Advanced Cancer Care for Cedar Rapids

Receiving a diagnosis of cancer is difficult. St. Luke's is here for you and your family during every step of your journey with services that treat mind, body and spirit. Plus, we're treating cancer earlier than ever before with state-of-the-art cancer risk assessments that find cancer at the earliest stages, when it's easiest to treat. We partner with the Helen G. Nassif Community Cancer Center to offer a range of care and services from the area's best providers, from prevention and education to the latest treatments and clinics.

Thanks to improvements in testing and technology, treatment options are increasing each year. One or more treatments may be used; in fact, it's common to use several treatments at the same time or in sequence with the goal of preventing recurrence.

Albert G. and Helen Nassif Radiation Center

The Albert G. and Helen Nassif Radiation Center completes the full spectrum of cancer care for St. Luke's Hospital, housing the most advanced cancer fighting technology available. External beam radiation, the most common form, carefully aims high powered X-rays directly at the tumor from outside of the body.

One out of every two men and one of every three women are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. According to a 2014 World Health Organization Report cancer cases are expected to surge 57 percent worldwide in the next 20 years.

Our cancer patients are assured of the most advanced treatment options. Our ultimate goal is to provide accurate, precise and timely service to fight cancer or relieve discomfort for the patient diagnosed with cancer.

PODCAST: Lung Cancer Diagnosis & Treatment
Dr. Nick Loudas, radiation oncologist, joins Dr. Arnold to discuss lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. They talk about the Lung Check and the importance of early detection, treatment options for lung cancer patients, how providers take a collaborative team approach to battling lung cancer and more.

Accredited Cancer Center

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons has granted accreditation to St. Luke's. St. Luke's is one of a select group of 13 facilities accredited in the State of Iowa and has been accredited since 2010. The CoC's core functions include setting standards for quality, multidisciplinary cancer patient care; surveying facilities to evaluate compliance with the 36 CoC standards; collecting standardized, high-quality data from accredited facilities; and using the data to develop effective educational interventions to improve cancer care outcomes at the national, state, and local levels.

Innovative, Advanced  Treatment  Options

One of the first to offer new prostate cancer treatment

St. Luke's Hospital was among the first hospitals in the state to offer a new radioactive injection for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. The treatment, called Radium 223 (brand name Xofigo) is a newly approved drug that emits radioactive particles, which can extend the lives of certain men with advanced prostate cancer. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2013 after a successful clinical trial, and is appropriate for men with prostate cancer whose disease has spread to the bone but not to other organs.  Learn more about this treatment from the American Cancer Society.

First North American patient receives experimental drug to treat breast cancer

The first North American patient to be treated with Radium 223 (Xofigo®) or placebo for a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, has started treatment at Physicians' Clinic of Iowa, as part of an innovative clinical research study. Clinical trials are not new to Cedar Rapids, however, there is a pervasive myth that investigational drugs are only available in large academic settings. This particular trial is available through a partnership among PCI, the Helen G. Nassif Community Cancer Center and UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Hospital. Each entity has a role in the patient's treatment regimen. Read more.