Cancer Services

As a decades-long leader in cancer treatment, we combine the expertise of outstanding specialists and nurses with the most advanced technology.

Transforming Cancer Care in Slidell

Cancer care is evolving in Slidell with the expansion of the Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center partnership to bring leading-edge treatments, select clinical trials and comprehensive oncology care to the Slidell Memorial Hospital (SMH) Regional Cancer Center. This impending partnership will unite SMH's longstanding commitment to community healthcare, Ochsner Health's extensive regional network, and MD Anderson's world-renowned cancer expertise to provide patients in Slidell and surrounding areas with enhanced access to advanced treatments and the compassionate care that patients of the SMH Regional Cancer Center know and trust.

Through this collaboration, the SMH Regional Cancer Center will become the eighth fully integrated location of the Ochsner MD Anderson partnership, ensuring that patients receive the same high-quality clinical care and treatment plans based on the same protocols and practice standards provided at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas, and benefit from integration with its clinicians and researchers. This affiliation offers access to evidence-based guidelines, groundbreaking research and leading-edge therapies, all delivered by a multidisciplinary team of cancer specialists committed to excellence in patient care.

As a decades-long leader in cancer treatment, we combine the expertise of outstanding specialists and nurses with the most advanced technology.

When it comes to cancer, we take comprehensive care seriously. Not only do our patients have access to an expert team of specialists from all disciplines, state-of-the-art technology and the latest information about clinical trials, we also provide after-care, education and support — all under one roof at the Slidell Memorial Hospital Regional Cancer Center. 

The SMH Regional Cancer Center is recognized by the Commission on Cancer from the American College of Surgeons as a Comprehensive Community Hospital Cancer Program. Fewer than half of all hospitals in the United States receive this top designation.

Innovative Treatments

Through our partnership with Ochsner Health, our patients have access to ongoing clinical trials. For more than 70 years, Ochsner has been dedicated to cancer research and new cancer treatment development and offers more clinical trials than anywhere else in the region. Located inside the cancer center, the Comprehensive Cancer Care Clinic which seeks to cut down the time that patients wait for a cancer treatment plan. This clinic brings together the entire team of treating physicians and care providers, from both SMH and Ochsner, into one collaborative office space designed specifically for this comprehensive purpose. Currently, this clinic's collaborative approach includes treatment options for breast, lung and gastrointestinal cancers, including esophageal, pancreatic and liver cancers.

Cutting-Edge Technology

SMH Radiation Oncology treatments are prescribed by board-certified radiation oncologists proficient in analyzing emerging clinical trials to keep the SMH Regional Cancer Center at the cutting edge of cancer therapy. Our physicians work with patients and caregivers to outline a sound, often multidisciplinary oncologic care plan. The role of radiation therapy is expanding with our physicians consulting on all types and stages of cancer care.

The Radiation Oncology department utilizes the latest advancements in this rapidly evolving field, including precise delivery of high-dose treatments, resulting in shorter patient treatment courses. Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) and Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) are employed to deliver ablative doses to tumors within the lung, liver, brain, spine, bones and other sites with results similar to surgery but without the operative risks and recovery time.

Modern treatment planning and delivery techniques, such as Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and RapidArc permit quicker, more targeted treatments. Advanced immobilization devices, detailed treatment preparation protocols and 4D CT-based simulations with respiratory gating (such as Deep Inspiratory Breath Hold or DIBH) set the stage for more effective therapies with less risk to

Cancer Support Services at SMH 

In the fight against cancer, we stand with our patients every step of the way. We offer a host of resources, support programs, care packages, free screenings and more, including:

• Oncology nurse navigation team
• Oncology resource coordinator
• Dietitian
• Social worker
• Appearance center
• Bra fitting room
• Chemotherapy care package bags
• Radiation oncology care package bags
• Community support groups
• Screenings