Oncology
The Oncology Health Records Department is responsible for keeping and maintaining a full and up-to-date chart on all patients treated at the Dr. Léon-Richard Oncology Centre.
An oncology chart is opened for every new patient diagnosed with cancer. The patient is added to the provincial Cancer Registry and the search for information begins. The department staff communicate with hospitals inside and outside the province to make sure that the chart is complete and up to date for the patient’s appointment.
The Mgr. Henri-Cormier Lodge provides accommodation for patients from the Dr. Léon-Richard Oncology Centre.
The Lodge makes it easier to access oncology services. It recreates an environment as close to family life as possible. There are several lounges, a kitchen, a library, and areas for rest and contemplation.
Volunteers organize activities and entertainment to make your stay at the Lodge more enjoyable.
The Lodge is for:
- Cancer patients receiving treatments at the Dr. Léon-Richard Oncology Centre;
- Who are aged 19 or over and, as needed, have a companion accompanying them (also aged 19 or over);
- Who live outside the city and have to travel long distances;
- Who are independent in their daily activities, including dressing, eating, using the washroom, taking their medications, and moving about within the Lodge and hospital (i.e. able to move than 800 feet or 250 metres per day).
- Accommodation is free.
- Wi-Fi is free.
- Breakfast, lunch and supper are provided on site. Snacks are available for residents.
The facility can accommodate up to 90 people. It has 45 comfortable, well-equipped and decorated rooms, including:
- 24 rooms with two single beds, including two rooms specially designed for wheelchair users;
- 21 rooms with a double bed for those receiving treatments and their companion;
- Each room has a bathtub, shower, toilet, sink, closet, telephone connected to the front desk, smart tv, and desk with a lockable drawer;
- Bedding and towels are provided.
Parking spaces may be available for residents; this will be discussed prior to arrival.
A seven-day pass is available for the P3 parking lot near the Dr. Léon-Richard Oncology Centre. If the Lodge parking lot is full, residents can use the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont UHC parking lots. Insert link to DUHC parking map.
A few parking spaces on the street near the Lodge are available for a maximum of two hours.
24/7
Please note that the Lodge is closed on statutory holidays.
The Lodge is located on Highfield Street, behind the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont UHC.
A pedestrian tunnel connects the Lodge to the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont UHC and to the Dr. Léon-Richard Oncology Centre.
506-862-4010
333 Highfield Street
Moncton, New Brunswick
E1C 5R7
The Breast Health Centre is a referral clinic offering access to a multidisciplinary medical team specializing in:
Screening;
Investigation;
Diagnosis;
Treatment of breast abnormalities (benign and malignant).
Patients are referred for breast abnormalities such as a mass, discharge, pain, lesions, or skin changes.
For a woman to get an appointment at the centre, a referral must be sent by:
- Her family physician or a specialist who suspects a breast problem;
- A radiologist who detects a problem on a screening or diagnostic mammogram.
The Centre’s team consists of these professionals who work together closely:
- Radiologists;
- Surgeons;
- Pathologists;
- Oncologists;
- Radiation oncologists;
- Radiology technicians;
- Nurse navigators;
- Plastic surgeons.
The Breast Health Centre team works to:
- Reduce waiting periods for diagnosis and treatment;
- Support patients;
- Provide proper follow-up at every stage of the continuum of care;
- Screen and treat high-risk patients.
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Contact us
Telephone: 506-862-4164
Fax: 506-869-2153
Breast health nurse navigators
Breast health nurse navigators collaborate with the medical team and play a frontline role with patients of the Breast Health Centre. They:
- Answer patients’ questions and try to alleviate their concerns;
- Make sure patients receive the support they need;
- Meet patients’ physical, psychological, social, and educational needs.
Breast health information is available upon request over the phone to women who want to learn how to quickly screen for abnormalities and keep their breasts healthy.
To make an appointment or for more information, call 506-862-4164.
The Gynecologic Oncology Clinic provides all services from screening to diagnosis, treatment and gynecological cancer follow-up:
- cancer of the uterus;
- cancer of the cervix and endometrium;
cancer of the ovary, vulva or vagina.
