Central Maine Healthcare

Where You are the Center

Cancer care

Awards and Accreditations: Cancer Care

Central Maine Healthcare is committed to bringing the highest national standards of cancer care right to the communities of central, western and mid-coast Maine. We’re proud to have earned numerous accreditations and distinctions—recognizing our cancer care teams who work tirelessly to help patients conquer this devastating disease.

Breast Center of Excellence

CMH’s Bennett Breast Care Center, a member of the National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC), is accredited by several renowned professional healthcare organizations that supervise the quality of cancer care. It is also a participating member of the NQMBC (National Quality Measures for Breast Centers) which shows its commitment to measure and improve quality of care.

Commission on Cancer (CoC) Accreditation

We have achieved full CoC accreditation from the American College of Surgeons, which is awarded only to those institutions that provide patients with comprehensive, state-of-the-art services from a multi-specialty team coordinating all aspects of cancer care. CoC further notes our program as a Community Hospital Comprehensive Care Program, indicating the full range of critical cancer care we provide to our community.

NAPBC

The Cancer Care Center at CMH has earned NAPBC (National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers) recognition status.  NAPBC provides the structure and resources needed to develop and operate a high-quality breast center. Accredited programs follow a model for organizing and managing a breast center to ensure multidisciplinary, integrated, comprehensive breast cancer services are delivered at the highest level.

Women’s Choice Award

Central Maine Healthcare has been named one of America’s Best Hospitals for Cancer Care by the Women’s Choice Award. This designation notes a level of high-quality, personalized care and is given to only 9% of hospitals nationwide.

View more Central Maine Healthcare Awards and Accreditations

About Us: Cancer Care

Our Focus is Offering the Best Cancer Care and Treatments

The Central Maine Comprehensive Cancer Center is committed to providing high-quality care close to home. In order to offer the best care available, our interdisciplinary team of caregivers continually researches new technologies, meets regularly to discuss case presentations, uses data from the cancer registry to monitor patient outcomes.

Cancer Registry

The Cancer Registry is a database of information about cancer patients. It helps providers and researchers understand what may cause cancer and the most effective ways to prevent and treat it. Hospitals across the country and around the world have joined together to collect and share data about individual cancer cases and what their outcome is.

Central Maine Comprehensive Cancer Center also participates in this registry and reports cancer statistics for our health system. Our Cancer Registry includes a data system that collects, manages and analyzes cancer patient data. Our data is available to all cancer researchers nationwide and internationally.

The data is also used at CMMC to educate medical staff, analyze treatment results, and evaluate the quality of care. The data system is managed by a Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR).

The Registry collects updated information through hospital, provider and patient contact. We ask for our patients’ help in keeping information current. All cancer patient information is treated with confidentiality; cancer data is used without personal identifiers.

Contact Us


Radiation Oncology
17 High Street – Suite 4
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: 207-795-2440
Fax: 207-795-2444

Surgical and GYN Oncology
17 High Street – Suite 1A
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: 207-786-1860
Fax: 207-786-1861

Hematology-Oncology and Infusion Center
17 High Street – Suite 6
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: 207-795-2935

Breast Health Center at Central Maine Healthcare
17 High Street – Suite 2
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: 207-344-2921
Fax: 207-344-0621

Trevor’s Story

Today, Trevor Maxwell is feeling stronger than he has in a long time. Thanks to the comprehensive oncology care provided at Topsham Care Center and Central Maine Medical Center, Trevor’s two “big, complicated” surgeries to remove cancerous tumors from his liver have given him his life back as a husband and a father.

Alissa’s Story

Alissa has worked in the Medical Imaging department at Bridgton Hospital since 2002. As part of her responsibilities, she often helps women with their mammograms and works closely with radiologists to secure additional images as needed. In 2014, after her own annual mammogram, Alissa was called back by the radiologist for additional imaging. Following a biopsy, at only 42 years old with two children, Alissa was now a breast cancer patient.

Gynecological Cancer

If you’re concerned you may have gynecologic cancer, Central Maine Healthcare is here for you.

About Gynecologic Cancer

Gynecologic cancer refers to cancer of the female reproductive system. It includes, but is not limited to:

Cervical cancer starts in the cervix: the lower part of the uterus. This organ has two parts and is covered in two different types of cells; cancer begins when these cells mutate and grow out of control.  Changes in the cells can be detected by an annual Pap test and treated before they form cancerous tumors.

