Cancer Program of Our Lady of the Lake and Mary Bird Perkins Joins National Research Program
Patients Participating in the Future of Personalized Medicine
(Baton Rouge, LA) - The Cancer Program of Our Lady of the Lake and Mary Bird Perkins is one of only 18 sites in the country participating in a first-of-its-kind study to individualize cancer treatment. The Cancer Program and Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida have partnered to perform state-of-the-art cancer research called Total Cancer Care.
Cancer patients can volunteer to be a part of the study by answering questions about their medical history and giving permission for excess tumor tissue to be donated for cancer research.
“This study is literally creating a new frontier in cancer research, and we are pleased to be able to provide cancer patients locally with the opportunity to be a part of this groundbreaking study,” said Kevin Guidry, cancer center administrator, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. “Over 80 patients from the Cancer Program have already signed up to participate.” Nationally, the study has consented more than 23,000 subjects.
Just as every person has a unique fingerprint, every tumor is unique as well. Total Cancer Care aims to specialize treatment based on genes that provide a "molecular fingerprint" unique for each tumor, just like the lines on fingertips identify individual people. Cancer can be classified by its site of origin (such as lung, breast, colon and prostate), but there are many different types of these cancers. We now know that individual patients with the same kind of cancer don't always respond to standard treatment in the same way. This program is working to change that.
Only recently, technology has advanced such that doctors can now test each tumor for approximately 30,000 genes - the genes that provide the molecular fingerprint. By studying this fingerprint, scientists are developing new drug therapies personalized for each individual.
"Total Cancer Care is about completely personalizing therapy that may one day help you or someone else," said Todd Stevens, president and CEO, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. "It's exciting to be involved in the latest scientific advances in cancer research and development to help cancer patients in Louisiana."
Part of the reason the Cancer Program was selected is because of its affiliation with the National Cancer Institute's Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP) pilot, which has an emphasis on clinical research.
About the Cancer Program of Our Lady of the Lake and Mary Bird Perkins
The Cancer Program of Our Lady of the Lake and Mary Bird Perkins is the most comprehensive cancer program in the region offering patients the convenience of receiving high-quality, advanced cancer care in one location, close to home. The Cancer Program offers surgery, chemotherapy and radiation and has been accredited by the American College of Surgeons since 1992 - the gold-standard for community-based cancer care. For more information on our Cancer Program and the NCCCP pilot, please visit www.ololrmc.com or www.marybird.org.
About H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
Located in Tampa, Florida, Moffitt Cancer Center is the only Florida-based cancer center with the NCI designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center for its excellence in research and contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Moffitt currently has 15 affiliates in Florida, one in Georgia and two in Puerto Rico. Additionally, Moffitt is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a prestigious alliance of the country's leading cancer centers, and is listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Hospitals" for cancer. Moffitt's sole mission is to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer.
About Total Cancer Care
Total Cancer Care is a program that combines information technology, science and clinical treatment. This approach will provide evidence-based guidelines to improve care and outcomes for cancer patients. It addresses cancer as a public health issue, encompassing the study of genetic predispositions, the impact of health lifestyles and integrative medicine to prevent cancer, then follows the patient through screening, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, incorporating translational research at each step along this continuum of care.
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