UC Health: Connecting to Conquer Cancer

UC Health: Connecting to Conquer Cancer

When we announced the formation of the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center in January 2020, the world was unknowingly hurtling into a global pandemic, around-the-world lockdowns and close to a million COVID-19-related deaths in the United States. However, it was perhaps the most critical time to assemble and organize cancer research.

The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center is a collaboration between the University of Cincinnati, UC Health and Cincinnati Children’s — each bringing their own rich legacy of top-tier care. Our common goal is to minimize the suffering and mortality associated with cancer in the Greater Cincinnati region and beyond. The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center provides the best possible care for our patients while training the next generation of cancer experts — all while being at the forefront of new advances and cutting-edge discoveries.

Subspecialists from across all disciplines meet weekly to discuss each patient’s specific needs, bringing a multidisciplinary approach to each case, with all the focus on our patients. We combine our years of experience, groundbreaking research, and access to the most innovative clinical trials in the region to deliver specialized, intentional care. Throughout their cancer journeys, all patients have customized, highly skilled care teams built specifically for them. Care teams include surgeons, oncologists, imaging specialists, pathologists, nurses and nurse navigators, genetic counselors, pharmacists, a wide variety of therapists and social workers, and post-treatment survivorship care team members.

Cincinnati’s No. 1 Preferred Cancer Care Provider

The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center is proud to be the No. 1 preferred provider for cancer care in the region, and we’re honored to take care of our patients. A cancer diagnosis is never easy, but we have the support in place to maintain and improve our patients’ overall quality of life.

These personalized services include acupuncture, the only oncology-specific primary care in the tri-state, sexual and reproductive health services, nutrition counseling, music therapy and

many more.

In 2022, an estimated 1.9 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in the United States — that’s a lot of unexpected, life-changing moments. When receiving a cancer diagnosis, it’s overwhelming to figure out where to start. The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center understands this, which is why the level of expertise in research, combined with subspecialized, holistic patient care, is something you won’t find anywhere else in the tri-state. At the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center, we know that in science, cancer is destroyed.

The Academic Difference

An important differentiator of academic medicine is access to the latest clinical trials. A clinical trial, or a research study, is a carefully planned test that combines the latest science and clinical care to help patients live longer. Research isn’t just a differentiator at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center; research is a core part of our mission.

The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center offers over 100 clinical trials at a time, providing patients with access to the newest and most innovative treatments. Patients who participate in clinical trials aren’t just receiving exclusive access to novel and unique treatments — these patients are playing an active role in their road to remission and are contributing to the greater good through medical research.

Our doctors can quickly bridge the research bench to the bedside. John C. Byrd, M.D., Gordon and Helen Hughes Taylor Chair of Internal Medicine at the UC College of Medicine, an internationally recognized cancer researcher, is currently spearheading the Beat AML study. This study focuses on highly specialized, personalized treatments for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Byrd is the national principal investigator for this trial.

Davendra Sohal, M.D., MPH, associate director of clinical/translational research at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center, experimental therapeutics and clinic medical director at UC Health, and associate professor at UC College of Medicine, is the national leader for a pancreatic cancer study. This study is determining whether a drug that shows promise in treating other cancers can also be effective for treating pancreatic cancer. The University of Cincinnati is the lead clinical institution for this important study.

Region’s Only Proton Therapy Center

Proton radiation therapy is a newer and more precise way to treat cancer, and the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center houses the only Proton Therapy Center in the region. In October 2021, the Proton Therapy Center completed enrollment in the FAST-01 clinical trial (Feasibility Study of FLASH Radiotherapy for the Treatment of Symptomatic Bone Metastases) — the first human study of FLASH therapy. FLASH, a new way of delivering radiation therapy, can administer a radiation treatment course in less than a second, and has been shown to significantly reduce side effects.

This trial is being led by John C. Breneman, M.D., medical director of the Cincinnati Children’s and UC Health Proton Therapy Center, UC Health radiation oncologist, and professor emeritus at the UC College of Medicine. The Proton Therapy Center is supported by Emily Daugherty, M.D., UC Health radiation oncologist and assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the UC College of Medicine, and Anthony Mascia,

Ph.D., DABR, director of medical physics at the Cincinnati Children’s and UC Health Proton Therapy Center, and adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the UC College of Medicine.

During the past two years, UC Health and Cincinnati Children’s have remained focused on delivering the best patient care, despite lockdowns or surges related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, while the University of Cincinnati has continued to provide world-class education in an ever-changing virtual environment. The formation of the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center provided the structure to support sustained and targeted movement forward for cancer care, research and innovations.

We know that in science lives hope, and at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center, we recognize that in science, cancer is destroyed. Hope and science go hand in hand — it’s ingrained in our everyday work.

Want to see how the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center uses science to create hope and destroy cancer? If you would like to make an appointment or would like a second opinion, please call us at 513.585.UCCC.

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