A Williamsport hospital offers treatment for people who have survived cancer.
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center has devised a program for post-cancer patients who’ve gone through chemotherapy, radiation or surgery and survived.
“Patients who complete their treatments face a new reality. They're considered survivors and they face new difficulties,” said Dr. Abdalla Sholi, the medical director for Hillman Cancer Center. “You have a new life and how are you going to figure out how to deal with the fact that you're a survivor? There is a lot of stress that comes with a cancer diagnosis and a lot of times it's hard for a lot of people to deal with that stress.”
UPMC’s three north-central Pennsylvania Hillman centers see more than 34,000 patients a year. Tyler Wagner, UPMC’s regional public relations director, said the centers saw 1,600 new patients in 2023. The Hillman Centers are located in Williamsport in Lycoming County, Wellsboro in Tioga County and Coudersport in Potter County.
Oncologists arrange for patients to meet with post-treatment providers, including nutritionists, physical therapists, and mental health counselors. They help overcome treatment difficulties, offer financial support and help patients find normalcy.
Oncologists arrange a one-time hour-long consultation. Patients then received a therapeutic program that provides planning, professional consultations and services. Services include physical and psychosocial therapy, financial and nutritional. Group sessions are offered quarterly.
“It helps to recover from the trauma of having gone through the cancer treatment,” Sholi said. “Those things are very essential and very helpful to a lot of patients… The positives of going through the program is more than any hassle of going through it. You get more of a benefit from going through it.”
The program differs for each patient. This depends on the person and the cancer they had. Oncologists frequently meet with patients throughout.
If patients’ cancer relapses, they can go through the program again. However, most patients do not relapse, Sholi said.
Many private practices lack similar programs.
“It's hard to find it in private practices, because it requires a lot of effort, coordination and multiple positions, which is hard to do,” Sholi said. “It's very important everywhere. We need it not just in Pennsylvania but for a survivor anywhere.”
The COVID pandemic affected screenings. Many were pushed back two years, Sholi said.
“In the post-COVID era we've noticed an increase in the locally advanced cancer system. I think we are turning the corners. Patients are back to do the screening that used to do before. Hopefully we'll have more control screenings,” Sholi said.
About 1.9 million new cancer diagnoses and more than 600,000 deaths in the country, according to 2021 American Cancer Society studies. Cancer ranks as Pennsylvania’s second leading cause of death, according to the society. Heart disease is first. That’s similar to the rest of the country. Cancer affects men and women about equally.
“We see an equal number of both males and females. Sometimes cancer is more common in males versus females or females versus males... The advantage to having things like a UPMC will offer you this kind of more advanced care that you don't get in a lot of places. That's one service that will probably offer more than you're not going to find in a whole lot of places,” he said.
In 2010, the country had 1.5 million cases and more than 560,000 deaths, according to the cancer society.
The state’s most common cancers were breast, prostate and lung. In 2023, Pennsylvania had 12,830 breast cancer cases and 1,870 deaths; 13,210 prostate cases and 1,440 deaths; and 11,320 lung cases and 5,720 deaths.
UPMC is conducting more than 400 clinical trials, Wagner said.
UPMC’s cancer screening and assessment information is availablehere.
