Services Provided

At the Tammy Walker Cancer Center patients never feel like they are fighting the battle against cancer alone. We take a team approach using many different specialties to help patients through every aspect of the disease. Treating the disease is only one aspect. Helping patients handle all the challenges that go along with treatment is the comprehensive care we deliver.

Support Services

Nutrition Counseling
The nutritional care of patients with cancer can be very complex and must be individualized. At the Tammy Walker Cancer Center our registered dietitian is trained to work with cancer patients and will ensure that all patients have the tools needed to maintain energy for successful treatment. Watch a video to learn more about nutrition during & after cancer treatment.

For more information about nutrition and cancer call Jeanne Byquist, cancer program dietitian, at 785-452-4849.

Appearance Center
Maintaining a positive outlook is part of the team building process of cancer treatment. Our Appearance Center staff is available to assist you in feeling and looking good while undergoing cancer treatment. In conjunction with the American Cancer Society and the generosity of other local entities, we offer "Look Good...Feel Better" sessions. Wigs, hats and other items are available at no charge.

Spiritual Support
Spiritual support may be a cornerstone in the path toward healing. Our chaplaincy department provides compassionate spiritual and emotional support to people of all faiths or of no particular faith. Encouraging a more holistic approach to healthcare, our professional chaplains respect and respond to value and beliefs of all our patients. Get more information about our Chaplaincy Department.

Guest Housing
Special guest accommodations are available at the Rebecca A. Morrison House to primary care givers or families of Salina Regional Health Center inpatients, Salina Surgical Center and patients receiving radiation therapy at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center. Get more information about the Morrison House.

Participation in national clinical trials The Tammy Walker Cancer Center's association with the KU Cancer Center through the Masonic Cancer Alliance makes many of the same clinical trials available at KU also open to patients in Salina.

New patients at the Cancer Center are screened to determine whether they are eligible to participate in some of the latest, most promising treatments available.

Learn more about clinical trials available to patients at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center or call Melanie Leepers at (785) 452-7038.

Cancer Registry
At the Tammy Walker Cancer Center our registrar collects and manages cancer patient information. This collection of data is required by the State of Kansas. The data is used to provide information about treatment, stage, and follow-up.

Follow-up is done yearly on all patients diagnosed and/or treated by the registry.

Learn more about the cancer registry or for more information about cancer registry call Pam Ehlts, cancer registrar at (785) 452-7037.

Cancer Outreach
The Tammy Walker Cancer Center outreach program sets the standard of excellence and continues to receive awards and grants year after year for their services. Our cancer outreach program provides education and screening services for cancer prevention, early detection and treatment in communities throughout north central Kansas. Annual prostate, colon and skin cancer screenings and an annual breast cancer forum are also provided free of charge.

The Cancer Center's Outreach Program was one of only 125 programs in the United States to receive the Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund grant to help with the fight against breast cancer in north central Kansas. The grant supports the Avon Breast Health Program at the cancer center and county health nurses in the 14-county Sunflower Health Network. The program provides education, referrals for low-cost or free mammograms to women with inadequate health insurance and clinical training for nurses who perform breast health exams.

For more information about the outreach programs at Tammy Walker Cancer Center please call Daniel Craig, outreach coordinator at (785) 452-4848.

Resources
Literature/books/resources are available to provide patients and their families with the latest education and information on specific types of cancer. Get information online from the Cancer Topic Center.

Tumor Board/Cancer Conference
Tumor Board meetings are held bi-weekly at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center. Tumor Boards are multidisciplinary consultations about the best treatment options available for cancer patients.

Treatment Specialties

Chemotherapy Administration
Medial oncology services at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center provides both inpatient and outpatient services. A dedicated inpatient unit at Salina Regional Health Center serves the specialized needs of hematology oncology patients requiring specialized care in a hospital setting under the supervision of a highly trained chemo certified staff. Most people undergoing cancer treatment do not require hospitalization. Outpatients are seen on the second floor of the Tammy Walker Cancer Center, making the latest chemotherapeutic interventions available in a spacious and calming environment.

Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy boosts the body's natural defenses to help fight cancer with less side effects. Oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Geitz explains the benefits of this new treatment offered at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center. Click here to watch.

Trilogy
The Trilogy is the world's first image-guided radiation therapy system optimized for both conventional and stereotactic approaches to treating cancer. This technology provides precise, high dose deliver to very small areas of the body while sparing healthy tissue.

Respiratory Gating
Trilogy offers respiratory gating technology, which allows treatment delivery in tandem with a patient's breathing, minimizing treatment volumes.

Rapid Arc
Rapid Arc provides a rotational beam of radiation, offering maximum dose in a matter of minutes while sparing healthy tissues.

Stereotactic Procedures
Stereotactic Procedures are a non-invasive surgical alternative for patients meeting specific criteria.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
Advanced technologies are able to deliver precise, focused radiation to cancerous tumors, yet spare surrounding normal tissue, which leads to fewer side effects.

Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT)
The use of advanced imaging technology verifies tumor location in relation to healthy organs to ensure proper patient positioning prior to and during the treatment of certain cancers.

3-D Conformal Treatment Planning
Computer technology allows doctors to precisely target the three-dimensional shape of tumors with radiation.