A NEW DAY IN CANCER TREATMENT - St. Joseph Medical Center

“ Please accept my words of gratitude towards your goodness, patience, and love that you bestowon all of us, and mainly to me, the recipient of your great qualities. You make our treatment so easy andso comfortable that I forget where I am and pretend I am in a spa. ” s D.F.CANCERS OF THE COLON, RECTUM AND ANUSThe five-year survival rates for patients with colon cancer treated atThe American College of Surgeons has described important qualitySt. Joseph Medical Center from 1998-2001 are similar to data from themeasures in the treatment of colorectal cancers. These include timelyNational Cancer Database (Figure 4). Not surprisingly, patients withadministration of chemotherapy and radiation when appropriate andlower stage disease fared better than those with higher stage tumors.an adequate lymph node harvest. The Cancer Institute has analyzed itsFortunately, with the availability of hepatobiliary surgeonsdata and compared to regional and national data as available in theMarc Fraiman, M.D., and Richard Mackey, M.D., stage 4 patients withNational Cancer Data Base (NCDB). For the most recent year analyzed12908580isolated liver disease may have a chance at cure.Figure 4 PRIMARY COLON CANCER FIVE-YEAR SURVIVALSt. Joseph Cancer Institute (n=131)National Cancer Database (n=1,342)in this regard, 2006, radiation was administered appropriately 60% ofthe time, chemotherapy was administered appropriately 87.5% of thetime, and an adequate lymph node harvest was achieved 59.6% of thetime. At first glance these numerics may not seem impressive. However,when comparing to regional and national data from the NCDB for thesame year, these data are fairly comparable. We will review the 2007outcome data once it is made available and identify opportunities forimprovement in the care of patients with colon and rectal cancer.SURVIVAL PERCENTAGE7570656055504540.5 yr 1 yr 1.5 yrs 2 yrs 2.5 yrs 3 yrs 3.5 yrs 4 yrs 4.5 yrs 5 yrsThe FutureThe future of treatment for cancer of the colon, rectum and anus isundoubtedly challenging and yet hopeful. By using a multidisciplinaryteam approach, the Colorectal Oncology Center is well-positionedto deliver state-of-the-art treatment in an efficient and coordinatedfashion. Patients receive the personal, friendly care associated witha community hospital as well as the expertise and cutting-edgetechnology associated with an NCI Community Cancer Center Program.