Uterine cancer is rare and occurs in the muscle and supporting tissue of the uterus, which is also called the womb.  It can sometimes be detected by an annual Pap test, but is usually diagnosed after surgery has been performed to remove what is thought to be benign tumors on the uterus.

Ovarian cancer can grow in either or both ovaries, the organs that produce the eggs that travel through the fallopian tubes to the uterus. It ranks fifth in cancer deaths for women, but diagnoses have been steadily falling for 20 years.  Half of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are over the age of 63.

Prevention

As with all cancers, the best way to reduce your risk is to adopt a healthy lifestyle:

  • Ensure your diet is rich in vegetables and fruit
  • Exercise regularly
  • Stop using tobacco and avoid alcohol
  • Know your body and report any changes to your provider

Also discuss with your provider whether the HPV vaccine is recommended for you. This protects you from human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted virus that can lead to cervical and other genital cancers.

Detection and Diagnosis

The best early detection tool for cervical cancers is the Pap test. That’s why it’s so important to see your provider annually for testing, especially if you have previous history of cysts or benign growths.

There are no screening tests for other gynecologic cancers so it’s important to be aware of the warning signs. The most common warning sign is abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge. Also talk to your provider if you find yourself feeling full too quickly when eating; are experiencing pelvic pressure or pain; have a need to urinate more urgently or frequently; notice changes in the skin around the vagina that may include itching, burning or pain; are experiencing abdominal bloating.

Medical Therapy

Fighting cancer is a big job but with Central Maine Healthcare on your side, you have access to the most effective weapons. Of these is medical therapy, which uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, often together with surgery and/or radiation therapy.

Full Range of Cancer-Fighting Treatments

We offer the latest medications, which maximize the effectiveness of treatment while minimizing the unpleasant side effects. Our board-certified medical oncologists and specially certified nurses will work closely with you and your cancer care team to carefully plan and monitor each treatment. Throughout every phase of care, we’ll also be right by your side to help you feel well and maintain as much as your normal routine as possible.

Depending on your unique needs, your medical therapy plan may include one or a combination of:

  • Chemotherapy: Used to kill cancer cells with medicines delivered in varied cycles through either an injection or a pill. It may be used to shrink a tumor before surgery, to kill cancer cells that remain in the body after surgery or radiation or to treat tumors that have developed in other areas. It can also help alleviate cancer-related symptoms.
  • Immunotherapy: Uses the body’s natural defense system to fight cancer cells. Immunotherapy drugs work by making hidden cancer calls visible to the immune system, allowing white blood cells to fight and kill the cancer.
  • Targeted therapy: Helps stop cancer from growing and spreading by targeting specific genes or proteins found in cancer cells or blood vessel cells.
  • Hormone therapy: Slows or stops the growth of cancer cells that uses hormones to grow, usually in breast and prostate cancers.

Cancer Care Excellence in Central Maine

Central Maine Comprehensive Cancer Center provides medical therapy through Hematology-Oncology Associates practice, which has offices in Lewiston, Bridgton, Rumford and Brunswick.

The practice is certified with the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI)™.

Comfort and Compassionate Care

You’ll receive intravenous medical therapy at our state-of-the art infusion center at Hematology-Oncology Associates in Lewiston. The center is designed for healing and comfort, an open space with bright windows and plenty of sunlight.

Support through Treatment and Beyond

We offer a full range of cancer support services to help deal with any and all treatment challenges. That includes one-on-one counseling with a registered dietitian to ensure good nutrition and manage any nausea or changes in appetite. We also have a chaplain for spiritual care, ongoing support groups and much more.

What is Radiation Therapy

Radiation Therapy uses high energy beams to destroy or shrink tumors, sometimes before or after cancer surgery, and to help alleviate symptoms. We offer the latest, safest and most effective radiation therapies to treat a wide range of cancers.

Our board-certified radiation oncologists and radiation therapists will work closely with your cancer care team and you to carefully plan and monitor each treatment to maximize success. We’ll also be right by your side through every phase of treatment to help you feel well and without major changes to your normal routine. 