The clinic provides full treatment, including surgery. If needed, surgery is supported by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
The Dr. Léon-Richard Oncology Centre is the only centre in New Brunswick employing two gynecologic oncologists certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada to serve women with gynecological cancer.
The treatment room has 13 stations.
A team of certified, competent nurses looks after:
- chemotherapy treatments;
- blood products;
- care for central lines.
The Medical Oncology Clinic at the Dr. Léon-Richard Oncology Centre offers a full range of treatments for cancer patients.
The physician and nurse:
- assess cancer patients to determine the best treatment;
- monitor patients regularly to assess their general condition;
- refer patients to the multidisciplinary team as needed;
- verify the effectiveness of treatment and modify it as needed.
Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
506-862-4005
The clinic provides services to cancer patients suffering from uncontrolled symptoms:
- pain;
- difficulty breathing (dyspnea);
- nausea, etc.
Services are provided:
- to patients receiving active or palliative treatment (chemotherapy, radiotherapy);
- to patients who do not or no longer have these options.
Patients are seen at the request of their oncologist, radiation oncologist, family physician, or other physician.
They are assessed by a physician and a nurse, who send the consultation report to their attending physician.
The nurse navigator collaborates with the specialist and his team. He is the front-line contact for patients who choose brachytherapy to treat early-stage prostate cancer.
Beginning with the first meeting with a newly-diagnosed prostate cancer patient, and well before treatment starts, the nurse navigator makes sure that the patient properly understands the treatment he has chosen. He answers the patient’s questions and concerns and makes sure that the patient gets the support he needs at the right time.
At the end of the treatment, the nurse navigator:
- makes sure that the patient properly understands the importance of long-term follow-up by his family physician;
- explains to the patient how to start the process;
- manages short-, medium- and long-term side effects.
Patients can contact the brachytherapy nurse navigator directly by telephone, in person or by e-mail as needed and at their convenience.
The Medical Physics Department is responsible for the technical aspects of the use and production of ionizing radiation in radiotherapy.
- Medical physicists
- Dosimetrists
- Electronics technologists
- Machinist
When the radiation oncologist prescribes radiotherapy, the dosimetrist and physicist design a personalized treatment plan with the help of computers and ultra specialized software.
The physicist is also responsible for:
- safe use of treatment devices (linear accelerators, x-ray devices, radioactive source projector);
- equipment quality control program;
- commissioning new equipment and new radiotherapy techniques;
- radiation protection and compliance with Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission legislation and regulations.
Although they do not work directly with patients, staff in the Medical Physics Department are essential players in planning radiotherapy treatments. Radiotherapy is used in treating half of all cases of cancer.
Dr. Léon-Richard Oncology Centre
Telephone: 506-862-4005
Having a child/teen diagnosed with cancer turns a family's world upside down overnight. Suddenly, their life is filled with decisions and concerns about treatments and trips to cancer treatment centers in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec.
Families may have concerns about trying to secure financial resources for travel and medications. A Paediatric Cancer Patient Navigator can help the family with these issues.
The navigator is a nurse with education and expertise in children and adolescents' cancer. The navigator works closely with the child or teen's health-care team in and outside of New Brunswick during the cancer treatment to make the journey easier. The navigator can help the family to understand the many challenges they may face and questions they may have about their child's cancer.
This service is free and available through Vitalité Health Network or Horizon Health Network from day one of the diagnosis. The family may request a referral to see the navigator or contact the navigator directly at any point during the course of the child's cancer care (diagnosis, treatment, follow up, or palliation etc.).
The navigator does not provide direct medical care to the child. If the child or teen requires medical attention, the family should call their pediatrician or go directly to their local emergency department or clinic.
Every child or adolescent with cancer and their family have different needs, and will cope with having cancer in different ways. Their culture and beliefs could affect treatment decisions. The family may be a single parent. The resources available to the family will vary depending on where they live and the existing family supports they have. The navigator can help access the need for resources and supports for; finances, travel, treatment and transition of care, according to what the family's needs are.
- Remain a constant source of support for the family here in New Brunswick during the child's journey with cancer.
- Link the family with supports and other professionals.
- Ensure the family has all of the information available about the child's cancer and treatment options.
- Help the family to find resources to help with travel expenses during the treatment.
- Help the family understand their child's or teen's cancer by providing them with access to books, videos, online resources and other materials and reviewing them with the family.
