Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center, Bakersfield, Ca., USA

Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center

World-leading treatment centres

Non-invasive medical technologies

Information for doctors and patients

CLIENT TEST PAGE

Early in his medical career, Dr. Ravi Patel saw cancer patients in a way that inspired the founding of Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center. He recognized that cancer patients needed more care and attention, both medical and emotional, than most patients.

Largest free-standing cancer centre on the US West Coast.

Dr. Patel’s inspiration first materialized in Bakersfield, Ca. in 1984 with the opening of a 1,200 sq. ft., four-person office.

Since then CBCC has grown into a dedicated stand-alone cancer centre of 70,000 sq. ft., with facilities and treatments unknown at that time.

Other services now provided include patient and community education, genetic counseling, social services, occupational therapy, nutritional counseling, nuclear medicine, radiology services including CT, X-ray, MRI scans, Dexascan, ultrasound, clinical laboratory, pathalogy and support groups for patients and families.

CBCC offers both medical and radiation oncology services and it is affiliated with the UCLA Community Research Network, enabling it to offer a wide range of clinical trials.

CyberKnife was added in December 2008 with the latest hardware offering the greatest accuracy and convenience, making it one of the best-equipped CyberKnife installations in the USA.

These include PET-CT scanning, IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy, where the radiation beams are shaped to conform to the desired target, reducing exposure to surrounding healthy tissue) brachytherapy, and stereotactic radiosurgery is the latest addition..

Dr Ravi Patel

New features include the 800 monitor unit per minute linac, with more than 30% increase in dose rates, thus giving shorter treatment times and the RoboCouch Seated Load, which is of particular benefit for patients with limited mobility. X-Sight spine and lung tracking systems enable treatment to be delivered without the need for fiducials to be placed and allowed to settle.

Patients benefit from a truly comprehensive range of diagnostic procedures and therapies, so CyberKnife is weighed against alternative radiation and medical treatments to determine the most appropriate therapy options.

For example, whilst CyberKnife cannot be used for breast cancer (though it may be used for metastases from breast cancer), CBCC offers MammoSite partial breast irradiation as an option for women who have chosen to have lumpectomy.

PET scanner at CBCC, Bakersfield

A catheter is placed inside the breast and a single radioactive source travels through the catheter and is placed at the location of the cavity where the tumour was removed. The source is then removed at the end of the calculated treatment delivery time. This treatment option allows the full course of treatment to be completed in 5 days.

For more details of other therapies at CBBC, visit our US web site

See CBCC location on Mapquest

Download MHL CyberKnife Guide

CyberKnife® treatment in Bakersfield, California

International visitors

Visitors may require a US visa. If you or an accompanying relative require a visa to visit the USA please ensure that you obtain this in good time before treatment. You may also be required to provide a deposit or bond for the whole cost of your treatment and an allowance for any unforeseen circumstances whilst in the USA, and CBCC can advise you on current requirements for medical treatment in the USA.

The closest international airport to Bakersfield is Los Angeles, with direct flights by many international air lines.

And finally......

If you have time to wait whilst fiducials settle or you want to extend your visit with a relaxing break before you fly home, the Los Angeles area needs little introduction. From Hollywood to magnificent coastal scenery, California is rich in sites to visit and you will not have time to see them all.

Photographs from California Travel and Tourism Commission

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