In Milwaukee, High Tech Meets Patient-Centered Care

In 1971, the US enacted the National Cancer Act, formalizing the nation's "War on Cancer." During those decades, the statistics were grim: only half of adult Americans diagnosed with cancer survived for five years, and survival rates for childhood cancers were even lower. Combination chemotherapy - the technique of using multiple drugs to fight the disease - was just beginning. The idea of using drugs or vaccines to prevent cancer was still a dream.

Today, cancer survival is the norm. There have been incredible advances in detection, prevention, and treatment. The death rate for cancer has been decreasing steadily since the mid-1990s, with a five-year survival rate of 65 percent for all adult cancers combined and nearly 80 percent for childhood cancers.

In addition to the combined totals, five-year survival rates for the most common types of cancers have improved dramatically.

Combination chemotherapy has become a standard treatment. Two vaccines that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have the potential to prevent some forms of liver and cervical cancer, and several cancer treatment vaccines are being evaluated in large-scale clinical trials. Effective therapies to control the side effects of cancer and its treatment are widely available.

Millions Affected
Unfortunately, the news is not all good. More than 1.2 million Americans develop cancer each year, and it remains the second leading cause of death after heart disease in the United States. Cancer is the primary cause of death in women between the ages of 35 and 74. About 8,000 American children will be diagnosed with cancer this year.

If current trends continue, cancer is expected to be the leading cause of death in the United States by the year 2010. One in five of us will die from it.

To address these needs, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin has opened a new Clinical Cancer Center that brings an exceptional level of highly specialized, patient-focused cancer care to the region.

Care at the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center is organized entirely around the needs of its patients. Top clinicians have joined together to create "hubs" based on specific types of cancer, putting the patient in the center of care provided by physicians, nurses, coordinators, and other support staff in the following programs:

• Blood and Lymph Node Cancer Program/Blood and Marrow Transplant Program
• Bone and Connective Tissue Cancer Program
• Brain and Spine Tumor Program
• Breast Cancer Program
• Colorectal Cancer Program
• Endocrine Cancer Program
• Eye/Orbital Cancer Program
• Gynecologic Cancer Program
• Head and Neck Cancer Program
• Liver, Pancreas and Bile Duct Cancer Program
• Prostate and Urologic Cancer Program
• Skin Cancer Program
• Thoracic Cancer Program

Building for the Future
"Our decision to build this facility was based on strong growth in demand for our cancer services," said William D. Petasnick, president and chief executive officer of Froedtert & Community Health. "The new Froedtert & the Medical College Clinical Cancer Center is more than a building - it's the framework for a new philosophy of cancer care that we believe will become the standard."

With 173,000 square feet dedicated to cancer services, the five-story structure is home to approximately 500 physicians, scientists, nurses and other experts dedicated to fighting, preventing and someday curing cancer.

In the Clinical Cancer Center, the Interdisciplinary Cancer Clinics house specific cancer programs; a radiation oncology section is equipped with four linear accelerators and the TomoTherapy™ image-guided radiation treatment system; a Day Hospital features 20 semi-private areas and 18 private rooms for chemotherapy and related services; the Breast Care Center provides routine screenings and cancer services; a surgical procedure suite is available; MRI and CT imaging bays are on-site; a small gym offers cancer physical therapy; and a pharmacy, laboratory, and café are available for patients and families.

"In a single clinical location, our new Clinical Cancer Center offers extraordinary expertise from specialists who focus on every type of cancer; a highly coordinated, patient-centered, team approach that greatly simplifies access to care; and advanced treatment options for the best-possible outcomes and prognosis," Petasnick said.

Improving Outcomes
Although scientists have not been able to pinpoint a single cause for cancer, or a complete cure, they now know the disease can be triggered by many factors, including genes, lifestyle, and occupation. We are more confident than ever that further breakthroughs in cancer detection and therapy will allow us to effectively control the disease.

New developments in the fields of genetics, molecular biology, and immunology have led us to develop more effective and less toxic treatments for cancer. This knowledge also allows us to detect cancer earlier, when it is most treatable, and to individualize patient care.

Because of its unique position combining research, education, and clinical practice, the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center is poised to become a leading site for translational research - the ability to "translate" important laboratory findings into clinical practice quickly and safely.

By bringing together the region's top researchers and clinical cancer specialists, the new flagship site stands as a symbol of hope and of the Froedtert & the Medical College promise that "We practice what we teach."

This article includes information from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

MCW Health News presents up-to-date information on patient care and medical research by the physicians of the Medical College of Wisconsin.