Closing In on Cancer Cures
Medical Oncology: A Commitment to Groundbreaking Ideas
Memorial Cancer Institute
Memorial Cancer Institute, a facility of Memorial Regional Hospital and Memorial Hospital West, has a longstanding tradition of providing high-quality care. Our patients receive personalized treatment in facilities with an emphasis on prevention, early diagnosis and support services.
Our experienced, highly trained specialists are committed to working with a patient’s other physicians to ensure that a variety of medical needs are addressed. This partnership enhances the continuity of care, providing access to highly specialized services and an opportunity to participate in clinical studies.
October 2006 — Cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in the body. Today’s physicians and scientists are working to uncover the causes of cancer, as well as what can be done to halt or prevent it.
Oncology is the branch of medicine dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Medical Oncology Division of Memorial Cancer Institute provides a powerful combination of some of the latest technology, diagnostics and treatments to address cancer aggressively and comprehensively. Medical oncologists focus on new medications to help stop cancer growth and protect normal cells, using therapies that include:
- Chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells and keep them from multiplying
- Anti-angiogenic drugs to starve the cancer cells of blood needed to survive and grow
- Chemo-embolization to deliver anticancer drugs directly into tumors and block blood supplies
- Hormone therapy to inhibit cancer cells from getting the hormones needed to grow
- Immunotherapy to assist the body’s immune system in fighting disease and help minimize complications from chemotherapy
At the Forefront of Research and Genetic Screening
To provide the best possible treatments for patients, new anticancer treatments must continually be explored and developed. Memorial Cancer Institute is playing an active role in this effort, striving to remain at the forefront of research and new drug-related clinical trials. “We’re participating in 42 clinical trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, and 20 that are industry-sponsored,” says Jeffery Esham, Administrative Director of Cancer Services. The large number of trials that test revolutionary drugs brings doctors closer to finding a cure.
One significant study, for example, is being conducted at Memorial Cancer Institute to determine if a drug that has successfully treated late-stage colon cancer patients can also prevent the cancer from returning in early-stage patients who have undergone surgery.
Additionally, Memorial Cancer Institute is constantly developing innovative programs for cancer prevention, as well as screening patients’ families to try to detect the disease early. “We have the largest genetic screening program in South Florida,” says Atif Hussein, MD, FACP, Medical Director of the Memorial Cancer Institute. “By detecting cancer early, the cure scenarios we have identified would be realistic and practical for the majority of patients.”
If you are concerned about cancer and would like a referral to a physician, please call Memorial Physician Referral Service toll-free at (800) 944-DOCS. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.