The best modern cancer treatment requires an interdisciplinary approach. At Memorial Sloan-Kettering, we supplement this philosophy through our physicians' in-depth expertise in their subspecialties of care. This means that here, patients are treated in an environment of cross-functional care that is unequaled in depth of experience and skill in every known type of cancer.
Our patients are treated by as many different specialists as are needed for various aspects of his or her disease -- although there is always one primary doctor who coordinates each patient's care.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering's distinctive "disease management" program of care formalizes this interdisciplinary, multimodality approach. A disease-management team focuses on each of the most common sites of cancer, such as breast, colorectal, and lung, as well as cancer prevention and wellness. Each team includes surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, and other health professionals with expertise in that particular area. This approach freely crosses departmental lines and integrates the knowledge and expertise of staff from various areas.
Our disease management system allows us to investigate different treatments, see which offer better results, and build an ever more refined system for managing the care of our patients from diagnosis and treatment to discharge and outpatient care. In this approach, breakthroughs in treatment are integral to the care of patients.
Every member of our disease management teams understands cancer, and knows how it affects the lives of patients and loved ones. They are fully prepared to treat the whole patient -- and every facet of his or her disease -- with the most comprehensive cancer care available.
