The opening of the multidisciplinary breast cancer clinic at AdventHealth Altamonte Springs, formerly Florida Hospital Altamonte, in 2018 brought innovative and comprehensive breast cancer treatment to patients across the community, all in one place.
In less than a year, the breast cancer clinic has opened a new location and added a groundbreaking therapy to their services — all while continuing to deliver practical, compassionate care that makes breast cancer a little easier to face.
The Multidisciplinary Difference
In many cases, breast cancer treatment requires patients to see multiple specialists, which can add up to long hours traveling, scheduling various appointments and undergoing difficult treatments over weeks and months.
With multidisciplinary treatment, breast cancer patients can get expert care from several specialists in one appointment, making treatment more efficient and less stressful.
At the multidisciplinary breast cancer clinic, each patient’s care team includes experts in different specialties, including medical oncologists, breast cancer surgeons and radiation oncologists. Together, these specialists work with each patient to determine the best course of treatment for the patient.
"Our multidisciplinary approach gives individuals diagnosed with breast cancer the highest-quality care in a single-day setting,” said Lisa Minton, a breast cancer surgeon at the clinic. “This kind of care decreases the time between diagnosis and treatment so that our patients can get the treatment they need, faster.”
Intraoperative Radiation Therapy: Breast Cancer Treatment in One Day
The multidisciplinary breast cancer clinic offers a variety of innovative treatments, but one of the most exciting is the new addition of intraoperative radiation therapy, or IORT. This groundbreaking therapy allows patients who are lumpectomy candidates to take a one-and-done approach to their breast cancer treatment, completing surgery and radiation therapy at the same time.
While conventional radiation therapy for breast cancer can involve daily radiation treatment for four to six weeks, IORT can be done in a day, saving patients time, travel and stress. Breast IORT uses a miniaturized X-ray source to deliver a full course of targeted radiation. The radiation targets the tumor cavity where the cancer is likely to recur, destroying cancer cells and reducing the risk of damage to nearby tissue.
In addition to IORT, the clinic offers advanced treatments and technologies like:
- A prone breast board system, which ensures patient comfort while minimizing radiation exposure to the chest wall
- A TrueBeam system designed to deliver precise radiation directly to a tumor site while sparing healthy tissue and reducing overall treatment time
- A 64-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner that produces clear, detailed images
Serving Altamonte Springs, and Now Orlando, Too
In 2019, within a year of the multidisciplinary breast cancer clinic opening in Altamonte Springs, the clinic opened a second location in Orlando at the AdventHealth Cancer Institute.
“We want to make conquering breast cancer easier for each of our patients, no matter where they live,” said Dr. Minton, who serves at both the Altamonte Springs and Orlando Clinics. “With a new clinic in Orlando, we can reach more breast cancer patients who may benefit from the efficiency and convenience of multidisciplinary care, right here in their community.”
With two locations offering single-visit care, the multidisciplinary breast cancer clinics make it easier for patients in Central Florida to face and overcome breast cancer with the help of a team of experts every step of the way.
If you or a friend or family member is looking for comprehensive care for breast cancer, schedule an appointment with at the multidisciplinary breast cancer clinic, call
Call407-303-2100.