Targeting Tumors with Extreme Precision

Central Maine Healthcare radiation therapists have some of the most sophisticated technology at their disposal. This technology allows your radiation therapist to deliver radiation in exactly the right place. This allows for a higher, more effective dosage amount without additional risk of side effects, including damage to normal, surrounding tissues.

The cutting-edge therapies we offer include:

  • Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT): Allows us to locate and track tumors with the use of advanced imaging before treatment delivery to deliver more precise radiation treatments.
  • Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT): Allows radiation beams of various strengths and customized shapes to be delivered from several angles. Exact locations of the tumor and healthy structures are identified by your Radiation Oncologist, along with our knowledgeable dosimetry and physics planning team with the use of advanced computer planning systems  to determine the intensity of each individual radiation beam, sparing as much healthy tissue as possible.
  • Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT): A technique used to treat lung cancers and other applicable disease sites, this technique uses carefully programmed coordinates to deliver narrowly focused, high-dose radiation beams to a solid tumor, while incorporating patient respiratory breathing cycles into the treatment plan.
  • 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy (3DCRT): Uses computer simulation of the tumor and surrounding areas to shape the radiation beam exactly to the tumor.
  • RapidArc: Is a technique that takes IMRT to the next level. Using IGRT and IMRT, the treatment machine  delivers treatment as it rotates in fluid arc rotations around the patient.  Treatment time is faster and often times treatments can be delivered n less than 10 minutes.

Support through Treatment and Beyond

Throughout your journey, we offer a full range of support services to help deal with any and all treatment challenges. That includes one-on-one counseling with a a registered dietitian to ensure good nutrition and manage any changes in appetite. You also have access to an oncology social worker for any emotional concerns, as well as a chaplain for spiritual care, ongoing support groups and much more.

Deidra’s story

Deidra received a grim diagnosis in February of 2022: triple negative breast cancer. Since then, she’s undergone chemotherapy and a double mastectomy. Deidra sought treatment at the Cancer Care Center at CMMC, and she was overwhelmed by the care team’s compassion and dedication to her health.

Hector Tarraza, MD, chief of the Oncology Institute, says that before the Center opened in 2022, it was challenging for patients to navigate their way around multiple cancer care locations.

“Now, everything is under one roof and very patient-centered,” says Dr. Tarraza. “We have surgical oncology, radiation oncology and an infusion center all in one building. It was designed to be open, spacious and healing. We want anyone in central Maine who faces a cancer diagnosis to know we’re here for them. When they come to the Cancer Care Center, they’re going to receive state-of-the-art care, and they don’t have to travel far to get it.”

Deidra recently finished a series of treatments at the Center and now follows a routine schedule of maintenance appointments. She’s also living her life to the fullest.

“There is no such thing as putting things off,” she says. “It’s about living in the moment. We’ve taken some amazing family trips, and we’re building a beautiful backyard patio. These are things my husband and I would never have even considered before I was diagnosed. I wish everyone could have this perspective without going through the hard stuff.”

Integrative Medicine

These healing methods can help patients of all ages living with cancer, persistent pain or many other acute and chronic conditions. Integrative medicine is not alternative medicine; rather, it complements your existing treatment plan. Our specialists will work closely with you and your care team to find the right therapies to optimize your health.

Our integrative medicine services are conveniently available through Central Maine Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency Program, and through referrals from your primary care provider or medical specialists.

Enhancing Your Wellness, Head to Soul

Experience the difference integrative medicine at CMH can make in your total health and quality of life:

Medically proven therapies: Through the years, research has repeatedly shown the benefits of adding complementary practices to standard medical care. These evidence-based options may include bodywork, such as massage, yoga or Reiki. Treatments to reduce pain, like the ancient art of acupuncture. Attention to nutrition, with the addition of foods and herbal or vitamin supplements. All may help you better manage health issues. Central Maine offers many of these services directly or can refer you to trusted community providers, as needed.

Highly trained specialists: CMH has board-certified and fellowship-trained integrative medicine physicians on staff, giving you access to some of the most experienced specialists in all of Maine. Collectively, our team has advanced training in a number of integrative therapies, including osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), yoga therapy and more.

