Oncology at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center

Cancer care center in Denver

At Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center, our expert oncologists provide advanced care and treatment for many types of cancer — including blood, bone and kidney cancers.

Our team understands that a cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. This is why our goal is to provide patients compassionate care and continued support through diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.

Learn more about our construction and renovation projects, including our new dedicated cancer center featured in the video below.

For more information about cancer diagnosis, treatment and other services, call askSARAH at (303) 253-3225.

Advanced cancer care

Sarah Cannon at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center offers high-quality services with convenient access to cutting-edge treatments and therapies for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. To help facilitate this care, our hospital provides additional support through an oncology nurse navigator. This person will be there alongside you and your loved one to provide guidance, education and coordination.

Specialty services we offer

To ensure patients receive the individualized care they need, we offer specialty services for cancer care.

Cancer prevention and education program

We believe that educating our patients and their families is essential to preventing cancer and detecting it early. We offer resources to the Metro Denver community because we recognize the importance of screening tools, early symptom information, cancer prevention and risk factor identification.

Our experts offer valuable information about cancer and prevention in our "Take a Minute to Talk about It" series featuring Colorado State University football coach and cancer survivor Ricky Santo.

Cancer nurse navigators

Nurse navigators specialize in cancer care and serve as advocates and educators for you—from diagnosis through survivorship. Our nurse navigators facilitate communication between your entire care team, help you coordinate appointments and transportation and address any other barriers you may face to support you throughout your cancer journey. Our mission is to provide you with seamless care throughout your care with us.

Nurse navigators support patients by:

• Advocating for your needs and connecting you to the right resources, including rehabilitation services and complementary therapies
• Creating a personalized experience during your appointments, evaluating your medical needs and communicating information to your doctor
• Emotionally supporting your decisions about your care
• Providing education on your treatment options and clinical trial availability for your cancer type

Healing arts therapy

Engaging in creative activities during times of emotional stress or illness helps raise alpha wave patterns, which produce the relaxed, aware state found during meditation. It also boosts serotonin, a hormone that helps alleviate feelings of depression.

Knowing this, we are proud to offer creative arts therapy for our patients as an additional outlet to help them heal, process where they are in their cancer journey and foster a sense of hope. Led by a certified art therapist, our program allows patients and their families to participate in specific expressive art activities to help them cope with the emotional stress of illness and treatment.

Some of our healing art therapies include:

• Creative writing and journaling
• Drawing and painting
• Music therapy

For more information on our healing arts program, please call us at (303) 839-6585.

Types of cancer we treat

Our multidisciplinary team of oncologists are experienced in treating a wide range of cancers, including:

• Blood cancer
• Bone cancer
• Breast cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Gastrointestinal cancer
• Gynecologic cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Lung cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Sarcoma
• Skin cancer
• Testicular cancer

Blood cancer

The blood cancer care team at Colorado Blood Cancer Institute (CBCI), is a part of the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center. We are committed to providing the best treatment to patients facing blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Our multidisciplinary team is dedicated to bringing you the latest techniques and technologies to ensure you get the care you need.

CBCI is the largest full-service blood and marrow and stem cell transplant program in Colorado. CBCI provides comprehensive blood cancer care and is among the top programs in the U.S.

Bone cancer

Our bone cancer care team employs advanced techniques and focuses on its unique approach to treat osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Due to this approach, we are a leader in patient outcomes in adult and pediatric osteosarcoma.

Additionally, we have a dedicated pelvic stabilization program for patients who have pelvic deterioration due to bone cancer and/or radiation therapy. Partnering with the Institute for Limb Preservation, our interventional radiologists and orthopedic surgeons use a minimally invasive approach to treat bone cancer in the pelvic area.

For more information and to find out if you might be a good candidate for pelvic stabilization, please contact the Institute for Limb Preservation at (800) 262-LIMB (5462).

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer program

The GI Malignancy Program features a multidisciplinary team of experts who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of GI cancers. These specialists participate in multiple clinical trials for every stage of cancer treatment.

Neuroendocrine tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) describe a set of unusual cancers that develop when neuroendocrine cells (which exist throughout the body) grow abnormally. While most cancers grow rapidly, neuroendocrine cancers tend to grow very slowly. Additionally, since neuroendocrine tumors develop from hormone-producing cells, the tumor itself may produce extra hormones, which causes illnesses that may make diagnosis difficult.

Our multidisciplinary team of oncologists work together to diagnose and treat many types of neuroendocrine tumors, including:

• Adrenocortical carcinoma
• Carcinoid tumors
• Medullary thyroid cancer
• Multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes
• Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
• Paragangliomas
• Pheochromocytomas

Cancer treatments and services

We offer multiple options for cancer treatment to ensure patients receive the care that is right for them.

Radiology services and treatments

Radiology plays a crucial role in diagnosing and treating cancer. You may receive radiology services, such as:

• Detailed cancer staging and restaging through:
  • Image fusion techniques
  • Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning
  • Tumor volume measurement
• Digital mammography
• Intra-arterial chemotherapy
• Tumor embolization

Radiation therapy

Unique to our hospital is our on-site radiation therapy program. Patient care is our number one priority, and our radiation therapy services are provided in a comfortable environment for patients.

Radiation therapy is an advanced cancer treatment that uses high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells. This form of treatment, a part of many patients’ care plans, tends to work best when used with surgery and chemotherapy.

Surgical oncology

When cancer is detected, one option for treatment is the surgical removal of the tumor. We provide patients access to expert surgeons who are board certified and experienced in using advanced procedures for cancer treatment. They work together to identify an individual care plan to suit the needs of each patient.

If you would like more information about the surgical oncology program, please call us at (720) 475-8733.

Outpatient cancer rehabilitation program

The Outpatient Cancer Rehabilitation Program provides a rehabilitation treatment regimen for our patients who are receiving treatment for cancer. Our rehabilitation program is personalized to help the patient regain, maintain and enhance their lifestyles throughout cancer therapy treatments.

Our cancer rehabilitation program services include:

• Acupuncture
• Cognitive assessment
• Lymphedema therapy
• Mental health support
• Nutritional counseling
• Physical and occupational therapy
• Prescriptive exercise
• Speech and swallowing intervention

Cancer exercise program

The Cancer Exercise Program is a unique opportunity for patients with cancer to participate in a personalized exercise program to reduce, relieve or altogether eliminate cancer treatment-related symptoms. This program helps patients reduce fatigue and boost their immune system during and after cancer treatment.

Patients receive a physical therapy evaluation and treatment sessions tailored to their physical and emotional needs. The goal is to help patients transition to an independent wellness program.

To enroll in the outpatient cancer rehabilitation program, please call (303) 839-6745.