Sarcoma (Bone & Tissue Cancers) Resources

For more than 30 years, the Cancer Support Community, an international non-profit, has been dedicated to providing support, education and hope to those impacted by cancer. Orlando Health provides this program for everyone affected by cancer in the Central Florida area.

The goal of the Cancer Support Community perfectly complements that of Orlando Health: to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by community. The program addresses the social and emotional health of patients of all ages, including at diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment, long-term survivorship, end-of-life and bereavement to ensure no one has to face cancer alone.

The Cancer Support Community offers a network of personalized services and education at no charge to all affected by cancer.

You and your family have access to the Clifford E. Graese Community Health Library. This media center offers print and multimedia resources focusing on:

• Disease-specific information
• Symptom management
• Psychosocial support
• Coping with a cancer diagnosis

Finding facts about the disease and treatment options can be a stress reliever. Information gives a sense of control over your situation and equips you with the knowledge to ask appropriate questions. Then, you can coordinate with your healthcare team to make better informed treatment decisions. Health information materials, as well as popular paperbacks for leisure reading, can be checked out.

Genetics plays a major role in 5% to 10% of all cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute. Our Cancer Genetics Program at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute is dedicated to helping you and your family learn about your potential risk for a hereditary form of cancer, with possible genetic testing, so that you can make informed decisions about managing your health.

We provide genetic counseling to help individuals determine their risk for inheriting mutations that may cause certain types of hereditary cancer and take steps to manage those risks.

We believe that conventional western medicine is the best approach to combatting cancer and other diseases, but adding services that treat the whole person can enhance healing and well-being. Our Integrative Medicine program engages you and your family to become active participants in improving your physical, emotional and social health.

At Orlando Health, we offer research-supported, evidence-based complementary approaches to symptom and stress management. 

Some of the supplemental therapies and practices we offer include:

• Acupuncture. Practitioners stimulate specific points on the body — most often by inserting thin needles through the skin.
• Oncology (cancer) massage therapy. This practice includes many different techniques to manually manipulate the soft tissues of the body.
• Meditation. Most meditation techniques, such as mindfulness meditation or transcendental meditation, involve ways in which you learn to focus attention. 
• Relaxation techniques. Breathing exercises, guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation are designed to enhance the body's natural relaxation response.
• Tai chi and qi gong. These traditional Chinese medicine practices combine specific movements or postures, coordinated breathing and mental focus. 
• Yoga. Used for health purposes, certain types of yoga typically combine physical postures or movement, breathing techniques and meditation.
• Hypnotherapy. This type of therapy is used to reprogram the subconscious mind, which can be useful for behavior modification and controlling emotions.

We also offer activities that allow you to take a break from the daily pace of life in a soothing space. High Tea in the British tradition is served in elegant bone china cups each week. Another European custom is the labyrinth on the fourth floor of the Charles Lewis Pavilion that is modeled after the one at Chartres Cathedral near Paris, France. The labyrinth is an ancient healing tool used as a walking meditation or embodied prayer.

If you would like more information or a complete list of services, please contact the Integrative Medicine Department at (321) 841-5056.

The licensed registered dietitians at the Cancer Institute work with your care team to support your nutrition needs before, during and after treatment. Services provided include:

• Personalized meal planning
• Education on how to eat healthy for cancer prevention
• Instruction on how to use vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements in cancer care
• Management of side effects related to cancer treatment
• Temporary tube feeding for nutritional support during treatment
• Follow-up care for continued healthy living after treatment

The Patient and Family Counseling Department provides educational programs, support groups and counseling to assist you and your family in the journey through illness. All of our counselors are state licensed and masters-prepared with many years’ experience in providing support and counseling from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond.