Cancer Treatment

As San Joaquin County’s only cancer center accredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer, we are proud to offer advanced cancer treatment to our community.

Advanced Cancer Treatment

At St. Joseph’s we provide our cancer patients with comprehensive cancer treatment, including medical oncology, chemotherapy and infusion. We also offer advanced radiation therapy including:

  • Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy/Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy
    This highly focused, intense dose of radiation is concentrated on a tumor, while limiting the dose to the surrounding organs and sparing healthy tissue. Most treatments are done in short outpatient visits of 30 minutes to 1 hour, requiring no hospitalization

     

  • Stereotactic radiosurgery
    This noninvasive radiation therapy procedure involves a single-session, single fraction high dose to a very small targeted volume of tissue

     

  • Intensity-modulated radiation therapy
    This advanced mode of high-precision radiotherapy utilizes computer-controlled X-ray accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to a tumor

     

  • High-dose-rate Brachytherapy
    Brachytherapy places a radioactive source directly within the tumor to be treated, delivering a high dose of radiation to a precise area

     

Cancer Institute Recognition and Certifications

St. Joseph's Cancer Institute is San Joaquin County's only cancer center accredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. This accreditation recognizes our commitment to quality cancer services and patient care.

In addition, our Cancer Institute has been recognized by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation for having staff nationally certified in oncology. We are also proud to have performance rates that consistently exceed statewide averages for treatment of breast cancer.

If you'd like to learn more about our care for cancer patients, we invite you to download our 2019 Cancer Institute Annual Report.

Talk To a Cancer Patient Navigator

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a cancer, call our Cancer Patient Navigator at (209) 939-4526. We can help answer your questions, develop a personalized plan of action, and connect you to additional resources, and support services.

Use our online Find a Doctor feature, or call (800) 677-4491 to get connected to a doctor that's right for you.

St. Joseph's Cancer Institute offers a comprehensive range of cancer treatments and therapy options. As part of our commitment to provide superior patient care, we have invested in new technologies that greatly enhance our ability to detect, diagnose and treat cancer.

Cancer Treatment: New Technology Means Greater Choice

Advances in early diagnosis and cancer treatments help ensure more positive outcomes for patients diagnosed with different types of cancer. At Dignity Health, our specially trained doctors provide comprehensive cancer treatment services for our patients.

We use advanced treatment and surgical techniques, including:

Medical Oncology

Infusion services include chemotherapy, hormone therapy and biological therapy. Biological therapy is a sub-section of chemotherapy. These are biologically engineered drugs aimed specifically at the cancer. Some include drugs aimed at the cancer gene, while others inhibit nutrients required by the cancer cell. This area of cancer treatment has had tremendous growth in the past few years. Learn More

Specialized Surgical Treatment Options

Radiation Oncology

Depending upon diagnosis, the type and size of the cancer, radiation therapy may be used before or after surgery, or in combination with chemotherapy. Side effects will vary based on the part of the body receiving radiation. Most side effects are temporary and patients can work and remain active throughout radiation cancer treatments. Learn More

Palliative Care

At Dignity Health Cancer Institute, our trusted palliative cancer care focuses on the physical and emotional needs of people with cancer. Our goal is to improve quality of life and provide pain relief and other comfort measures for people undergoing cancer treatment, recovering from cancer or its treatment, or facing a terminal cancer diagnosis. Learn More 

Treating Patients Mind, Body and Spirit

Our commitment to treating the whole patient means providing nurturing support throughout the entire process. Our complementary services play a valuable role in Dignity Health's holistic approach.

Learn more about our support groups.