Health & Fitness
PROFILE
Brainwork
Dedicated Nurse
Is Inducted into
Multiple Sclerosis
Hall Of Fame
Renowned neurosurgeon delivers hope and help.
T
he patients who make their
way to Andrew Sloan, M.D.,
have experienced more pain
and suffering than many will ever know
or could imagine. Most of Dr. Sloan's
patients have glioblastoma, the most
aggressive type of brain tumor. Yet,
both Dr. Sloan and his patients remain
hopeful that, one day, even these brain
cancers might be cured.
Brain tumors account for only 1-2
percent of all adult cancers; however,
glioblastomas account for half of all
malignant brain tumors. And they are
usually deadly. U.S. Sen. Edward M.
Kennedy's recent death from glioblas-
toma has raised even more awareness
about finding a cure.
This fuels the energy of this research-
er and surgeon as well as his patients.
Together, Dr. Sloan and his patients
weigh risks and benefits, such as
whether or not to have surgery or try a
new experimental treatment that might
buy them a bit more time. There are no
guarantees. But the idea of a possibility
is sometimes enough.
And that's when Dr. Sloan discusses
"the art of medicine" with his patients.
"Do you operate? Is it worth it? If
you buy one day or five days, is it worth
it?" Dr. Sloan asks. "If it's something in
between — say six months — it might
be hard to know. If someone has six
months to spend with a child, with their
family, that might be invaluable. And
so, it becomes a value judgment, not a
medical judgment.
"We have some people who say, `I
really want to fight it. I know I may die,
but I want to make it three months to
see my daughter's wedding or my son's
bar mitzvah — even if it means I'm in a
wheelchair; that is what I want to do."
Patients from around the world are
motivated by his caring approach. So it
is fitting that Dr. Sloan, director of the
Cleveland-based University Hospitals
(UH) Neurological Institute's Brain
Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center, was
named the first Peter D. Cristal Chair in
Neurosurgery.
The gift from the Thomas W. Cristal
family is in memory of Mr. and Mrs.
Cristal's late son who had brain cancer
and was dedicated to giving back to
the community. The gift, established in
2008, recognizes Warren Selman, M.D.,
the UH Neurological Institute director
who was Peter Cristal's doctor.
"Generous donations such as this
"I was drawn to
neurosurgery because
the idea that you can
help fix the brain is
so fascinating."
D
— Andrew Sloan, M.D.
Dr. Andrew Sloan
benefit continued work and research of
the kind Dr. Sloan is doing: combating
and finding a cure for treating aggres-
sive brain cancers:' Dr. Selman said.
"It's very exciting to be named the
first Cristal chairholder," Dr. Sloan
added. "It will allow us to fund new
studies and do additional research that
we couldn't otherwise do:'
Dr. Sloan, a Detroit native, joined UH
in Cleveland in 2007. He is the son of
Sheila and Richard Sloan of Bloomfield
Hills. His team includes five neurosur-
geons, three radiation oncologists, two
neuropathologists, two neuro-oncolo-
gists and several clinical research
nurses. They see nearly 600 patients
a year through the Brain Tumor and
Neuro-Oncology Center.
One of the most intriguing treat-
ments for brain cancer may be found
in Dr. Sloan's specialty: immunother-
apy. He currently leads three studies
to find a vaccine that would harness
the body's own immunity to fight glio-
blastoma tumor remnants. University
Hospitals Case Medical Center is one of
25 sites involved in the late-stage trials
for CDX-110, an experimental vac-
cine. "This is not a preventive measure
— it's to keep the tumor from growing
back:' Dr. Sloan said. "We think there's
something to it."
The vaccine is used in combina-
tion with surgery, standard radiation
and chemotherapy. In Phase 2 studies,
median survival rates are about two
years, compared to less than a year
with standard therapy. Many of the
patients experience few side effects
and return to work, something not
typical with standard treatments.
Dr. Sloan is also pioneering the use
of minimally invasive techniques to
destroy brain tumors from the inside
out. The surgery, done in an MM
machine, uses AutoLITT, a laser insert-
ed through a small hole in the skull to
heat and dissolve glioblastoma tumors.
The procedure is done at only two sites
in the country.
Finally, Dr. Sloan, associate profes-
sor of neurological surgery at Case
Western Reserve University School of
Medicine, is working on studies with
stem cell inhibitors. Stem cells dif-
ferentiate into other cells. It's believed
some may differentiate into cancerous
cells, causing them to grow uncontrol-
lably to form tumors. Targeting, or
inhibiting, those pathways could lead
to another potentially successful treat-
ment for aggressive brain cancers.
When Dr. Sloan isn't in surgery or
working on novel treatments for brain
tumors, he sometimes finds himself
working on research projects with his
wife, Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, assistant
professor at Case Comprehensive
Cancer Center. She is one of a select
group of international researchers
specializing in brain tumor genetic
epidemiology. She and her colleagues
are searching for the causes of brain
tumors by studying a combination of
genetics and environmental factors.
And when the team of Sloan and
Barnholtz-Sloan isn't working, they're
focused and devoted parents to daugh-
ter Charlotte, age 4.
eena Lisak, RN, MA,
MSCN, was among five
U.S. health professionals
inducted into the National Multiple
Sclerosis Society (NMSS) Hall of
Fame for Health Professionals.
For more than three decades,
Lisak has had a commitment to
people with MS across the con-
tinuum of care, including speak-
ing at programs for those newly
diagnosed, facilitating her award-
winning Ask-the-Nurse program
throughout Michigan, attending
weekly the MS Achievement Center
at the MS Society in Southfield as a
volunteer nurse and participating
in the Long-Term Care Task Force.
She is currently working with
others to start a local support home
for young MS patients.
Lisak is a nurse educator at
Wayne State University's Multiple
Sclerosis Clinic at the Detroit
Medical Center. Her husband, Dr.
Robert Lisak, is head of the neurol-
ogy at WSU hospitals. They live in
Bloomfield Hills.
Other Hall honorees are Dr. Roger
Cooke of the state of Washington,
Judy Soderberg of Minnesota, Aliza
Ben-Zacharia of New York and Dr.
Richard Ransohoff of Ohio. ❑
❑
To support this important work, visit
UHhospitals.org/giving. This article originally
appeared in UH's Legacy magazine.
Deena Lisak with Elana Sullivan,
NMSS Michigan chapter president
iN
April 1 • 2010
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