We are also members of the Academic Consortium of Integrative Medicine and Health, joining other prestigious medical centers. This allows us to continuously exchange ideas with the nation’s leading providers and bring the latest and most effective complementary treatments to our communities.

Fully personalized approach: We understand that every patient is different. Our integrative medicine specialists take the time to listen, then create a personal wellness plan based on your unique needs and beliefs. We also know that you are the expert in your own care experience. We’re here to support what you know to be your body’s natural healing potential, while making sure your preferred treatments are safe and work well with your overall care.

Types of Integrative Medicine Therapies

Whether you’re dealing with a recent diagnosis or chronic condition, we believe you should have a full spectrum of treatment options to help you heal. The integrative medicine specialists at Central Maine Healthcare are highly trained in complementary therapies that go beyond just treating symptoms and address all factors that affect your well-being.

Integrative medicine is not a substitute for conventional medical care, but works along with your current treatment. These evidence-based therapies can address immediate concerns while also helping you develop healthier skills throughout your life. As your partner, we’ll help find therapies that feel right to you and fit your personal needs and beliefs. We also work in close collaboration with your primary and specialty care physicians to ensure a safe and seamless plan of care.

Proven Therapies for Your Whole Health

Your personal care plan may include one or a combination of integrative therapies. We offer many services directly through the Central Maine Medical Center Family Residency Program, or through referrals to trusted providers throughout central and western Maine. Common options include:

Acupuncture: The word “acupuncture” actually refers to a group of treatments. The most common form involves placing thin needles into the skin to stimulate specific places in the body. This may cause the production of natural painkillers and also improve blood flow, which enhances healing. Research shows that acupuncture can help relieve pain and discomfort, including common side effects of cancer treatment like nausea. It’s also often used as a complementary treatment with in vitro fertilization (IVF), helping regulate ovulation and balance the body and hormones for women struggling with fertility.

Acupuncture has been practiced in Asian countries for thousands of years, and today is one of the most commonly used integrative therapies in the world.

Yoga Therapy: Yoga is an ancient practice combining body movement, breathing exercises and meditation to help center the mind, body and spirit. Practitioners of yoga report many benefits, such as reduced stress and anxiety, increased relaxation and sense of well-being, better flexibility and strength and an effective way to help manage a wide range of health conditions, including chronic joint pain. There are more than 100 different forms of yoga, but the goal is the same: to bring about wellness where needed.

The Y at CMMC Fitness Center offers regular yoga classes with certified instructors. For more information visit the Y’s website and start bringing harmony to your health. 

Reiki Therapy: Reiki is a Japanese, spiritually based form of healing. Practitioners help patients by transferring healthy energy to promote calmness, ease stress and help achieve a better sense of physical, emotional and spiritual balance. Reiki therapists lightly place their hands on various energy places, such as the shoulders and back, while guiding you through breathing techniques. You remain clothed during the sessions, which last about 30 minutes.

Reiki is available for CMH patients of the Dempsey Center and for anyone looking to enhance their well-being.

Homeopathy: Homeopathy is the practice of medicine that embraces a holistic, natural approach designed to stimulate the body’s own curative power. Homeopathic remedies, which have benefited people for over 200 years, involve tiny amounts of natural substances, like plants and minerals. Generally, the lowest dose is considered the most powerful medicine. Your integrative medicine specialist at CMH will prescribe the remedy that best matches your symptoms at all levels of your being —physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine: Osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) is a type of hands-on therapy used to prevent, treat and manage conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system — nerves, muscles, joints and bones. OMM therapy works by using techniques like stretching, gentle pressure and resistance, and can help patients of all ages, newborns to seniors. At CMH, these integrative therapies are performed by licensed doctors of osteopathic medicine (DO), who have both standard medical education as well as specialized training in whole-person care.

Tai Chi: Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese tradition that today is practiced as a healing, fluid form of exercise. It involves a series of slow, low-impact, continuous movements, along with deep breathing. Tai Chi has many different styles, but the principles of mindfulness and cultivating the flow of energy are the same. Numerous studies have shown tai chi to have a number of health benefits, including reduced stress, more muscle strength and flexibility, enhanced immunity and improved overall quality of life, just to name a few. Certified tai chi instructors can teach you specific positions and breathing techniques to safely practice on your own.

