Located on the campus of Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton at 165 Clinic Avenue, Roy Richards, Sr. Cancer Center is an outpatient department of Tanner Health System and provides therapeutic services for patients diagnosed with cancer. The Center originally opened in 1989 as Tanner Radiation Center but was renamed in 2002, offering expanded services including the addition of a CT simulator and IMRT treatments.

At Roy Richards Sr. Cancer Center, we will help make your experience as comfortable as possible. We will also help you understand your treatment and the effects it will have on your health and your life as a whole.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

If you are concerned that you may have cancer, please call your Primary Care physician. If you do not have a regular doctor, you may call 770.214.CARE for information on physicians in this area, or click here for a physician directory.

What is Cancer?

Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. There are many kinds of cancer, but they all begin with uncontrolled cell growth that may develop into a lump, tumor or mass. Some cancers, like leukemia, circulate through the blood. Tumors are either non-cancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Benign tumors do not expand through the body; a cancerous tumor can spread from its origin. The type of cancer is named for where it originates – for example, lung cancer begins in the lung. If that same cancer spreads to the brain, it is considered metastatic lung cancer to the brain (not brain cancer). All cancers behave differently and may be treated differently.

Warning Signs of Cancer

1. Change in bowel or bladder habits
2. A sore that does not heal
3. A sore throat that does not heal
4. Unusual bleeding or discharge
5. A lump in the breast or other parts of the body
6. Chronic indigestion or difficulty swallowing
7. Obvious changes in a mole or a wart
8. Persistent coughing or hoarseness

If you have any of the warning signs listed above or think you may have cancer, please call your primary care physician. If you do not have a physician, call the Tanner Physician Referral Line at 770.214.CARE or click here for a physician directory.

Financial Information

Roy Richards Sr. Cancer Center accepts any insurance that is accepted by Tanner Medical Center Carrollton.

You will receive a bill from Tanner Medical Center for the technical portion of the treatment. If you have questions regarding your bill, please contact the Cancer Center receptionist at 770.836.9824 or the Business Office at TMC at 770.836.9569.
You will also receive a bill for the care provided by the radiation oncologist. The Patient Account Representative can answer any questions you may have about these bills. The representative is available for consultation at the Cancer Center one day a week or can be reached at 770.693.5810 or 770.693.2622.
A social worker is also available on staff to help with any financial problems

After Hours Care

Calls to the Cancer Center after regular hours will be received by an answering machine. If you leave a message, a Cancer Center staff member will return your call promptly on the following business day.

If you have an emergency or need to speak with the radiation oncologist, call the Tanner Medical Center operator at 770.836.9666. If the oncologist cannot be reached, contact your primary care physician or go to the emergency room.