Cancer Care

South Shore Hospital has a wide range of cancer care programs. For further information on the programs listed here, please contact us.

Inpatient Cancer Care
Nutrition Services
Radiation Oncology
Rehabilitation Services
Pain Management Clinic
South Shore Visiting Nurse Association

Inpatient Cancer Care

South Shore Hospital has a specialized, 30-bed inpatient oncology unit, staffed with registered and licensed practical nurses. The nursing team is expert in the care of patients who have active cancer-related issues, such as pain and symptom management and chemotherapy administration.

Nutrition Services

Oncology patients can be at risk for nutritional problems, due to their illnesses and the stresses related to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Complications can include malnutrition due to lack of appetite, changes in taste and smell perceptions, and damage to the gastrointestinal tract, either from the disease or its treatment. South Shore Hospital's nutrition department is experienced in improving cancer patients' nutritional status through the administration of dietary supplements, one-to-one dietician instruction, tube feedings, and dietary palliative care. Please call 781-340-8809 to make an appointment. A physician referral is required.

Radiation Oncology

South Shore Hospital offers radiation therapy for cancer patients, in association with South Suburban Oncology Center. The center is accredited by the American College of Radiology and the American College of Radiation Oncology, and is one of only three such facilities in Massachusetts.

South Suburban Oncology Center opened in 1996 to provide advanced cancer treatment to the people of the region. More than 400 new patient consultations were conduced in the center's first year. Today, the center treats more than 110 patients each day, with more than 25,000 treatments administered yearly. The most commonly treated malignancies are breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal.

The center's medical team includes four board-certified radiation oncologists, who have faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. Oncology-certified nurses, experienced board-certified radiation therapists, physicists, dosimetrists, and knowledgeable office staff support physicians in educating patients and their families.

Patients are initially seen by a nurse and radiation oncologist, at which time extensive teaching is done regarding diagnosis, treatment options, and radiation therapy. Following this consultation, treatment is simulated using a three-dimensional spiral CT scanner to pinpoint the location and contours of the cancerous area. Next, the linear accelerator is programmed to deliver just the right amount of radiation to the precise location for a specified duration, depending on each patient's treatment needs.

While undergoing treatment, patients meet with their attending radiation oncologists and primary nurses at least weekly to assess their tolerance and response to treatment. Physicians also review patient progress using an advanced filmless technology to assure the accuracy and consistency of each treatment.

For more information about the South Suburban Oncology Center, located at 700 Congress Street in the Crown Colony Park in Quincy, call 617-376-6400, or visit their website: www.ssocma.com.

Rehabilitation Services

Physical, occupational and speech therapy are essential components of cancer care and treatment. South Shore Hospital's programs include:

Range of motion and strengthening exercises
Mobility and gait training
Enhancing ability to manage activities of daily living (e.g., bathing, grooming, toileting)
Provision of adaptive aides and equipment
Energy conservation strategies
Physical therapy
Swallowing and speech therapy
Patient and family education

Rehabilitation services typically begin during hospitalization and continue on an outpatient basis or in patients' homes through our South Shore Visiting Nurses.

Pain Management Clinic

South Shore Hospital's pain management clinic can offer relief if you're living with chronic pain due to cancer. A physician referral is required. Call 781-340-8352 for more information.

South Shore Visiting Nurse Association

South Shore Visiting Nurses (VNA), a program of South Shore Hospital, is expert in the at-home nursing and rehabilitative care of individuals with cancer. The VNA oncology program is managed by an oncology clinical nurse specialist, who collaborates with patients' physicians, other specialty nurses, social workers, physical therapists, nutritionists, and others.

Hospice of the South Shore, a program of South Shore Hospital, is a Medicare-certified program that provides palliative (comfort) and supporting health care to individuals with terminal illnesses. Hospice's services are provided in patients' homes, in extended care facilities (nursing homes), and at South Shore Hospital. Patients and families benefit from Hospice's nursing care, pain management, symptom control, social services, home health aides and homemakers, nutrition and diet counseling, volunteer support, respite care, and bereavement services.