Page 14 - January 2021 South Florida Hospital News

ONCOLOGY UPDATE in South Florida ...ONCOLOGY UPDATE in South Florida

Novel Treatments and Approaches to Cancer Care

Are Making a Difference in Patient’s Lives

BY GEORGI MORALES PIPKIN nearly twice the radia- lish long-term survival out- ogy focus, has an individualized and
tion dose that is safely comes soon. multidisciplinary approach to cancer
Leading edge cancer treatments and deliverable on a standard In addition, most patients care which is the cornerstone of their
programs at Baptist Health South radiation delivery experienced few, if any, side multimodality clinics model. This inno-
Florida’s Miami Cancer Institute and machine. One year after effects. “It is remarkable that vative approach to cancer care gives
Lynn Cancer Institute, patients are living SABR, nearly 90 percent we have seen such little treat- patients access to various experts under
longer, experiencing a better quality of of patients had their can- ment toxicity given the one roof in one visit.
life and navigating—what can feel like an cer controlled locally and incredibly high radiation dose Physicians from different cancer sub-
overwhelming process— with ease. almost 60 percent of that is delivered to tumors in specialties, along with social workers,
At Miami Cancer Institute, a novel patients were alive, both the pancreas that are sur- dietitians, geneticists, radiologists,
radiation technology is making a differ- of which are favorable rounded by the stomach and pathologists and others meet to collec-
ence for patients with inoperable pancre- compared to historical intestines,” he said. “Patients tively provide expertise from all angles.
atic cancer. The ViewRay MRIdian MR- outcomes with lower Dr. Michael Chuong are in and out within about an Patients meet individually with key team
Linac technology safely delivers an radiation doses. Some hour. They go back to work or members in one visit, at the same loca-
unprecedented high dose of radiation patients who initially play golf and do their normal tion—helping them navigate with ease
over just five consecutive days directly to had inoperable pancreat- activities.” what can seem overwhelming after a can-
the tumor using continuous real-time ic cancer ultimately were As part of Baptist Health, cer diagnosis.
MRI scans. The images allow for treat- able to undergo success- Miami Cancer Institute is the “You can have confidence, knowing
ment to be adapted daily to account for ful surgery because of only cancer program in the your doctors are talking to each other,”
changes in the patient’s internal anatomy. their excellent response world with all of the newest said Louise Morrell, M.D., medical direc-
The Institute was the second cancer after SABR. radiation therapies in one tor of Lynn Cancer Institute. “In this
center in the United States to begin treat- “A significant number place and was the first in multidisciplinary team approach, every
ing patients with the technology. of our patients have sur- South Florida to offer proton specialist reviews the case and con-
Investigators from Miami Cancer passed the expected sur- therapy. A center that has a tributes input in a timely way. The treat-
Institute recently published the first clin- vival rate for this deadly wide range of specialists and ment isn’t launched until everyone has
ical outcomes of chemotherapy followed disease, with many alive Dr. Louise Morrell therapies such as Miami weighed in on what would best suit the
by MR-guided stereotactic ablative radia- several years after their Cancer Institute is one that patient.”
tion (SABR) therapy on an MR-Linac for initial diagnosis,” said Michael Chuong, can develop an innovative and cus- Special multimodality clinics in breast,
inoperable pancreas cancer in Practical M.D., director of MRI-Guided Radiation tomized treatment plan for every patient. urologic/genitourinary, gastrointestinal,
Radiation Oncology. Therapy at Miami Cancer Institute and a In Palm Beach County, the Lynn thoracic (lung), brain and skin cancers
The study, which included 35 patients radiation oncologist specializing in gas- Cancer Institute at Boca Raton Regional are offered weekly at Lynn Cancer
ranging in age from 34 to 89 years, used trointestinal cancers. He expects to pub- Hospital, in addition to a strong technol- Institute.

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14 January 2021 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News