Cancer Diagnosis Center

From the time your physician refers you for additional lab work to your test results, the caring, professionals in our diagnostic services are not only highly skilled technicians and clinicians, but they are also compassionate individuals who are here to help you understand the process of cancer diagnosis. Knowing what to expect, and what our different departments do, can help lessen some of your anxiety in anticipating your lab work and diagnosis.

We invite you to learn more about cancer diagnosis at O’Connor by understanding the following specialties and services:

Clinical Laboratory

The clinical laboratory is equipped to provide all routine tests with accuracy and efficiency. They also provide a complete range of tests for the early diagnosis, classification and monitoring of cancer. Surgical pathology is equipped to perform tissue diagnosis for the initial diagnosis and monitoring of malignant diseases. They also have the capability to perform sophisticated histological staining along with gross and microscopic tissue analysis of tissue samples.

For more information, call the Clinical Laboratory at (408) 947-2990.

Diagnostic Radiology

Diagnostic imaging services available at O’Connor include angiography, computerized tomography, digital radiography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, and an American College of Radiology-accredited mammography center. Radiology staff members are active participants at the tumor board meetings and an integral part of the oncology team.

• For more information, call the Radiology Department at (408) 947-2992.
• For questions about CT Scan or Ultrasound, call (408) 947-2547.
• For questions about MRI, call (408) 947-2900.

Nuclear Medicine

O’Connor has an expanding nuclear medicine department that offers diagnostic tools such as bone scan, gallium scan sentinel node identification, scans using monoclonal antibodies, and cardiac wall motion studies for patients receiving chemotherapy. Therapeutic modalities offered to cancer patients include the use of Strontium-89, Samarium 153 for bone pain and Iodine-131 for thyroid cancer. Along with a Gamma camera, the department has a mobile Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner onsite one day a week. This enables the department to enhance the staging of melanoma and lung cancer, identify metastases in many cancers, assist in the work-up of single pulmonary nodules, and identify recurrent lymphoma. For more information, call (408) 947-2970.

Nuclear Medicine Services

Hematology/Oncology
Diagnostic

• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scans
• Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping
• Bone Scans
• Thyroid Scans
• Prostascint Scans
• Octreotide Scans
• Left Ventricle Ejection Fraction with Tc labeled RBCs
• Gallium Scan
• I-131 Whole Body Scan
• Blood Volume Studies
• Schillings Tests

Hematology/Oncology
Therapy

• I-131 therapy
• Palliation of Bone Pain
• Zevalin used to treat non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Cardiology

• Myocardial perfusion imaging
• Useful in a variety of settings in coronary artery disease
• Myocardial PET for determining myocardial viability

Gastroenterology

• C-14 Urea breath test for H-Pylori
• HIDA studies of gall bladder function
• Liver spleen scans
• Gastric emptying studies
• G E reflux studies
• Esophageal transit studies
• Small bowel transit
• Colon transit

Bone Density

• DEXA Dual energy X-ray absorbimitry studies
• Orthopedic: Bone scans and IN-111 WBC scans

Endocrinology

• Thyroid uptake and scan
• I-131 therapy for hyperthyroidism

Neurology

• PET brain scans for intractable seizure disorders and dementia
• SPECT brain scans

For more information, call the Nuclear Medicine Department at (408) 947-2970.