Can we access these advances locally?
The Todd Cancer Institute and Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center are dedicated to early diagnosis, research, treatment and education of patients with cancer or serious blood disorders. Adult and pediatric cancer patients have access to more than 100 ongoing cancer research protocols, including those sponsored by Children’s Oncology Group. Through interdisciplinary treatment planning conferences, specialists review new or difficult cases and develop treatment plans suited to each patient’s specific needs.
Our Leavey Radiation Oncology Center consistently achieves breakthrough results, and uses the most advanced technologies and therapies. At the forefront of adult cancer management are our divisions of gynecologic, breast, thoracic, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, radiation oncology, genetic counseling services and robotic surgery. We were one of the first cancer programs to make individualized cancer therapy and targeted treatment a clinical reality.
What is the progress on childhood cancers?
Of the 1.5 million new cancers diagnosed this year, more than 10,000 affect children between infancy and the age of 15. Before the 1970s, only half of children with cancer survived beyond five years following diagnosis. Today, 80 percent of children with cancer survive, thanks to research and better treatments. Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center combines advanced diagnostic and treatment programs with comprehensive psychosocial services along with a multi-disciplinary care team that follows every cancer or blood disorder patient from time of admission, throughout their hospital stay, and through follow-up care in outpatient settings. Integrating new research efforts into treatment plans allows our patients access to leading therapies.
What can we expect in the future?
Scores of cancer therapies and treatments are in varying stages of development as researchers continue to learn even more about cancer cell biology and newer treatments. Pharmaceuticals are being created to better kill tumors by cutting off their blood supply. Therapeutic vaccines hope to harness a patient’s immune system. Gene sequencing looks for specific DNA mutations that occur with different types of cancers. The ability to identify those mutations may lead to new treatments. Physicians are beginning to use knowledge gained by research to look at an individual’s DNA to predict cancer risk. A personalized screening for those at higher risk will help catch cancer at its earliest signs. Doctors will be better able to customize treatment by choosing the most effective treatment and thus avoiding those that will not work.
How can employers help?
Encourage employees to take advantage of cancer screenings. Initiate wellness programs. These can be as simple as ensuring worksite eating places and vending machines offer healthy food, distributing exercise tips and providing pedometers for employees to gauge their walking activities.
Partner with accredited cancer centers at local hospitals to offer onsite education. Our memorialcare.org website has a wealth of information on cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment.
Philip Di Saia, M.D., is medical director of the Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Jerry Finklestein, M.D., is a pediatric oncologist and founding medical director of Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach. The not-for-profit MemorialCare Health System includes Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley and Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills and San Clemente. For additional information on excellence in health care, please visit memorialcare.org.
