The
St. Joe's
Experience
ealth & wellness
Little
Hearts
Easy, painless test can detect defects.
W
St. Joe's Lung Cancer Program Offers
the Latest Diagnostics, Treatment
Although lung cancer remains the second
highest cause of cancer death in men and women
combined, recent treatment breakthroughs
provide ways to earlier diagnose and better treat
the disease. A diagnosis of lung cancer no longer
has to be a death sentence. St. Joseph Mercy
Oakland has taken deliberate steps to expand
our Lung Cancer Program to offer the latest in
diagnostics, treatment and clinical trials for patients with, or suspected to have, lung
cancer.
Here's why you should seek out St. Joe's for lung cancer diagnosis and treatment.
We now offer:
• A quicker path to diagnosis and treatment with twice monthly multidisciplinary
Lung Tumor Board meetings attended by a team that includes nationally recognized
experts in Radiation Oncology and Thoracic Surgery, along with specialists in Pulmonary
Medicine, Medical Oncology, Pathology, Radiology and others. Working together, the
team develops a personalized cancer treatment plan for each patient designed to deliver
the best outcomes.
• A lung cancer nurse navigator who facilitates care for each patient. She provides
patient education, coordinates appointments and provides additional emotional and
resource support throughout each patient's treatment journey.
• Our nationally recognized specialists are Thoracic Surgeon M. Salik Jahania, MD, and
a team of 21st Century Oncology radiation oncologists led by Larry Kestin, MD, who
have dedicated SJMO-affiliated lung cancer practices and are skilled and experienced
in the latest cutting-edge diagnostic and treatment technology.
• Superdimension Navigational Bronchoscopy System, Endobronchial Ultrasound
(EBUS) and Low-Dose Lung CT screening for the latest in detection, diagnosis and
staging, along with da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery.
• A Surgical Pavilion with modern surgical suites that offers the most up-to-date
technological advances in the area.
• Access to nearly 150 clinical trials through our Community Clinical Oncology Program
(CCOP), the same trials accessed by the Mayo Clinic. This means patients can receive
cutting-edge treatment while remaining right in our community.
• Expertise in Pain and Palliative Care. St. Joe's program was one of the first in the
nation and first in the state to achieve accreditation by The Joint Commission.
• Access to educational information, a financial navigator, clinical nutrition support
and integrated therapy in our new Cancer Resource and Support Center, which will
open in April within the Alice Gustafson Center on the hospital campus.
• A renovated and expanded Cancer Center, also in the Alice Gustafson Center, that
offers an environment of patient comfort and dignity in both the physician office and the
new infusion center.
For more information on St. Joe's expanded Lung Cancer Program, call Patti Moore,
Lung Nurse Navigator, at 248-858-3471. I also encourage you to attend an open house
to view the renovated Cancer Center and the new Cancer Resource and Support Center in
the Alice Gustafson Center on campus, 44405 Woodward Ave., Pontiac, on Saturday, April
13, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
When you're looking for the latest, comprehensive and compassionate lung cancer
care, come to St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, where our clinical outcomes speak for
themselves.
By
Jack Weiner,
President and CEO
St. Joseph Mercy
Oakland
DISCOVER
REMARKABLE
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56 ..arch 28 • 2013
hen you're expecting a bundle
of joy, you run the gamut
of emotions from excited to
scared. But by including a simple screen-
ing for critical congenital heart defects in
all newborn exams at Beaumont, parents
can breathe a small sigh of relief.
"All babies who are born at any of the
Beaumont hospitals and are at least 35
weeks gestation will have a pulse oximetry
screening. It's a simple test for newborns
that can help find a critical congenital
heart defect:' says Judith Klarr, M.D., neo-
natologist, Beaumont Children's Hospital.
"Since June, we have screened about 3,000
babies at Beaumont, Royal Oak:'
Prior to discharge, within 48 hours, the
screening is done. A sensor is placed on
the baby's right hand and foot to see how
much oxygen is in the blood. The screen-
ing is a painless, non-invasive procedure
that takes only one minute to complete.
When a baby is born with a critical
congenital heart defect, or CCHD, their
tiny heart or major blood vessels did not
form properly. It's called "critical" because
it requires surgery or a catheter-based
treatment. "These are the babies who
would have gone home and died without
explanation:' explains Klarr.
Klarr adds, "Until recently, research
was not available indicating the correla-
tion with low oxygen and heart defects.
Now we know this test can save lives and
improve surgical outcomes for our tiny
patients:'
In addition to screening all newborns,
Beaumont Children's Hospital also pro-
vides the test to babies who are less than
seven days old who are transferred or
admitted from hospitals that don't require
the screening.
"When test results show low levels of
oxygen in the blood, which can be a sign
of a CCHD, it means that more testing is
needed:' says Klarr. "We have the ability
to diagnose and stabilize them when it is
most critical:'
❑
Johanna's Legacy
Finding new treatments for ovarian cancer.
T
he passage of 12 years can pro-
vide a degree of healing from the
intense grief that follows losing
a loved one in the prime of life to cancer.
Working to make sure that loved one did
not die in vain can
help the healing pro-
cess, too.
That's why the
Michigan-based Silver
Family Foundation
for Ovarian Cancer
Research chose Caitlin
Stashwick, M.D., for
Johanna
its Johanna's Fund
Silver Gordon
Ovarian Cancer
Research Grant.
Established to pro-
mote research to com-
bat newly diagnosed
and recurrent ovarian
cancer, the fund is
named for Johanna
Silver Gordon, a
Sheryl Silver
lifelong Temple
Israel member and
Southfield-Lathrup High School teacher
who lost her life to ovarian cancer after a
determined, 31/2-year fight for survival.
Sheryl Silver of Birmingham, founder
of the foundation and Johanna's younger
sister, said, "I'm thrilled that Dr.
Stashwick's research is focused on creat-
ing new and better treatments for recur-
rent and late-stage ovarian cancer. It was
heartbreaking to watch my sister Johanna
lose her life — then several other friends
lose theirs — when they ran out of effec-
tive drugs and treatments.
Although research to create a better
method of detecting ovarian cancer at its
earliest, most survivable stage is crucial
and has been ongoing for over a decade:'
noted Silver, "our board believes research
directed at treatments to prolong and/
or save the lives of women already diag-
nosed with late-stage ovarian cancer must
also be a high priority. The vast major-
ity of Americans newly diagnosed with
ovarian cancer each year are diagnosed at
these later stages:'
Stashwick's research involves investi-
gating immune-based therapy for treat-
ment of newly diagnosed and recurrent
ovarian cancer. A gynecologic oncology
fellow with University of Pennsylvania's
Perelman School of Medicine, she was
selected for the Johanna's Fund grant
following a competitive research grant
review process by the Foundation for
Women's Cancer, the educational foun-
dation of the Society of Gynecologic
Oncology (SGO).
❑