2007 Cancer Annual_prod5 - St. Joseph Medical Center

“This way, the patient is assured of getting the care that is
best for him or her,” Dr. Krasna says. “We are fortunate
that St. Joseph Medical Center recognizes the value of this
approach for cancer patients and was willing to invest in the
resources required to make The Cancer Institute a leader in
this unique mission of care.”
No resources have been spared when it comes to providing
and developing the latest treatments either. “Advanced
treatment often involves multi-modality therapies, combining
surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy,” according to
Dr. Krasna. “This is the case with advanced lung cancer that
involves not only the lung but also the lymph nodes in the
middle of the chest.” Physicians are using an exciting, new
triple modality approach – a hard-hitting combination of
radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery – to remove
the tumor. Clinical evidence supports that this combination
can have a big impact on survival.
“By using chemotherapy together with radiation in a certain
timeframe, we can actually downstage the cancer and eradicate
it from the lymph nodes of the center of the chest for many,
though not all, patients,” says Dr. Ziv Gamliel, chief of Thoracic
Surgery at The Cancer Institute. “The chemotherapy makes
the tumor more sensitive to the radiation. It is now possible
to treat stage III-A lung cancer patients and have a very high
chance of success by combining the best practices at The
Cancer Institute for all three modalities together.”
At The Breast Center, patient care also follows the multidisciplinary
model approach for every case. “We sit down with
two to four pathologists in addition to medical oncologists,
radiation oncologists, surgeons, reconstructive surgeons and
other members of the team to discuss the subtleties of each
diagnosis and to make sure the specific cell type or extent
of the disease is accurately reflected before surgery takes
place,” emphasizes Dr. Michael J. Schultz, medical director
of The Breast Center at The Cancer Institute.
Clinical Trials Reaching the Community
The Cancer Institute at St. Joseph is honored to be the only
Maryland hospital chosen for an unprecedented pilot program
to extend the reach of NCI research and state-of-the-art
treatment into community hospitals across the country. This
exciting initiative expands the offerings of advanced clinical
cancer trials, giving even more treatment options to cancer
patients who come to St. Joseph Medical Center.
“Studies indicate that patients treated in major cancer centers
with access to clinical research may live longer with a greater
chance of cancer cure,” Dr. Krasna says. “The three-year NCI
Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP) expands
clinical trial availability and will increase cancer survival for
parts of our community who do not presently have access to
this type of care. This is our dream: to see multidisciplinary
care in the community and to see clinical trials and research
also done in a community setting.”
The Cancer Institute is making that dream a reality by not
only providing advanced, patient-centered cancer care, but
also by offering loving compassionate support for each
patient’s journey through the battle with cancer.
For more information about The Cancer Institute at
St. Joseph Medical Center and the multidisciplinary approach
to cancer care or about the NCI Community Cancer Centers
Program, call St. Joseph Medical Center, 410-427-2551.
“
A patient may come from three to four hours
away but when they leave at the end of their visit,
they will have seen all the specialists at one time.
The doctors revolve around the patient.
Mark Krasna, M.D.
“
2007 THE CANCER INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT | 3