Cancer Care
Why Baptist Cancer Center?
The Baptist Cancer Center represents the Mid-South's first adult, integrated, academic cancer program. Under the guidance of our region's oncologists, Baptist developed a flagship cancer treatment center in Memphis while recruiting nationally recognized physicians to our area. The Baptist Cancer Center is committed to providing Mid-South physicians, cancer patients and their families with the assurance and confidence that compassionate, advanced cancer care is services are nearby.
Learn more about the Baptist Cancer Center, including cancer care services, resources and more.
Cancer Care Highlights Services and Technologies
Our cancer center provides leading-edge sServices and technologies offered at various hospitals and clinics throughout the Baptist system. We help patients and their families get the care and support they need close to home while they navigate changes and challenges. Learn more about our cancer care services now.
CyberKnife® Treatment
Accuray CyberKnife® is the world's first robotic radiosurgery system, a non-invasive radiation treatment that effectively pinpoints cancerous and noncancerous tumors. This surgical device can be used to treat cancers of the prostate, lung, brain, spine, liver, pancreas and kidney.
Despite the device’s name, the treatment does not involve actual surgery. There is no cutting involved; instead, cancer care specialists use robot’s with sophisticated software to deliver high-dose beams of radiation to destroy tumors.
Precision Medicine for Cancer Treatment
Pharmacogenomics, the science of making sure you are getting the right drug at the right dose, is a very important aspect of your treatment. Depending on their DNA, patients may react differently to medications.
At Baptist Cancer Center, genetic testing is available to determine how our patients may react to medications and help limit the side effects that they may experience as a result of their cancer treatment. This service is available to all patients, with a focus on our colon cancer, stomach cancer and pancreatic cancer patients.
Palliative Care Program
Palliative Care: Baptist’s cancer hospital offers one of the nation’s few hospital-based palliative care programs for terminally ill patients. Our cancer care specialists, nurses and other health care professionals are devoted to relieving pain and suffering by providing physical, psychological and spiritual comfort to patients who have complex or challenging problems associated with a serious illness.
Cancer Nurse Navigators
Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis became the first hospital in the Mid-South to offer a nurse navigator for cancer patients. These cancer care specialists —giveing patients the personalized, compassionate support and information they need from diagnosis to follow-up care.
Baptist Trinity Home Care
A (hospice alternative, Baptist Trinity Home Care) provides compassionate, quality services by skilled professionals under the direction of a patient's physician. Medicare, TennCare, private insurance or private pay are accepted for these services.
Newly diagnosed patients, patients with cancer-related emergencies who require skilled observation and assessment, as well as patients in the advanced stages of cancer who do not choose hospice often need home care services. Learn more about Home Care.
The Stem Cell Cancer Treatment
The Stem Cell Transplant Center at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis provides high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell support within a standardized, integrated system dedicated to transplantation by leading cancer care specialists and physicians.
Baptist- Memphis offers two types of transplants:
- Autologous transplants: patient receives his or her own bone marrow/stem cells.
- Allogeneic transplants: patient receives bone marrow/stem cells from a related or unrelated donor.
Cancers We Treat
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Abdominal Cancer
Abdominal Cancer
Abdominal cancer refers to a variety of cancers affecting digestive system organs, including the stomach, liver, large intestine, small intestine, pancreas, gallbladder, esophagus, and rectum. It occurs when damaged or old cells divide and multiply quickly, resulting in a malignant mass tumor.
According to The Ohio State University, more than 250,000 cases of gastrointestinal cancer, or abdominal cancer, are diagnosed annually in the United States, which accounts for approximately 20 percent of newly diagnosed cancers in the U.S. -
Adrenal Cancer
Adrenal Cancer
Adrenal cancer, or adrenal gland cancer, occurs when abnormal cells form or metastasize (spread) to the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands are located above each kidney. Adrenal cancer usually appears as a tumor and forms in the adrenal cortex, which is the outermost layer of adrenal glands.
