Annual Report - Winthrop University Hospital

Winthrop-University Hospital 2011 Annual ReportWhen 49-year-old music industry marketing professional TyroneKelsie went for his routine physical exam, he was feeling just fine.“I didn’t feel like anything was wrong,” says the Westbury resident.A month later he was trying to decide the best treatment optionfor prostate cancer.When Tyrone’s father was diagnosed with prostate cancer several years ago,his prostate was removed, a path that Tyrone was not keen to follow. With thehelp of family and a close friend, Tyrone researched prostate cancer treatmentsand learned about CyberKnife. Despite its name, CyberKnife is not surgery,but rather a technology that provides highly precise radiation therapy to treattumors while minimizing damage to surrounding tissue.Tyrone’s urologist concurred that CyberKnife was an excellent treatmentoption and referred him to Winthrop, which was the first CyberKnife Center of LIand NYC, and is the second largest site in the world for treating prostate cancerwith CyberKnife technology.“In addition to being highly effective in treating tumors, Cyberknife’s treatmentplan calls for 30–40 minutes of radiotherapy a day for an average offive days,” explains Dr. Jonathan Haas, Chief, Division of Radiation Oncology.“This is a great benefit to patients, who can continue on with their lives.”Cancer-free for more than a year, Tyrone, who enjoyed fame in the 1990sas co-host of the MTV music program, “Yo! MTV Raps,” has become anadvocate for screening and CyberKnife treatment when necessary. “Guys don’treally want to hear it, but I tell them what happened to me,” he says, adding,“I’m living a normal, healthy life now, and I thank CyberKnife.”Award and the HealthGrades Maternity Care Excellence Award.Our hospital has a long-standing tradition of excellence in treatinggynecological conditions, including cancer, with the mostsophisticated non- and minimally-invasive surgical procedures.Further underscoring its outstanding clinical outcomes in women’shealth, Winthrop was also recognized by HealthGrades asa recipient of the 2011 Women’s Health Excellence Award andranked among the top five percent in the nation for Women’sHealth for the second year in a row.Winthrop is the only hospital in New York State to simultaneouslyreceive the HealthGrades Maternity Care ExcellenceAward, the HealthGrades Gynecologic Surgery Excellence Award,and the HealthGrades Women’s Health Excellence Award in2011, reflecting the unmatched standard of care that womenreceive at Winthrop.Innovative prostate cancer treatmentOther than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most commoncancer in American men, according to the American CancerSociety. Roughly 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostatecancer during his lifetime.At Winthrop, prostate cancer patients are offered a full array oftreatment options, permitting patients and their physicians toselect the most appropriate for the stage of the cancer and thehealth of the patient.Minimally invasive surgery using the daVinci Surgical RobotSystem is available, as well as intensity-modulated radiationtherapy (IMRT), a radiotherapy that uses a linear accelerator todeliver precise radiation doses to a malignant tumor or specificareas within the tumor. Winthrop also offers cryotherapy, atechnique that freezes the tumor, for those patients whosecancer cannot be treated with surgery.12