Mother and daughter at garden

Cancer Services at Holy Family Hospital

A cancer diagnosis can be scary, confusing and overwhelming, whether it’s you or someone you love. At Providence Holy Family Hospital, cancer is never something you go through alone. Our Cancer Services team will guide all aspects of your cancer care, offering the most advanced treatments, promising clinical trials and support services.

We recognize the importance of stopping cancer before it starts and catching it early through our screening and prevention programs. From our state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and treatments to our attentive staff who know that a friendly ear and caring touch can often be powerful medicine, we’ll be by your side no matter where you’re at on your cancer journey.

7471.5 miles away
509-482-0111

Cancer Services at Holy Family Hospital

A cancer diagnosis can be scary, confusing and overwhelming, whether it’s you or someone you love. At Providence Holy Family Hospital, cancer is never something you go through alone. Our Cancer Services team will guide all aspects of your cancer care, offering the most advanced treatments, promising clinical trials and support services.

We recognize the importance of stopping cancer before it starts and catching it early through our screening and prevention programs. From our state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and treatments to our attentive staff who know that a friendly ear and caring touch can often be powerful medicine, we’ll be by your side no matter where you’re at on your cancer journey.

7471.5 miles away

Cancers Treated at Holy Family Hospital

At Providence Holy Family Hospital, we participate in clinical trials sponsored by drug companies and the National Cancer Institute. These are research studies that test new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. They also look at ways to improve patients’ quality of life.

Types of trials

There are several phases to a clinical trial:

  • Phase I trials are the first tests involving people. They look at roughly 15 to 30 people and focus on finding out if the dose of a new medication is safe.
  • Phase II trials look at a slightly larger number of people — usually less than 100. Their goal is to see if a new treatment works and if it causes any harmful side effects.
  • Phase III trials involve thousands of people in many different locations. These trials evaluate whether the new treatment is better than existing treatments. The FDA bases approval for new treatments on these results.
  • Phase IV trials focus on tracking new treatments to assess side effects over time.
  • It’s possible to participate in any of these phases.
Why participate in a trial?

If you take part in a clinical trial, you may:

  • Gain access to doctors who specialize in treating your condition.
  • Have your health monitored especially closely.
  • Help researchers learn about new treatments that could help you or others in the future.
  • Receive new treatments before they’re available to the public.

Although your safety is our top priority in every trial, clinical research may involve some risk. Before you can participate, you talk to a member of the research team to learn about the possible risks. They also explain what researchers will expect from you during the trial. You must sign a document that confirms you understand and agree to all that the trial involves.

Decisions about participating are strictly up to you, and you may withdraw from the trial at any time.

In addition to systemic, radiation and surgical therapies to treat your specific condition, we offer the following integrative medicine to complement your care:

  • Acupuncture
  • Exercise
  • Lymphedema prevention and treatment
  • Massage
  • Spiritual counseling
  • Yoga
Breast cancer services

Services for breast cancer include:

  • Breast care coordinator — Our breast cancer coordinators can help you understand your diagnosis and treatment options. They also provide emotional support and information about community resources, such as financial assistance, transportation, wigs, breast prostheses and medications.
  • Breast tumor board — If you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, our tumor board will evaluate your case and make personalized recommendations for your care. The board meets weekly and consists of experts from many different disciplines. Members include a pathologist, breast radiologist, breast surgeon, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, breast care coordinator and research coordinator.
  • Mentors — We offer carefully selected mentors who have been through breast cancer themselves to share their experience on a one-on-one basis. Mentors may be patients or patient family members.
  • Screening — We offer all types of screening for breast cancer, including mammograms, breast MRI and ultrasound. If your test finds something suspicious, we perform a stereotactic biopsy, a procedure that removes cells to look for cancer with the aid of mammography to precisely locate the area in question.

Members of your medical team may include:

  • Care coordinator
  • Doctors — radiologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons and pathologists
  • Integrative medicine specialists — acupuncturists, massage therapists and spiritual care providers
  • Nurses
  • Research coordinators
  • Social workers

Why Choose Us for Cancer Care?

Providence Regional Cancer Center includes the largest specialty provider group in the region. This means you have access to the best cancer specialists and a full range of support services for you and your loved ones. We’re also able to minimize the time between your diagnosis and treatment with coordinated, whole-person care that always puts you first.

We provide expert cancer care for children, the elderly and everyone in between. In addition to providing treatment for breast, colorectal and lung cancers, we’re the only provider in the region that specializes in bone cancer and hepatobiliary, gynecological and pediatric oncology. You’ll receive care throughout every stage of your cancer journey – beginning with screening and early diagnosis and continuing through treatment and ongoing support.

The earlier your cancer is diagnosed, the sooner you can begin treatment and the better your outcomes. With our region-wide coordinated care, you’ll be diagnosed and your treatment can begin more quickly. We coordinate care between your cancer specialists and your primary care provider – all within Spokane – so you won’t wait long to see your doctor.

Our cancer care is always highly personalized. Your care team works with you to design a treatment plan that fits your personal needs. Our spectrum of care includes support services – such as dietitians, counselors and chaplains – to care for your body, mind and spirit. Your local oncology team also receives input from our multidisciplinary tumor boards, where a team of oncology experts discusses patient cases and makes sure you’re getting the very best treatment.

Our specialty surgeons pride themselves on using minimally invasive techniques in 90 percent of cases to reduce pain and improve recovery time for our patients. We also have the largest robotic thoracic program in the Inland Northwest.

We take a team-based approach to your cancer care. And we’re able to offer a breadth and depth of specialty care. This team may include board-certified medical oncologists, oncology-certified nurses, radiologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, fellowship-trained surgeons and other cancer specialists. You and your family will also receive a full range of support services well beyond conventional treatment, from genetic counseling and education to nutrition and pain management.

Cancer doesn’t discriminate, but access to great cancer care hasn’t always been the same for everyone. At Providence, we are deeply committed to making sure every patient we treat has access to the best cancer care. We provide language translation services, and our clinicians travel to rural communities or use telehealth to follow up with their patients.

We value, respect and support the racial, ethnic, religious, spiritual, gender and sexual identities of each member of our diverse communities. In keeping with our Mission, Providence offers financial assistance programs that provide free and low-cost care to those who are eligible.

We’ve been caring for the people of Spokane since 1878. The Providence Regional Cancer Center now features world-class surgeons, nationally recognized hospitals and medical centers, and nearly 20 specialty clinics throughout the region. As a Providence patient, you have access to the largest community-based cancer network in the United States. This means that your local cancer care team shares knowledge and experience with other world-class clinicians across Providence’s 51 hospitals in seven states. The power of our network is one of the reasons thousands of newly diagnosed cancer patients choose us for their cancer care each year.

Find Clinical Trials

Are you looking for a clinical trial for yourself or for a patient? We’d love to help you find one!

Senior woman looking hopeful as she gazes out window