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An estimated one of every six women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.

The diagnosis can be emotionally devastating. But for women confronting the disease, as well as those diagnosed with other forms of cancer, more than just hope and prayers are available to sustain them in the battle against the malady.

Many options for treatment and support can be found right here on the Kenai Peninsula.

Promoting "cancer care -- close to home," Central Peninsula Hospital offers and array of cancer treatment services in its Oncology/Infusion Center, including chemotherapy, blood infusions, platelet transfusions, biological response modifiers, injections (including Neupogen, Epogen and Neumega), IV antibiotics, hydration and electrolyte replacement, dressing changes, peripherally inserted central catheter placement, care of long-term central catheters, and referrals to the American Cancer Society.

Central Peninsula Hospital has no facilities for radiation treatment

Chemotherapy uses medications that can kill or control cancer. It is a systemic treatment that affects the whole body. Medications are usually delivered via the bloodstream through an IV drip called a blood infusion. Medications may also be administered orally.

Substances called pre-medications, meant to counter the unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy, are often delivered by infusions. Likewise, saline solutions meant to re-hydrate the body.

Chemo can lower production of blood platelets, fragments of cells that help you blood clot. The Oncology/Infusion Center can perform platelet transfusions and provide injections of Neumega, a growth factor needed to stimulate platelet production.

Drugs such as Epogen, which stimulates the production of red blood cells, and Neupogen, which stimulates white blood cell production are available through the center.

Biological response modifiers are a class of medications also available at the center. The regimen is sometimes called immunotherapy or immune therapy. According to www.healthopedia.com, the use of these medications is a fairly new approach in the treatment of certain types of breast tumors.

Chemotherapy can have undesirable and sometimes unavoidable side effects, including nausea, diarrhea and fatigue. Nurse Kathy Lopeman, head of the O/I center, said the center is very sensitive to the impact treatment can have on patients.

"It is our goal that none of our patients go home and are sick," she said. "To keep them from getting sick, we have the latest and greatest in anti-nausea meds. We want them to continue their lives to the best of their ability."

The O/I Center offers the latest in digital mammography machines, as well as Computer Axial Tomography, or CT, scanners, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI. These machines image soft tissue and can detect tumors.

According to Lopeman, one in six women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Thus, early detection and prompt response are vital for beating the disease.

"Early detection will always be the best," Lopeman said. "If they feel something is not right, they need to follow it up."

It is helpful, she said, if patients know their family histories regarding cancer.

When the O/I Center first opened, Lopeman said, it saw about 13 patients a month.

"Now we average 45 a week," she said. "There are more people being diagnosed."

The center treats diseases besides cancer, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease and more.

An advantage of having an O/I Center at CPH is that patients fighting cancer can stay at home and receive treatment rather than having to go to Anchorage, Lopeman said.

For more information about what is available through CPH, you may want to attend Friday's open house from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Breast cancer risk assessments, information about cancer and treatment approaches will be available. The center has dubbed the open house "Trick or Treat for Breast Health."

On the lower Kenai Peninsula, South Peninsula Hospital, in Homer, also provides cancer services.

"SPH provides resources for patients being treated for cancer, such as surgical biopsies, image-guided biopsies, lab testing, chemotherapy treatments, cancer consultation and support," said hospital spokeswoman Derotha Ferraro.

Board certified medical oncologist Dr. Larry Lawson provides cancer management and sees patients in exam rooms at the facility's Specialty Clinic, home to the hospital's infusion center.

Certified oncology nurse Jo Ann Tilgner administers chemotherapy treatment.

The hospital does mammography screening for breast cancer, supported when necessary by ultrasound, all part of the hospital's new Women's Center.

The hospital also has advanced equipment such as an MRI and a CT Scanner, and also offers other diagnostic procedures in testing for other cancers, including colonoscopy and ultrasound.

On the peninsula's east side, patients often seek medical attention at Providence Seward Medical and Care Center, part of Providence Health and Services Alaska, headquartered in Anchorage.

The center offers women's health services, X-Ray, CT Scan, mammography and ultrasound diagnostics, as well as full laboratory services.

All three peninsula hospitals maintain working relationships with other medical facilities in Anchorage and Outside.

In addition to the services provided by the three peninsula hospitals, Providence Imaging Center has provide mobile mammography services to areas of the state, including the Kenai Peninsula. Recently, Providence replaced its mobile mammography van with a 33-foot mobile medical coach, equipped with the latest digital imaging technology. The mobile unit visits the peninsula periodically.

Hal Spence can be reached at hspence@ptialaska.net.