Cancer treatments and procedures in Middle Tennessee

Specialists at Ascension Saint Thomas provide advanced cancer treatments and procedures based on your diagnosis and care plan

Cancer treatments and procedures in Tennessee

Your care team at Ascension Saint Thomas recommends treatments based on the type of cancer, stage and your overall health. Your treatment plan may include:

Medications and drug therapy

Chemotherapy (or chemo) uses medications that travel through the bloodstream to destroy cancer cells

Uses medications that either boost the body’s immune system or help it better identify and attack cancer cells

Radiation therapy

Advanced radiation techniques that deliver precise doses to tumors while limiting exposure to surrounding healthy tissue

Uses high-energy beams (called photons) or charged particles to destroy cancer cells or stop them from growing

Cancer surgery

Breast reconstruction is surgery to create a new breast shape in place of a breast that has been removed (mastectomy). It can be done with implants or with tissue from another part of your body. Sometimes both are used to rebuild a breast shape. The breast mound created comes as close as possible to the shape and look of a natural breast.

Surgery may be done to reconstruct either one breast (unilateral) or both breasts (bilateral). The goal of the unilateral reconstruction is to create a breast mound that matches the other breast. If both breasts have been removed, the goal of the surgery is to create both breast mounds about the size of your natural breasts.

Minimally invasive procedures used to diagnose or treat early stage tumors

Minimally invasive surgery that uses robotic technology for greater precision and smaller incisions, similar to a laparoscopy

A minimally invasive way to perform surgery in the chest, that uses robotic technology for greater precision and smaller incisions during surgery

Minimally invasive chest surgery using a small camera and instruments through smaller incisions

Additional cancer care options

Talk to your doctor to learn if a clinical trial — research studies that evaluate new treatments — may be an option for you

Your cancer care team provides support including nutrition education, counseling, support groups, yoga, spiritual care, cancer rehabilitation therapy, and can connect you to community resources. At Ascension Saint Thomas sites of care, our healing gardens and chapels are always open to patients and their loved ones.

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, go directly to the ER or call 911.