The Future of Cancer Care? We’re helping to define it at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin.
By Mary Horowitz, MD, MS Chief of Hematology and Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin Hematologist/oncologist Chief Scientific Director, Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research
in the growing field of cancer medicine.
In just the last 10 years, our knowledge of cancer has absolutely exploded. Today, it is impossible for general oncologists to be knowledgeable in every single area of cancer; hence, expertise is becoming more specialized.
We know more about the many types of cancer and how to treat them. We know that some cancers we used to think of as single diseases, such as breast cancer, colon cancer and leukemia are actually collections of various types of cancer that require different treatments. And we know much more about how to treat these unique cancers with new drugs, new surgical interventions and new ways to deliver radiation therapy.
This is the future of cancer care – a rapid increase in knowledge, new tools for treating and beating malignant disease, and care delivered by cancer physicians who have a highly specialized focus. It’s a future we are helping to define at the Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center.
A Center of Discovery
Scientific research is a critical element of progress. Many people don’t realize our Clinical Cancer Center is a center of scientific investigation on par with national-caliber research institutes. In the last three years, our clinical and research faculty has grown dramatically. Recent recruits include surgical oncologists of international distinction, laboratory scientists who are among the most respected researchers in the field, and medical oncologists who are leading national initiatives to find new and better treatments.
Today, Medical College of Wisconsin researchers are helping us develop a better understanding of what causes normal cells to become cancer cells. In the near future, their work will help scientists develop drugs that target the molecular abnormalities of cancer cells – and leave healthy cells untouched.
Other investigators are focusing on cancer prevention. Their research will someday help us use natural compounds to prevent dangerous pre-cancers from progressing to malignant disease. High-risk individuals who choose to participate in genetic screening programs will be able to use simple regimens to avoid deadly cancers and difficult treatments.
hat is the future of cancer care? The best way to answer that question may be to look at the past.
There was a time when general internists took care of all our medical problems, whether it was heart disease, cancer or the common cold. As knowledge increased, physicians began to specialize. People with malignant diseases increasingly sought out oncologists – physicians with expertise
Defining the Future
Adaptive Radiation Therapy Clinical Trials Program
Minimally Invasive Options Tissue Banking
Customized Therapies Cancer Screenings Preserving Fertility Cancer Survivorship Cancer Network
Froedtert Hospital Foundation 2
froedtert.com/cancer
2 5 6 9
14 15 16 18 20 21 22
Nationally Recognized
Froedtert Hospital ranks as a regional high performer in cancer, as well as six other specialties (cardiology and heart surgery; geriatrics; gynecology; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopaedics; and urology). Froedtert is the only adult hospital in Milwaukee to be nationally ranked, placing it among the top 50 hospitals in the nation. Froedtert Hospital also ranks as the top hospital in metropolitan Milwaukee.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24