Cancer Care in Aiken, South Carolina

Women’s Breast Health and Imaging Center

Staffed by all women, the Women’s Breast Health and Imaging Center offers an exceptional level of advanced breast health imaging tests – such as 3D mammography – and other services for women in Aiken and surrounding communities. With a breast surgeon on staff, women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and have had or will have a mastectomy, partial mastectomy or lumpectomy, or prophylactic mastectomy have various options after diagnosis and treatment.

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Radiation Oncology

Radiation therapy treats cancer using external beams of intense energy, typically X-rays or protons, to kill cancer cells. This therapy damages cells by destroying genetic material that controls how the cancerous cells grow and divide. Therefore, radiation therapy requires careful planning with your physician to ensure the tumor is targeted with the least amount of impact on surrounding tissues. The less healthy tissue cells that are damaged, the more likely they can repair some of the damage caused by radiation.

We provide Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), an advanced mode of high-precision targeted radiotherapy that delivers precise radiation to tumor markers, which helps to reduce side effects and damage to surrounding normal tissue.

Medical Oncology

Patients are treated by experienced, skilled medical professionals who use advanced medical technology and treatment protocols. Chemotherapy uses special drugs to destroy cancer cells and eliminate tumors. A variety of chemotherapy programs are available, and your program will meet your unique medical and personal needs. New chemotherapy drugs have been developed that may create fewer negative side effects. For example, you may be able to wear a continuous infusion pump, allowing you to go about your daily routines.

Advanced Diagnostic Tools and Screenings

Keeping up with cancer screening tests can be very helpful to early detection of cancer. We use the following technology and tools to help diagnose many types of cancer.

• The Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Blood Test is recommended for men aged 50 and older. For those considered at increased risk of prostate cancer, the PSA test is recommended by age 45 and older. The simple blood test takes only minutes and is offered free at the Cancer Care Institute of Carolina in Aiken.
• 3D Digital Mammography at the Women’s Breast Health and Imaging Center has many advantages over traditional film mammography and may help to increase breast cancer detection rates by about 40 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute. Another tool available for breast cancer detection is stereotactic breast biopsy. Less invasive than surgical biopsy, stereotactic breast biopsy uses mammography to locate a breast abnormality and to remove a tissue sample for examination under a microscope.
• Computed Tomography (CT) is an imaging procedure that uses special X-ray equipment to create detailed pictures or scans of areas inside the body.
• Multi Slice CT is the newest generation of CT scanners, allowing for simultaneous collection of images of different areas of the body.
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan is an imaging test that can sometimes detect disease before it shows up on other imaging tests. A PET scan uses a radioactive drug tracer to show this activity, depending on which organ or tissue is being studied.
• Open Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is used for diagnosis and treatment planning. The open MRI offers patients greater comfort, especially for larger patients and those who may otherwise experience claustrophobia in a closed MRI.