Dearborn County Hospital offers a wide range of cancer detection and treatment options.  Services range from early cancer detection screenings including mammograms and those for lung cancer to therapeutic procedures such as brachytherapy (seeding) for prostate cancer.

The ongoing acquisition of new diagnostic equipment has significantly expanded Dearborn County Hospital's cancer detection capabilities and related oncology services.  As of 2008, Dearborn County Hospital is one of only a small number of facilities in the Tri-state to have an in-hospital, dedicated PET/CT scanner.  This form of medical imaging is the gold standard in the detection and staging of cancer. In numerous instances, PET/CT is able to detect cancerous activity in areas that appear normal on a CT or an X-ray.  It is valuable not only in detecting an initial lesion but also in identifying secondary lesions and determining if the cancer has metastasized and into which areas of the body.

The latest diagnostic tool for use in detecting, classifying and staging breast cancer, 4D MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), is now available at Dearborn County Hospital as well.  MRI of the breast is able to detect lesions that may not be visible on mammograms due to the size or location of the tumor or other factors.  It also better allows for the early detection of multiple lesions in the same or other breast.

Located adjacent to the hospital in the DCH Professional Building is an office of Oncology/Hematology Care, Inc., one of the nation's largest private oncology practices.  There, Radiation Oncologists and Medical Oncologist/Hematologists provide therapeutic care for cancer patients through the use of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.

A 20 second, low-dose CT scan can help detect lung cancer before it is visible on a standard X-ray and usually before there are noticeable symptoms.  The screening requires a physician’s order and is recommended for smokers and former smokers with a history of 10 pack-years or greater.  Ten pack-years translates to someone who has smoked one-half pack a day for 20 years, one pack a day for 10 years, two packs a day for five years and so forth.  As a noninvasive procedure, the CT screening requires no advance preparation.

Realizing that the treatment of cancer is far more complex than the utilization of technology, DCH assists in the provision of support programs to assist patients and their families deal with the psycho/social aspects of the disease. Currently the hospital offers support services through the Breast Cancer Support Group.