Elba Diaz

Located near the Puerto Rico Medical Center exit, the UPR Comprehensive Cancer Center Hospital (HCCCUPR) has been open since 2018 offering hope to cancer patients and their families. The hospital has the most modern facilities and advanced technology to meet the needs of patients and offer them a personalized and sensitive treatment. It is an integral part of the Division of Cancer Medicine, attached to the Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of PR; corporation, established under Law 230 of August 26, 2004. The UPR Comprehensive Cancer Center Hospital's mission is to provide excellent service to the cancer patient and his or her family from an education, research and service platform with advanced technology; whose vision is to be leaders in PR and Latin America in research and treatment to achieve the cure of cancer. All the services a cancer patient needs from oncology, hematology, chemotherapy, surgery, are available in one place. This model allows to significantly bridge the gap between diagnosis and treatment in a specialized way. A multidisciplinary team of experts working together to define treatment and recommend action to follow according to each patient's clinical picture. It has all the clinical services that a patient requires from: multidisciplinary clinics, imaging center including interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, intraoperative MRI, endoscopy, clinical and pathological laboratories, surgical unit, operating room, hospitalization service, intensive care private beds, intermediate and general care, respiratory therapy services, specialized pharmacy, counseling service, individualized food service and the only dental oncology services in Puerto Rico. These multidisciplinary clinics include services in various specialties: cardiology, surgery, plastic surgeon, head and neck, dental oncology, gastroenterology, genitourinary system (urinary system and genital tract of both sexes), oncology gynecology, infectiology, young adults, nutrition, pain management and cancer support, physical medicine and rehabilitation, nephrology, neuro-oncology, "onco-triage (rapid evaluation of patients), pulmonary, sinus, urology, genetics among other services. In addition, we have the only Oncology Emergency Room that offers services from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., 7 days a week. In addition, the Hospital is distinguished by performing a procedure of liver electrography (imaging in the liver to determine if there is cirrhosis /cancer or liver failure) and spread of tumors in mri (3 Tesla). The Hospital treats patients for external referrals or people who require early screening. The goal of the Dental Oncology Services at the UPR Comprehensive Cancer Center Hospital is to offer the cancer patients an update multidisciplinary care of dental oncology for preventing and treat the sequelae of oncologic treatment presenting a remarkable interprofessional and multidisciplinary experience for our patients. Multiple situations in the cancer diagnostic, treatment and survival will be affecting the oral cavity and their tissues. Some of these factors affecting the oral cavity will be cancer and biologic therapies, head and neck surgery techniques and reconstruction bringing the special need care experience for the students. We also will be bringing to our colleges on the oncology team the experience of understand the complexity of the treatment of one of the most prevalence cancer in the Island, the Head and Neck cancers. We will give the patients treatments focusing on the management of oral and infectious complications related to cancer therapies, pain and symptom management, nutritional and psychological counseling, speech and swallowing rehabilitation, and prosthetic interventions for radiotherapy treatment and rehabilitation of the head and neck cancer patient. As oral health professionals we are interested in improving the quality of life for patients with malignant disease, who are receiving cancer therapy that has implications for oral comfort and function, by promoting consistent high standards of oral care through a coordinated team approach.