Patients often receive treatment proposals which they want to have evaluated by another specialist. DeKalb Medical has a group of highly trained specialists who will see a patient within 48 hours to provide a second opinion on a treatment proposal. This can involve questions related to diagnosis, surgical options for breast, prostate or any other cancer site, review of suggested chemotherapy protocols, or any other area related to cancer treatment. If uncertainty still exists, the specialist will arrange to have the case presented at DeKalb Medical's weekly tumor conference. This team of specialists in every area will provide input for the patient's consideration. For a second opinion, call 404-501-EASY (3279).

For patients with certain types of cancer, high doses of chemotherapy may destroy cancer cells more effectively than lower dose treatments. Vital stem cells are collected from the patient's bloodstream prior to the high-dose treatment and are reinfused following chemotherapy to stimulate the production of new blood cells by the bone marrow.

This program allows a considerable portion of the treatment to be conducted on an out-patient basis. Hospitalization takes place during the crucial part of the therapy and is for a much shorter period of time than would be required for a traditional bone marrow transplant.

Radiation Oncology patients have dedicated parking spaces located a few feet from the main department entrance. Service excellence is exemplified by our commitment to serve/treat our patients within 15 minutes of their assigned appointment time and to extend treatment hours accordingly to accommodate those patients who may elect to continue employment or have transportation hardships during their course of treatment. A transportation van service is available to those patients without any other means of transportation during a 2-7 week course of radiation treatment.

The Kann Center prides itself in offering the highest caliber outpatient care. All procedures are provided by oncology-certified nurses capable of providing immediate, supportive care. The patient-to-nurse ratio is maintained at four-to-one or less. Oncologists, hematologists and pulmonologists are on hand for consultation should the need arise.

To make an appointment

For more information about the Kann Center’s services or referral policies, call 404-501-6180. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, by appointment only and a physician referral is required for treatment at the Kann Center. Convenient parking is available next to the Kann Center main entrance and we are pleased to offer free parking by validating our patients’ parking stubs.

DeKalb Medical offers a revolutionary new radiotherapy technique called IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy), a highly precise technique that targets tumors while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. The new IMRT technique has already contributed to substantially improved clinical outcomes, according to studies in the Journal of Radiotherapy and Oncology and the International Journal of Radiotherapy and Oncology. Published prostate cancer studies conducted at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York showed that, when compared with other forms of radiation therapy, IMRT more than doubled the rate of tumor control, from 43 percent to 96 percent. At the same time, the rate of normal tissue complications decreased from 10 percent to 2 percent.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is the most technologically advanced, most precise method of external beam radiation therapy available. It delivers high doses of radiation directly to the tumor while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. IMRT has been approved to treat the following:

• Breast cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Brain cancer
• Hodgkin's Lymphoma
• Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
• Bladder cancer
• Leukemia
• Colon/Rectum cancer
• Uterus cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Eye cancer