CHANGING CANCER CARE IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
Scott & White Vasicek Cancer Treatment Center - Temple
Better diagnostic imaging technology
improves quality of life and survival rates
for all patients; advanced breast imaging
services are unique in the region
successful outcome for
patients with cancer starts
with an accurate diagnosis,
followed by an effective treatment plan
and supportive care services. Imaging
specialists in diagnostic radiology at the
Vasicek Cancer Treatment Center on
the campus of Scott & White Memorial
Hospital - Temple take that first step in
the process by employing the industry’s
most advanced technologies to make
the most accurate diagnosis, and to
assist their clinical colleagues in the
development of a treatment plan for all
forms of cancer.
“The technology is evolving
rapidly,” says L. Gill Naul, MD, chair
of the Department of Radiology. “The
equipment is much faster and the
resolution of the images has improved
considerably. We take another
important step, too, by rapidly and
frequently communicating with our
colleagues at other facilities in the
healthcare system, like Round Rock,
College Station, and Waco,” says
Dr. Naul. “Our care is integrated. We
work together very closely, which is a
A
bit different from what you’d see with
most other healthcare institutions.”
Advanced resources
and deep expertise
Because of technological enhancements,
diagnostic imaging has become very
specialized, with unique features that
allow for faster, more precise body
imaging. Baylor Scott & White’s
advanced imaging technology in
Central Texas includes two 3 Tesla (T)
magnetic resonance (MRI) scanners,
a new standard in medical imaging.
The 3T MRI scanner previously
was used only in research facilities.
In addition, the healthcare system is
home to leading-edge computerized
tomography (CT) scanners and
positron emission technology (PET)
scanners—each with a unique, highly
specialized role in diagnoses and cancer
treatment plans.
The Department of Radiology
comprises many radiologists with a
combined degree of subspecialization
unique in the region. “We have
about 50 radiologists who are very
specialized and provide expertise in
many areas,” says Dr. Naul. “We
have radiologists specialized for
every system of the body and for
every disease, including interventional
radiologists, neuroradiologists, breast
radiologists, body imaging radiologists,
and musculoskeletal radiologists,
among others.”
Breast Imaging
Center of Excellence
Deep imaging expertise extends
to digital mammography in the
detection of breast cancer. Scott &
White Memorial Hospital - Temple
was the first in the nation to receive
the American College of Radiology
designation as a Breast Imaging
Center of Excellence—a designation
given only to those centers that have
demonstrated high quality in all areas
of breast imaging. “We’ve been a
center of excellence for as long as you
can be one,” says Debra Monticciolo,
MD, chief of the Section of Breast
Imaging. Dr. Monticciolo has been
involved at the national level on issues
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