The adrenal cortex makes certain hormones that regulate functions of the body. Most of the time, cancer found in the adrenal glands did not originate there but started in a different organ. Cancers that can spread to adrenal glands include lung cancers, melanomas and breast cancers. -
Aplastic Anemia
Aplastic Anemia
Aplastic anemia, or bone marrow aplasia, forms when the body does not produce enough new blood cells. People with aplastic anemia experience a higher risk of infection and uncontrolled bleeding, and they often feel fatigued. Though rare, aplastic anemia may occur suddenly or develop slowly and worsen over time.
While aplastic anemia is not technically a cancer, the therapies used to treat it are similar to cancer treatments for blood-forming cancers such as lymphomas and leukemias. According to the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation, 75 percent of aplastic anemia cases are idiopathic, or lacking a known cause. -
Appendix Cancer
Appendix Cancer
In appendix cancer, abnormal cells grow uncontrollably, forming a tumor in the small pouch connected to the colon. Appendix tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Appendix cancer is often discovered when a person has surgery for another condition such as appendicitis, or during a CT scan. A rare condition, appendix cancer is estimated to affect two people per million, according to the Gateway for Cancer Research.
Learn More About Appendix Cancer
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Bladder Cancer
Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer begins when in cells in the bladder grow out of control. The bladder is an organ that stores urine which is made in your kidneys and is transferred to your bladder by tubes called ureters. From your bladder, urine leaves your body through the urethra which is shorter in women and longer in men. Bladder cancers can affect not only your bladder but your ureters and urethra as well. There are different types of bladder cancers and they will have different treatment options.
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Bone Cancer
Bone Cancer
True bone cancers are sarcomas. Sarcomas can develop anywhere in the body in both soft tissue and bones. Osteosarcomas originate in the bone cells and are the most common bone cancers; they occur mostly in people who are 10 to 30 years old. Chondrosarcomas are the cancer of cartilage cells. They are rare in people under age 20 and are the second most common form of bone cancer.
Most cancers that affect bones are actually metastatic cancers that have spread to the skeletal system instead of originating there. These cancers will need to be treated based on their starting point and will not be treated as bone cancer. These include leukemia, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma. -
Brain Tumors and Cancer
Brain Tumors and Cancer
Brain and neurologic cancers are often referred to as brain tumors. Primary tumors form in the brain, while secondary brain tumors form in another part of the body and spread, or metastasize, to the brain. According to the American Cancer Society, the chance that a person will develop a malignant brain or spinal cord tumor is less than one percent.
Baptist Cancer Center is dedicated to delivering close-to-home services to our patients and provides leading-edge care for brain, neurologic, and other cancers we treat. -
Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in the United States. Any type of tumor that forms in the breast is considered breast cancer. Although tumors may begin to form in the breast, they also have the potential to grow into surrounding tissue or metastasize to other areas of the body.
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Cervical Cancer
Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is a type of gynecologic cancer characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells originating in the cervix, which connects the uterus to the birth canal, or vagina. Cervical cancer starts from cells that exhibit pre-cancerous changes.
According to the American Cancer Society, cervical cancer typically occurs in midlife. It is frequently diagnosed in women between the ages of 35 and 44, and it rarely develops in women younger than 20.
At Baptist Cancer Center, we are proud to deliver close-to-home services to our patients and provide leading-edge care for cervical, gynecological and other cancers we treat. -
Colorectal Cancer Treatment
Colorectal Cancer Treatment
Colorectal cancers originate in the colon or rectum and the two cancers have a lot in common with the exception of some differences in cancer treatment. Colon and rectal cancers are unique in that they usually always start as a polyp. The non-cancerous polyp changes as years go by, becoming pre-malignant then malignant.
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Ear and Temporal Bone Cancer
Ear and Temporal Bone Cancer
The temporal bone is an area of the skull located above the ear. Ear and temporal bone cancer usually begins as skin cancer on the outer ear or in the ear canal. A rare form of cancer, temporal bone and ear cancer is more common in men than women. An estimated 200-300 cases of ear cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year.
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Endometrial Cancer
Endometrial Cancer
Endometrial cancer forms when cells in the inner lining of the uterus (called the endometrium) grow uncontrollably. According to the American Cancer Society, endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive organs in the United States. It mainly affects postmenopausal women over the age of 60.
