Delnor’s new cancer center designed to provide services in one place

GENEVA – Kevin Kelley was blindsided last October when he got the news that he had testicular cancer.

“It came as a shock,” said the 24-year-old St. Charles resident, who said he had exercised on a regular basis and tried his best to stay healthy. “The really fortunate kind of thing is that testicular cancer is one of the three or four cancers that are entirely curable.”

According to the American Cancer Society, testicular cancer is one of the most curable forms of cancer. Kelley sought treatment at the new Cadence Cancer Center at Delnor Hospital in Geneva, which opened last September. Cadence Health operates Delnor and Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield.

The $20 million Cadence Cancer Center project was an expansion of a smaller oncology building on Delnor’s campus at 300 Randall Road. Kelley said he felt well taken care of at the center.

“The staff are a phenomenal group of people,” Kelley said. “They are really looking to make sure that not only are they treating you, but that you were comfortable, that you were happy, that you were optimistic about everything.”

Following surgery and chemotherapy, Kelley said he recently was told that he no longer has cancer.

“It’s pretty spectacular news,” Kelley said. “We have to obviously keep an eye on things.”

Among other services, the center features a new radiation oncology suite, which offers an upgraded accelerator designed to enhance the speed and precision of radiation therapy.

"The new tools are helping people live longer and longer," said Dr. Chris George, medical site leader for oncology services at Delnor. "Detecting cancer at an early stage, we still expect a cure. At the late stage, it is still a
struggle."

Cadence Health is affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic in medical oncology. U.S. News and World Report ranked the Cleveland Clinic’s medical oncology as one of the nation’s top 10 cancer programs.

The expansion of the cancer center began in 2012. One part of the center was open through the entire project to ensure that patients were able to continue to receive treatment.

“The last thing that you want to do with patients is take away their treatment,” said Chris King, senior manager of public relations for Cadence.

The new center is designed to provide all services for cancer patients in one convenient place. That includes private and semi-private chemotherapy rooms; exam rooms for specialized medical, surgical and radiation oncologists; specialty care teams with expertise in treating specific cancer types; an onsite infusion pharmacy and lab; and support services, such as nutrition, genetics and financial counseling.

“They can come here now from start to finish,” King said.

The center sees 60 to 85 new patients a week. In the center’s conference room, George and other doctors get together as a team every day and talk about each case, including teleconferencing with the Cleveland Clinic.

One of those cases involved Karen Morrison of Elburn. In December, George diagnosed the 68-year-old as having lymphoma in her nose.

“It’s not something you see with great regularity,” George said. “She got chemotherapy and felt better. It was a big day when she could sniff and eat without choking.”

Morrison said her treatment has been going well.

“I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve had minimal side effects,” she said. “From the first day I walked in the center, I felt like I’ve been in good hands.”

The new center provides even more opportunities for those diagnosed with cancer, George said.

“Cadence is 100 percent committed to making this the best cancer program in the western suburbs,” he said.

Know more

Want to learn more about the Cadence Cancer Center at Delnor Hospital in Geneva? Visit www.delnor.com.