Cancer Institute

The state-of-the-art, 15,000-square foot Cancer Institute offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services for a full range of cancers, from the common to the complex:

We’re also home to the Center for Advanced Liver & Pancreatic Care, offering progressive techniques to treat liver, bile duct and pancreatic cancers.

And with dedicated parking and a separate entrance, you can access the care you need without having to go through the hospital.

Advocate Sherman is a Commission on Cancer (CoC) accredited Comprehensive Community Cancer Program (CCCP) [PDF], providing a full range of diagnostic and treatment services on site or by referral. That means you and your family can expect the highest standards in patient-centered care, from diagnosis to treatment, support to rehabilitation and access to ongoing cancer clinical trials.

Our Center for Breast Care is designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology (ACR), awarded only to those facilities that have earned accreditation in mammography, breast MRI, stereotactic breast biopsy and breast ultrasound (including ultrasound-guided breast biopsy).

We’ve also received accreditation from the American College of Surgeons National Accreditation Program of Breast Centers (NAPBC). This distinction recognizes our commitment to providing timely, skilled and compassionate care to women battling breast cancer.

Advocate Sherman offers a variety of low or no-cost cancer screenings for those at-risk in our community, including all-digital mammography, low-dose lung CT scans, colonoscopy and more to detect cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages.

Community partnerships

Women's wellness: We’ve also partnered with Women's Organization for Wellness (W.O.W.), a non-profit organization that educates and provides free screening, diagnostic and ultrasound breast care resources for hundreds of underserved and underinsured women throughout Kane and Cook County.

Call 224-783-6136 for more information.

Colon Cancer Coalition: Thanks to a grant from the Colon Cancer Coalition and partnerships with the American Cancer Society and Greater Elgin Family Care Center, we’re able to provide Greater Elgin Family Care Center patients with a take-home fecal occult blood tests.

Call 847-608-1344 for more information.

Cancer genetic counseling & testing

If you have a family history of cancer, Advocate Sherman offers an on-site cancer genetic risk assessment program, including genetic testing and cancer risk assessments to address any concerns. Specialized pathology testing can identify specific genes related to breast, colon, ovarian and other cancers with a hereditary link. Our board-certified genetic counselors will walk through the results with you, discuss next steps and refer you to a specialist, if needed.

We use the most current tools to provide a definitive and accurate diagnosis, so you can rest assured you and our team have the information we need to move forward. That includes the latest in MRI and ultrasound imaging, as well as a 64-slice Siemens CT Scanner. This lightning-fast technology provides dramatic image detail and resolution that allows our physicians even greater accuracy in detecting early cancers, or those who may be at risk.

And because everything is on site – pathology, radiology and imaging – the diagnostic process is much more efficient and convenient for both patients and families.

Surgery

For various types of cancer and tumors in certain locations, surgery is the optimal treatment. Advocate Sherman specializes in some of the most minimally invasive technology available, including the da Vinci^® Robotic Surgical System. This highly sophisticated system allows our surgeons to operate with just a few tiny incisions, plus enhanced vision, precision and control.

Common robotic procedures we perform include hysterectomy to treat endometrial and ovarian cancer, as well as prostatectomy to remove prostate cancer.

Radiation therapy

More than fifty percent of all cancer patients will require radiation therapy during their treatment programs. Based on your condition, your radiation oncologist may recommend dynamic targeting image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) using the Varian True Beam™ machine. This system uses real-time tumor tracking to deliver more powerful and precise radiation, while sparing healthy tissue and reducing side effects.

We also offer NanoKnife^® for locally advanced pancreatic cancer. This nonsurgical, sophisticated system uses an electrical current between thin needles that puncture holes in the tumor, causing cancer cells to be unbalanced and trigger a cell “suicide,” destroying the tumor.

Chemotherapy

We offer the latest chemotherapy options and administration methods, including chemo-embolization, which delivers chemotherapy straight to a tumor using microcatheters via arteries that supply blood to the tumor. Typically used to treat cancer of the liver, chemo-embolization can lead to fewer side effects.

For your convenience, the Cancer Institute includes private and shared treatment rooms – all with their own televisions – giving you the option of receiving cancer chemotherapy separately or together with other patients.

The nationally accredited Center for Breast Care at Advocate Sherman provides everything you need to take charge of your breast health, from prevention and diagnosis, through treatment, survivorship and beyond.

Our breast health team features compassionate clinical and support professionals, including a dedicated nurse navigator who serves as your personal advisor and partner every step of the way.

Count on us for:

• Same-day mammograms with same-day results available.
• Advanced screening and diagnostics, including all-digital mammography, breast ultrasound and breast MRI
• Outpatient stereotactic and core biopsy procedures
• On-site board-certified radiologists
• 100% ARRT-registered mammography technologists
• Multi-disciplinary care team, including breast surgeons, registered nurses, dietitians and other specialists
• Breast cancer genetic screening and counseling
• Community education, support and outreach programs

Schedule your mammogram today

Women over age 40 should get a screening mammogram every year. Advocate Sherman offers digital screening mammograms with same-day results at four convenient locations throughout the Fox Valley.

Schedule your same-day mammogram.