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Esophageal Cancer
Esophageal Cancer
Esophageal cancer, or esophagus cancer, begins in the inner layer of cells that line the esophagus, which is the long tube that connects the throat to the stomach. The esophagus moves swallowed food from the back of the throat to the stomach for digestion.
Esophageal cancer makes up 1% of all cancers diagnosed in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. The lifetime risk of developing esophageal cancer in men is about 1 in 132 and about 1 in 455 in women. -
Eye Cancer
Eye Cancer
Eye cancer describes many types of tumors that form in, or spread into, the eye. The risk for most eye cancers increases with age and is slightly more common in men. Retinoblastoma is most commonly found in children.
The American Cancer Society estimates 3,540 new cancers (mainly melanomas) of the eye and orbit will be diagnosed in the United States in 2018. -
Fallopian Tube Cancer
Fallopian Tube Cancer
Fallopian tube cancer, also called tubal cancer, is one of the rarest gynecological cancers. There are only about 1,500 to 2,000 cases reported in the United States per year.
While some fallopian tube cancer develops inside the tubes that connect the uterus and the ovaries, it is more common for cancer to spread to the fallopian tubes from other parts of the body. Though it can occur at any age, fallopian tube cancer typically affects women between the ages of 50 and 60.
Caucasian women who have had no children are more likely to develop the disease. -
Gallbladder Cancer
Gallbladder Cancer
Gallbladder cancer originates in the gallbladder, a small, pear-shaped organ below the liver that stores bile. Because cancer of the gallbladder doesn’t usually cause symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage, prognosis is often poor.
In fact, only about one in five gallbladder cancers is found in the early stages, when the cancer has not spread beyond the gallbladder, according to the American Cancer Society. Gallbladder cancer is not common and affects fewer than 20,000 people each year. -
Gastric and Stomach Cancer
Gastric and Stomach Cancer
Gastric (stomach) cancer forms in the lining of the stomach. In many cases, it develops slowly over several years. Although pre-cancerous changes can be an early warning sign, they typically cause no symptoms until reaching an advanced stage.
Stomach cancer mostly affects people older than 50. According to the American Cancer Society, the number of new stomach cancer cases has decreased 1.5 percent each year for the last 10 years. -
Germ Cell Tumors
Germ Cell Tumors
Germ cells develop in the embryo and become reproductive cells in males and females. Germ cell tumors typically form inside the reproductive cells. They can be cancerous or non-cancerous. Germ cell tumors account for two to four percent of cancers in children and young adults under the age of 20.
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Gynecologic Cancer
Gynecologic Cancer
Gynecologic cancer is the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells originating in the female reproductive organs, including the cervix, Fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterus, vagina and vulva.
Like other parts of the body, the organs of the reproductive system are made up of many types of cells. Cells divide in an orderly, controlled way to produce more cells when they are needed in the body. When cells divide in an abnormal, uncontrolled way, they can form a tumor.
Gynecologic cancer affects many women, with about 80,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States each year. About half of those cases are uterine cancer. Ovarian cancer, with more than 22,000 new cases estimated per year, is the second most common gynecologic cancer, and it accounts for more than 16,000 deaths annually.
Gynecologic cancer is a serious disease, but in the majority of cases it can be treated and cured. Our gynecological cancer physicians and specialists are dedicated to fighting cancer with you as a team and providing you with the most comprehensive care possible. -
Head and Neck Cancer
Head and Neck Cancer
Cancers of the head and neck generally originate in the squamous cells of mucosal surfaces like the inside of your mouth, throat or nose.
