Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/551105
3 2 | PULSE S u m m e r 2 0 1 5 referred to as a liquid biopsy, will be very accurate in monitoring cancer disease status. We were selected by Genomic Health as one of 10 centers in the country based on the large volume of breast cancer patients at Cancer Care, Torrance Memorial Physician Network," says Dr. Chan. "e study will soon be expanding to include lung cancer, melanoma and GI cancers. It's the wave of the future in terms of cancer diagnostics and monitoring. e breast cancer program has an experienced team of specialists and sees over 400 new patients a year. We have an outstanding diagnostic program with 3-D mammograms and breast MRIs [see "Image of the Future," page 34, for more on imaging ], experienced and outstanding breast surgeons, radiation therapists and medical oncologists. e care of each patient is carefully reviewed at our weekly breast conference." Dr. Chan has 30 years of experience and asserts that one of the strengths of the program at Torrance Memorial is the combination of experience and academic affiliations of the specialists. "We don't have specialists who are just out of training. We've all been in practice for years. Many of us have taught at universities. Our newest radiation oncologist was a former professor at Yale." e bottom line for cancer specialists is to find a therapy that is more effective with less side effects, ideally allowing patients to live normal lives, which is what Torrance Memorial physicians strive to do. In fact, Torrance Memorial is currently participating in more than 20 clinical trials and is constantly requested by the biotech industry to open more trials in order to advance cancer research and treatment. (For more information about Torrance Memorial's clinical trials, see "Clinical Trials," far right.) "People are living so much longer now with productive lives. Our patients are oen able to go to work while on treatment, care for their families and go on vacations. e dramatic improvement in longevity and quality of life is gratifying to see," says Dr. Chan. IT TAKES A VILLAGE It's clear that less pain from surgery and fewer side effects from chemo and radiation played a large role in the speedy recovery of Dr. Fuller's lung cancer patient, omas Wood. Without a multidisciplinary approach, his experience would not have been as seamless. Torrance Memorial physicians stress how important this approach is to their patient's care. "A team of physicians worked together, from a radiologist to a bronchial specialist [who conducted a bronchoscopy test to examine the airways of the lungs], an oncologist, anesthesiologist and thoracic surgeon. Constant and open communication is key," says Dr. Fuller. Dr. Chan echoes his colleague's sentiment, adding , "With each case, we hold a multidisciplinary conference that makes coordinated treatment decisions. e team includes diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists." is approach is especially important when treating patients with multiple conditions— requiring constant communication between physicians who may not always work together. For example, Dr. Hool's patient with both breast and lung cancer requires a large multifaceted multidisciplinary team of physicians to treat her. "She required a large array of interventions that included chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, interventional radiolog y, biologic (anti-hormone) and targeted therapies for her cancers," he explains. Dr. Hool says his patient is doing "extremely well" and continues with treatment "in high spirits." He credits the experience of the physicians and the strength of the team. "It takes a facility that has a high volume of patient care to have expertise to treat someone like this. at's what sets Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Cancer Care apart from other facilities," says Dr. Hool. "For her care, she saw yra Endicott, MD, radiation oncolog y, "IT'S A PARADIGM SHIFT. WE'VE GONE FROM THE STONE AGE TO THE BRONZE AGE." 3 6 0 0 O F CA N C E R CA R E Top: Greg Baetge, MD, engages the group in a review of images to develop a treatment plan. Bottom: The Tumor Board's weekly collaboration includes a multitude of specialists and decades of experience.