- Coordinate with the health-care team to transition the child back to their home community.
- Help with the child or teen's parent-school meetings, doing classroom visits and staff education on childhood cancer.
Contact the Pediatric Oncology Navigator at 506-862-7516
Oncology nurse navigators can:
- Provide guidance and support to adults being investigated for cancer;
- Improve access to available services and resources.
This service is available in all Vitalité Health Network zones.
It's best to contact the nurse navigator in the patient's area to facilitate access to the required information.
Acadie-Bathurst Zone
Jolene Martin
506-726-2145
Jolene.martin@vitalitenb.ca
Beauséjour Zone (Moncton/Shediac/Kent)
Joanne Beaulieu
506-862-4005
Joanne.beaulieu@vitalitenb.ca
Northwest Zone
Maryse Marquis
506-739-2486
Maryse.marquis@vitalitenb.ca
Restigouche Zone
Olivier Savoie
506-684-7070
Olivier.savoie@vitalitenb.ca
The Radiation Therapy Department brings together radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists, and nurses. The team members work together to provide full radiation therapy services using leading-edge equipment, including:
- A tomography machine used to plan treatment;
- A dosimetry planning system;
- Four linear accelerators;
- A high-dose brachytherapy machine.
Services include:
- External beam conformal radiation therapy;
- Intensity modulated conformal radiation therapy;
- X-ray guided radiation therapy;
- Interstitial and intracavitary brachytherapy;
- Palliative radiation therapy.
The objective of the Radiation Therapy Department team is to treat people with cancer by using ionizing radiation to destroy malignant cells. The team also looks after patients’ psychological well-being by providing support, compassion, and the information they need to surmount this challenge.
Radiation oncologists are expert physicians specializing in the care of cancer patients. Their expertise allows them to prescribe radiation therapy to cure patients or reduce their symptoms.
Radiation oncologists work closely with colleagues specializing in medical oncology and oncological surgery to prepare each patient’s treatment plan.
Medical physicists work in the background to ensure the effectiveness of treatments. They keep a close eye on equipment and processes and play an important role in research and radiation protection. They also help to develop new treatment techniques.
Radiation therapists use focused radiation to destroy tumours while minimizing effects on healthy tissue. Radiation therapists are required to perform treatment simulations, take measurements, fabricate and develop immobilization devices, and establish radiation doses.
The nurses’ objective is to ensure that patients receive their treatment in the best possible conditions.
The objectives are to:
- provide safe care in the community (wherever the patient is);
- provide continuity of high-quality systemic therapy (chemotherapy or hormone therapy);
- improve access to expertise in oncology by providing a link between the Dr. Léon-Richard Oncology Centre and the community.
Therapy in the community is offered to cancer patients who are seen as part of the oncology centre’s Medical Oncology Program.
The medical oncologist determines patient eligibility using a referral process and established criteria.
Unit 4D is the only oncology unit in Vitalité Health Network. It also receives patients from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It is located on the fourth floor of the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre and has 23 beds reserved for cancer patients.
Patients hospitalized on the unit are in the investigation phase or have been diagnosed with cancer. They may be receiving curative or palliative care and be in the acute or chronic phase. Treatments offered are therefore very diverse and may include:
- Active chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatments;
- Care after a stem cell transplant;
- Care for complications caused by treatments or by the progression of the illness;
- Management of side effects;
- Pain control;
- Palliative care.
The team consists of:
- Licensed practical nurses;
- Nurses with training in oncology;
- General practitioners who specialize in oncology;
- A social worker;
- A psychologist;
- A dietitian;
- A discharge planning nurse;
- A physiotherapist;
- An occupational therapist.
The Unit 4D team believes in:
- Sharing the necessary information with patients so that they understand their illness and the proposed treatment plan in order to make informed choices;
- Maintaining physical, psychological and spiritual quality of life;
- Participation by loved ones (family and/or friends) in caring for and supporting the patient, and their involvement is encouraged;
- Respect, privacy, confidentiality, dignity, integrity, compassion, equity, and solidarity.
Obtain and establish a treatment plan in a reasonable amount of time and have the patient and their family participate in decision-making and patient care.
506-862-4305
