Advances in Cancer Treatment are Close to Home

The newest option in cancer care is the integration of diagnostic, treatment and support services in a single facility. The first such facility in our area is Cancer Care Partners, a partnership between The South Bend Clinic and Goshen Center for Cancer Care. Cancer Care Partners, scheduled to open in August at Edison Lakes in Mishawaka, will have a team of medical, surgical and radiation oncologists, as well as oncology nurses and other support staff, available under one roof. In the clinic's new approach, cancer specialists will work together to determine the best treatment plans for the patient and then monitor their progress.

 

Waiting for appointments and the subsequent delay in care will be greatly reduced, so treatment begins sooner and progresses more smoothly. The center’s diagnostic capabilities and radiation therapy will provide patients with some of the most innovative cancer care available anywhere. Most importantly, these offerings will be part of a collaborative, on-site program for the patient.

 

This clinical model, based on the successful model at the Goshen Center for Cancer Care, also integrates holistic programs for strengthening minds as well as bodies, places a premium on family involvement and spiritual needs and encourages patients to play a decision-making role in treatment selection. Cancer Care Partners will have nutritionists, psychologists and naturopath physicians—they practice medicine on the belief that the human body has an innate healing ability. Working together, these specialists can craft treatment plans that blend the best of modern medical science with traditional natural medical approaches to restore health.

 

Cancer surgical technology is becoming more and more sophisticated, and Memorial Hospital is setting the standard for complex surgical procedures. A few of Memorial’s state-of-the-art surgical capabilities include:

• “Stealth” computer technology that gives surgeons the ability to precisely hone in on brain tumors. In the past, it was difficult for surgeons to find the tumor and then determine how much tissue to remove.

• A breakthrough robotically assisted surgery that’s an effective and minimally invasive surgical treatment for patients with prostate, kidney, gynecological, head and neck cancers. (Minimally invasive surgery is usually less traumatic than traditional surgery. The approach can allow for smaller incisions, a quicker recovery and fewer side effects.)

• Specialized general surgical suites with technology for breast cancer procedures, minimally invasive colon resections and other complex gastrointestinal procedures.

Memorial’s Radiation Oncology Center was the first hospital in the area to install Varian’s TRILOGY, a type of External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) equipment that’s the most technically advanced radiation equipment on the market. The technology enables Memorial’s oncologists to more accurately target a tumor with higher doses of radiation while minimizing damage to a patient’s healthy tissue and nearby organs. As a result, EBRT lowers the risk of side effects typically associated with radiation treatment.

 

Digital mammograms are an important tool for the early detection of breast cancer in the Center for Women’s Health at the Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center. “Digital mammography is a significant evolution of women's breast imaging. When images are produced in a digital environment, the radiologist is able to adjust brightness and contrast levels to see potential disease more easily. The digital images give patients a more accurate and complete examination than previously possible. This ability for the radiologist to enhance and adjust the images means much more accurate results in patients with dense breast tissue,” said David Hofstra, Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center’s Director of Imaging Support. “Digital mammography typically provides a lower radiation dose than analog mammography, and we all desire as low of a radiation dose as possible.”

 

The Center for Women also has leading-edge ultrasound equipment and mammographically guided breast biopsy capabilities. Combined with digital mammography, these advancements are the best technology available for the early detection of breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, most doctors feel that early detection tests save many thousands of lives each year.

A clinical trial is one of the final stages of a long and careful cancer research process. People participate in these studies to help doctors and researchers find better ways to prevent, diagnose or treat cancer. Dr. Bilal Ansari, the Director of Inpatient Oncology Services at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center and a Medical Oncologist with Michiana Hematology and Oncology, is a strong advocate for cancer clinical trials.

 

Dr. Ansari is actively involved in clinical research as a sub-investigator for the Northern Indiana Cancer Research Consortium (NICRC). The NICRC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in our community by providing access to the newest cancer prevention and treatment clinical trials. These trials are the same trials as those offered at the Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson, University of Chicago and other major cancer research centers. One clinical trial may test a new medicine for a common cancer, another investigates a treatment for a rare condition that currently has few treatment options. Physicians like Dr. Ansari are well-suited in selecting appropriate cancer clinical trials for our community because they see the challenges and lack of treatment opportunities in their medical practices.

 

Our area is a leader in cancer clinical trials. According to Dr. Ansari, over 120 trials are currently open and, in any given year, more than local 400 patients participate in the trials. Few medical centers can match that number.

 

People participate in clinical trials for many reasons: They can play a more active role in their own health care, they gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available, they obtain expert medical care at leading health care facilities during the trial and they help others by contributing to medical research. For example, new treatment drugs for breast cancer on the market now were tested by people here in Michana. Many of today’s clinical trials will give us tomorrow’s strongest tools against cancer.