NMHC Northern Montana Sletten Cancer Center
Hi-Line Sletten Cancer Institute
The Support You Need, When You Need It
The Northern Montana Sletten Cancer Center is a joint venture between Northern Montana Health Care and Benefis. This center provides radiation and chemotherapy for the communities of the Hi-Line, helping to ease the burden of traveling for cancer treatments.
The oncology team at Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute helps people with cancer live longer – and better than ever before. We are at the forefront of advanced cancer care in Montana.
What is Oncology?
Oncology is the branch of medicine that researches, identifies and treats cancer. A physician who works in the field of Oncology is an Oncologist.
Oncologists must first diagnose cancer, which is usually carried out via biopsy, endoscopy, X-ray, CT scanning, MRI, PET scanning, ultrasound, or other radiological methods. Nuclear medicine can also be used to diagnose cancer, as can blood tests or tumor markers. Oncology is often linked with hematology, which is the branch of medicine that deals with blood and blood-related disorders.
Treatment
Once a diagnosis is made, the oncologist discusses the disease stage with the patient. Staging will dictate the treatment of cancer. Chemotherapy — which is defined as the destruction of cancer cells — may be used, as well as radiation therapy. Surgery is used to remove tumors. Hormone therapy is used to treat certain types of cancers, and monoclonal antibody treatments are gaining popularity. Research into cancer vaccines and immunotherapies is ongoing. Palliative care in Oncology treats pain and other symptoms of cancer.
What is Hematology?
Hematology is the study of blood health and disease. When something is wrong with your blood, it can affect your total health. That is why it is important for you to know about some of the common blood disorders that may affect you.
A Hematologist specializes in researching, diagnosing, treating, and preventing blood disorders and disorders of the lymphatic system (lymph nodes and vessels).
If your Primary Care Physician has recommended that you see a Hematologist, it may be because you are at risk for a condition involving your red or white blood cells, platelets, blood vessels, bone marrow, lymph nodes, or spleen. Some of these conditions are:
- Hemophilia, a disease that prevents your blood from clotting
- Sepsis, an infection in the blood
- Leukemia, cancer that affects blood cells
- Lymphoma, cancer that affects the lymph nodes and vessels
- Sickle Cell Anemia, a disease that prevents red blood cells from flowing freely through your circulatory system
- Thalassemia, a condition in which your body doesn’t make enough hemoglobin
- Anemia, a condition in which there aren’t enough red blood cells in your body
- Deep Vein Thrombosis, a condition in which blood clots form inside your veins
If you want to learn more about these disorders and other blood conditions, you can find out more through webinars created by the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionTrusted Source (CDC).
Contact Us
To schedule an appointment, please call us at (406) 262-6000.
We are located at 40 13th St W, Havre, MT 59501