Other Healing Options we specialize in:

  • Herbal and dietary supplements
  • Hypnosis
  • Massage therapy
  • Meditation
  • Medical nutrition prescriptions
  • Social work and integrative mental health counseling
  • Medical nutrition prescription and dietary education

Cancer Care Center

The Cancer Care Center in Lewiston, established in 2024, provides comprehensive cancer care services all in one place. Featuring a multidisciplinary team of oncology professionals, the center cares for patients from their diagnosis through treatment. The center’s new facility offers state-of-the-art technology with two onsite linear accelerators for radiation oncology, an infusion center and a comforting, healing environment.

Cancer Care Center at CMMC
17 High Street
Lewiston, ME 04240
Directory >

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Healing Environment Inspired Design

The Cancer Care Center was thoughtfully designed to incorporate the landscape in and around Lewiston. Local mills and factories, features of the region’s proud heritage, played a crucial part in the design concept. The interior architecture and layout was inspired by the work and research being conducted in DNA research and how it relates to cancer care. Using natural light, sustainable features, growing plants and open space to allow for the best possible healing environment.

Linear Accelerators and Radiation Therapy
This center has two state-of-the-art Varian TrueBeam Linear Accelerators for the radiation oncology department. A medical linear accelerator (LINAC) is the device most commonly used for radiation treatments for patients with cancer. It delivers high-energy x-rays or electrons to the region of the patient’s tumor. Using this advanced technology, these treatments can be delivered in such a way that they destroy the cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissue.

More than half of U.S. cancer patients receive radiation therapy — and many of these treatments wouldn’t be possible without a machine called a linear accelerator (LINAC). A linear accelerator, also referred to as LINAC, is a machine that aims radiation at cancer tumors with pinpoint accuracy, sparing nearby healthy tissue. It’s used to deliver several types of external beam radiation therapy.

LINACs send radiation, such as x-rays or electron beams, through the body and into cancer tumors. Today’s LINACs are equipped with 3D image guidance like CT scanning to accurately target tumors. Special software then matches radiation beams to unique tumor sizes and shapes. This customized approach makes external beam radiation therapy safe and precise for cancer treatment.

Infusion Suites
Our infusion suites are designed to provide the most comfortable and calming setting for our patients who are undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The Suites are designed with natural light, private entertainment screens, comfortable seating and, most importantly, the dedicated attention of our nursing team with a large nursing station located within the same room.

Onsite Lab
Patients can conveniently access any of the variety of laboratory tests are needed for navigating cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment. Lab tests also may be used to screen high-risk patients, pinpoint the stage of cancer, identify treatment options and evaluate whether the cancer is responding to treatment.

Onsite Pharmacy
The pharmacy team at the Cancer Care Center understands that cancer is a complex disease, and that oncology medications play a key role in fighting it. Our onsite oncology pharmacy provides quality care in several ways and CMMC Cancer Center pharmacists guide patients through the process to educate patients and their caregiver, helping them understand medications and manage side effects.

Cancer care

“A defining feature of everyone who works here is they have a passion for the care of patients with cancer. From the front office, nurses , pharmacy, radiation colleagues, people would not be in here if they did not feel connected to the mission for care” – Hector Tarraza, MD, Chief of the Central Maine Healthcare Oncology Institute

With thoughtful design, Central Maine Healthcare’s oncology team will now be assembled under one roof—fully embracing the patient on their journey from diagnosis to wellness and all the challenging steps in between.

The Cancer Care Center at Central Maine Medical Center is an integrated, multi-disciplinary program that combines a full spectrum of services and medical specialists to diagnose and treat cancer all in one center. Some of the best minds in cancer care work together, using advanced technology, to give people with cancer the best options for treatment and recovery.

We’re proud of the numerous certifications and awards we have received from national organizations recognizing our commitment to cancer patients’ experience and the quality of their care. Among others, we are accredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer.

As a community hospital comprehensive care program, we must also meet high standards including a team approach to care coordination, access to prevention and early detection programs, cancer education, and support services. We also share and receive valuable data through our participation in the National Cancer Database.

Meet our providers

Deidra’s story

“I would not have chosen to go through what I’ve been through, but now that I have, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. My whole perspective on life has changed. The staff at the Cancer Care Center was the best. I just love everybody there.”  Read More…