograms that are too tiny for the human eye to detect, two new Siemens Primus radiation treatment units and a Somotron Balance CAT scan simulator.

Because Helen F. Graham Cancer Center is linked to the National Cancer Institute, you may be eligible to participate in clinical trials that test new drugs and treatments before they are commercially available. These include 100 active study protocols, including the STAR trial testing the effects of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene in reducing the incidence of breast cancer, and the SELECT trial testing whether dietary supplements protect against prostate cancer. Clinical trials are available only at National Cancer Institute-affiliated hospitals.

We also have the services you and your family may need to handle the challenges you are facing:

• Genetic counselor.
• The Junior Board Cancer Resource Library featuring the latest cancer information. The library is open to the public.
• Health psychologist.
• Nutritionist.
• Social workers.
• Pain management counseling.
• Pastoral counselors.
• Support groups.
• Nutrition classes.
• Rehabilitation services
• Complementary medicine services such as acupuncture, Tai Chi and therapeutic massage.
• Simply You Boutique featuring wigs and prostheses.
• The tranquil DuPont Garden, a place to relax between appointments.
• Information and representatives from the American Cancer Society, Wellness Community Delaware, Hospice, Cancer Care Connection and other community resources for you in Delaware.
• A continuous-loop shuttle transports patients to Helen F. Graham Cancer Center from Christiana Hospital and the Medical Arts Pavilions.

Helen Graham Cancer Center Phone Numbers (302 area code)

Main Number: 623-4500
Multidisciplinary: Centers 623-4509
Cancer Care Management: 623-4722
Genetic Counselor: 623-4772
Cancer Resource Library: 623-4580
Cancer Outreach: 623-4661
Cancer Research: 623-4590
Cyberknife: 302-623-4836
Radiology: 623-4560
Radiation Oncology: 623-4800