Tumors we treat in the Baptist Cancer Center's Head and Neck Center include but are not limited to those of the:
- Oral cavity (mouth, lips, gums, cheeks, tongue, palate and mouth floor)
- Pharynx or throat (including the oropharynx (behind the mouth), nasopharynx (behind the nasal passage) and hypopharynx (behind the voice box)
- Larynx
- Thyroid and Parathyroid
- Salivary glands
- Skin of the head and neck, including melanoma
- Nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses
- Skull base
- Ear and temporal bone
- Eye cancer
- Neck
In addition, the Head and Neck Center treats:
- Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma)
- Sarcomas of the head and neck
- Head and neck issues in patients with tumors elsewhere in the body
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Kidney Cancer
Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer, also called renal cancer, is cancer of the bean-shaped organs that filter blood to rid the body of waste products. Kidney cancer is one of the most common cancers in both men and women. According to the American Cancer Society, the lifetime risk for kidney cancer is 1 in 48 for men and 1 in 83 for women.
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Larynx Cancer
Larynx Cancer
Larynx cancer, or laryngeal cancer, starts in the lower throat (voice box). The larynx contains the vocal chords and is one of the organs that helps with speech. It also keeps fluids and food from entering the windpipe.
According to the American Cancer Society, new cases of larynx cancer are decreasing by two to three percent each year—most likely due to fewer people smoking tobacco. -
Leukemia
Leukemia
Blood cancers affect the production and function of your blood cells. Most of these cancers start in your bone marrow where blood is produced. Cancerous blood cells prevent your body from fighting off infections or preventing serious bleeding. Common blood cancers are leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. They are discussed below.
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Liver Cancer
Liver Cancer
Liver cancer, also called hepatic cancer, is a type of cancer that develops in the liver. Liver cancer is either considered primary or secondary. Primary liver cancer actually begins in the liver; secondary liver cancer begins in other parts of the body and spreads, or metastasizes, to the liver.
Because the liver is the largest organ inside the body and it is made up of different types of cells, many types of tumors can form in the liver, however secondary liver cancer is much more common than primary liver cancer. Many common types of cancer, including colon, rectum, lung, and breast cancers, spread to the liver. -
Lung and Bronchial Cancer
Lung and Bronchial Cancer
Lung cancer is cancer that develops in the lungs. Cancer cells grow abnormally to form tumors. As the tumors progress, healthy lung tissue is destroyed. Lung cancer is common among both men and women. It causes more deaths each year than colon, prostate, ovarian and breast cancers combined.
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Lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is the most common type of blood cancer. It affects the body’s lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that defends against bacteria and viruses. Lymphomas typically develop because a change or mutation occurs inside a lymphocyte. When a lymphocyte develops cancer, it can travel through the blood and spread to other areas of the body, including the lymph nodes, bone marrow, skin and many other organs.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the most common cancers. According to the American Cancer Society, it accounts for about 4% of all cancers in the United States. -
Multiple Myeloma
Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a rare form of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow, where the body makes blood cells. It develops in the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that makes the antibodies that protect your body from infection, leading to a weakened immunity system. It can also cause anemia as it can impact the development and viability of red blood cells. Detection is done through blood, urine and blood marrow tests. Imaging tests, such as X-ray, MRI or CT scan, can show irregularities in the bone, as well. Multiple myeloma can spread to other parts of the body, such as the bones and kidneys.
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Nasal and Sinuses Cancer
Nasal and Sinuses Cancer
Nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses cancer forms in the tissues around or near the nose. The mucosa, a mucus-producing tissue, lines the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Any of the cells in the mucosa can develop into cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancers are rare in the United States. Each year, approximately 2,000 people develop the disease, with four out of five cases occurring in individuals over 55 years old. It is more common in men than in women. -
Neurological Cancer
Neurological Cancer
Brain and neurologic cancers are often referred to as brain tumors. The two types of brain tumors are primary and secondary; primary tumors form in the brain, while secondary brain tumors form in another part of the body and spread, or metastasize, to the brain.
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Oral Cavity Cancer
Oral Cavity Cancer
Oral cavity cancer starts in the mouth and includes the lips, cheeks, teeth, gums, front of the tongue, floor and roof of the mouth. The oral cavity stops at the throat just behind the mouth, called the oropharynx.
