Our approach to cancer care

A cancer diagnosis can change your world in an instant. Suddenly, there are appointments to schedule, specialists to meet, treatment options to consider and decisions to make — often before you’ve had time to fully process the news.

At Sutter, you don’t have to navigate that road alone. Your cancer care team helps guide the way, coordinating appointments, explaining your options, anticipating challenges and keeping your treatment plan moving in the right direction.

“To be most effective, a cancer treatment approach must be patient-centric, not physician-centric,” says Amanda J. Wheeler, M.D., a breast surgical oncologist with Sutter. Here’s how Sutter teams tailor cancer care to help you feel more prepared for what comes next.

Individualized, team-based care

In many traditional settings, a patient might see three (or more) different specialists and collect multiple sets of instructions. Sutter teams use a multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment, in which medical, surgical and radiation oncologists — and any other specialists your team deems necessary — are in constant communication.

A patient navigator will guide you through your appointments with your cancer care team. This person plays an important role in assessing the best approach for helping you from diagnosis through discharge.

Before you meet your team, you’ll establish a relationship with your patient navigator, who’s also a trained clinician. They’ll help you determine how much information you can handle before you reach overload.

You only have to tell your story once

One of the most frustrating parts of being a patient? Having to repeat your health history and family tree to every person in scrubs.

“If a patient tells me their mom had breast cancer, and they forgot to mention it before, I communicate it to the next physician who comes in,” Wheeler says. “What we don’t want is the patient having to reiterate every single detail at every stop.”

Since your cancer care team accesses the same electronic health record (EHR) and meets regularly in coordinated sessions., they stay well-versed in your story so that you can focus on healing.

Shared decision-making

While receiving care is important, so is taking an active role. Wheeler calls it “shared decision-making.” She sees her job as providing you with all the education and available resources so that you and your team can decide together which path best fits your life.

“Ultimately, the patient works with their team to determine the best treatment pathway,” she says.

Pro tips for your first appointment

Research suggests that patients often retain only 20% to 30% of what’s discussed in a high-stress medical meeting, Wheeler says. She and her team recommend:

• An analog backup. While digital records are great, many of Wheeler’s patients still find comfort in a physical notebook to jot down those middle-of-the-night questions.
• Bringing a second set of ears. Whether it’s a spouse, adult child or close friend, caregivers often retain much more information during the appointment than the patient does.

Local expertise, global reach

Sutter has built its approach to cancer treatment on the philosophy that the best care is local care. “We want you to receive your chemotherapy or recovery from surgery near your home and support system,” Wheeler says. “We don’t want you to have to travel hours across the state.”

Because your team is part of an integrated healthcare system, they can tap into specialists across California — and the entire country — for insight into rare or complex cases. You get the world-class expertise of a large system with the personal, compassionate touch of your local, familiar community.

Sutter prioritizes peace of mind

“Our goal is to make the cancer treatment process as seamless and frictionless as possible,” Wheeler says. “Our cancer support teams handle the medical system’s complexities so you can focus 100% of your energy on getting better.”