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The Cancer Center is, in principle, not a center for the diagnosis of cancer, but rather for the treatment of the disease. However, as part of its mission, the Cancer Center will coordinate the sequence of the various diagnostic steps, especially in complicated clinical situations, so that a comprehensive, logical and complete, and above all, rapid diagnostic workup is preformed by a team of specialists in various diagnostic disciplines. Such a workup is usually requested by a referring physician, who sends the patient to the Cancer Center for a first opinion or second opinion consultation. To streamline the workup, optimize the utilization of the diagnostic tests and most expediently arrive at the correct and complete diagnosis, we are currently developing centers for diagnosis and treatment of organ specific cancers. These centers are staffed with a team of diagnosticians with special expertise in a particular field of cancer. The prototype of such a Program of Excellence is our Breast Cancer Service which provides treatment for women with breast cancer. Associated with this is the Comprehensive Breast Health Center that provides a unique and highly comprehensive diagnostic approach to breast disease. The other centers are the Gastrointestinal Cancer Service; the Lymphoma, Myeloma, and Leukemia Service; the Female Reproductive Cancer Service; the Urologic Cancer Service; and the Lung Cancer Service. As a tertiary care hospital, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center offers state-of-the-art diagnostic tools. It boasts the most sophisticated radiologic equipment including CT, MRI and PET scanners, and a comprehensive diagnostic pathology setup, including a Center for Hematopathology Diagnostics, which has become a reference center for blood cancers.
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