Oropharyngeal cancer (throat cancer) is closely related to oral cavity cancer (mouth cancer). It includes the back of the tongue, soft palate, tonsils and walls of the throat. Oropharynx and oral cavity tumors occur most often on the:
- Tongue
- Tonsils and oropharynx
- Gums
- Floor of the mouth
According to the American Cancer Society, oral cancers are more than twice as common in men as in women.
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Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian Cancer
Originating in the ovaries, ovarian cancer has three main types of ovarian cancer tumors: epithelial tumors, germ cell tumors and stromal tumors. Most ovarian tumors are epithelial tumors that start in the cells that cover outer part of ovaries. According to Cancer.org, ovarian cancer accounts for about 3% of cancers among women, but it causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.
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Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is cancer of the pancreas, a gland that secretes enzymes and hormones to aid in digestion and metabolism.
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Prostate Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is any cancer that occurs in the prostate, which is the gland, found only in males, that produces seminal fluid. While it is the second most common cancer in males, the prognosis is positive for most men diagnosed with prostate cancer. The survival rate among men diagnosed with prostate cancer is exceptionally high.
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Salivary Glands Cancer
Salivary Glands Cancer
Salivary gland cancer is a rare form of cancer that grows in the salivary glands inside or near your mouth. Most tumors in the salivary glands are benign, and malignancies represent less than 5% of all head and neck cancers.
Salivary gland cancer is often discovered during a physical exam but can also be found through imaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography (CT or CAT) scans or positron emission tomography (PET) scans. -
Soft-Tissue Sarcoma
Soft-Tissue Sarcoma
Soft tissue sarcomas develop from soft tissues like fat, muscle, nerves, blood vessels, or skin tissues. Although soft-tissue sarcomas can develop anywhere in the body they are most common in arms and legs.
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Testicular Cancer
Testicular Cancer
Testicular cancer is a highly treatable and usually curable type of cancer that accounts for less than 1% of all malignancies in males. Cancers of the testicles are usually found in young adults; however, a testicular cancer diagnosis can occur at any age and are sometimes associated with an undescended testicle.
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Throat and Pharynx Cancer
Throat and Pharynx Cancer
Throat cancer starts in the pharynx or larynx, which is part of the body’s respiratory and digestive systems. The pharynx is located behind the nasal cavity and mouth. It is the gatekeeper that allows food and liquids into the esophagus and conducts air to the trachea and lungs. The larynx (voice box) starts in the lower throat and contains the vocal cords, helps with speech and keeps fluids or food from entering the windpipe. Throat cancer may also include the tonsils.
According to the American Cancer Society, new cases of larynx cancer are decreasing by 2% to 3% each year — most likely due to fewer people smoking tobacco. -
Thyroid and Parathyroid Cancer
Thyroid and Parathyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer symptoms can vary and most often include:
- A lump in the neck
- Swelling in the neck
- Pain in the neck
- Troubling swallowing or breathing
- Hoarseness or other vocal changes that are not temporary
- A constant cough that is not the result of a cold
These symptoms are not always an indication of thyroid cancer, but if you are concerned talk to your doctor. As with all cancer diagnoses, early detection is key to proper thyroid cancer treatment. If you have any of these common thyroid cancer symptoms don’t hesitate to make an appointment with your doctor.
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Tongue Cancer
Tongue Cancer
Tongue cancer is a type of head and neck cancer that grows along or in any part of the tongue, the muscular organ that extends from the throat to the mouth. Cancer of the tongue is called oral tongue cancer. When cancer is located at the base of the tongue, or the back third of the tongue near the tonsils and soft palate, it is called oropharyngeal cancer.
Nerves and muscles that make up the tongue are important to swallowing, eating and speaking. Tongue cancer can affect many or all of these functions. -
Uterine Cancer
Uterine Cancer
Uterine cancer, sometimes referred to as endometrial cancer, is a type of cancer that begins in the uterus. Uterine cancer is the most common type of gynecological cancer and begins when the DNA in normal uterine cells mutates, causing the cells change and grow uncontrollably.
Cancer Center Locations
Baptist Cancer Center unites the Mid-South with advances in cancer research, leading-edge care and treatment. Get the support you need close to home at our various cancer hospital locations.