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Fox Chase Cancer Center

The reality of cancer is quite shocking. In 1994 alone, almost two million new cases will be diagnosed and about 538,000 people will die of cancer -- over 1,400 a day.

Even so, a 53 percent relative five-year survival rate is currently seen for all cancers. And, every year, the shocking reality of cancer lessens as survival rates continue to increase with early detection and proper treatment -- precisely the type of detection and treatment offered by the staff of the Cancer Program of St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton.

In fact, one could easily describe the St. Francis Medical Center Cancer Program in one word -- unique.

Unique because, for the past four years, St. Francis has been affiliated with the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, the national leader in the treatment of cancer. Fox Chase researchers are internationally known and have received numerous awards, including the Nobel Prize.

Physicians, nurses and other health-care professionals at the Fox Chase Center are engaged in cancer research, clinical trials, patient care and outreach programs -- all in an effort to control cancer.

As a major research center, Fox Chase offers a wide range of treatment options to patients, many of which are administered at Fox Chase Network hospitals like St. Francis. In fact, St. Francis Medical Center was the first New Jersey community hospital to join the Fox Chase Network, creating the St. Francis Cancer Program, making them one of a select group of 12 community hospitals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey working cooperatively with the Fox Chase Center to provide the latest in cancer prevention, detection and treatment to people in their own communities.

Through the Fox Chase Network, St. Francis cancer patients benefit from state-of-the-art diagnostic services, including CT scanner, and a nuclear medicine complex for three-dimensional imaging and ultrasound. An ongoing cancer education series, as well as hospice referrals, are among the support services St. Francis offers to cancer patients and their families. The result is world-class cancer care, closer to the comfort of patients' families and homes.

One of the most innovative opportunities local cancer patients have to realize from the St. Francis' partnership with the Network is participation in clinical trials. "We at St. Francis Medical Center are committed to cancer prevention trials and offer a number of them on site through Fox Chase Cancer Center," said Dr. Robert E. Reilly, director of St. Francis Cancer Center.

Unlike standard treatments, which are currently felt to be the most effective in fighting cancer, clinical trials are used to develop new ideas and approaches. Clinical trials help researchers learn which techniques are more effective than others in treating cancer. A patient participating in a clinical trial is monitored very carefully to gain more information about the new treatment and how well it compares to standard treatments.

Thus, by participating in a clinical trial, a cancer patient is the first to receive a new treatment, diagnostic technique, or approach to prevention before it becomes widely available. And, as such, the patient becomes aware of the first benefits, and quite possibly, the inherent risks ... risks which offer a cancer patient the hope of survival and often outweigh the devastating consequences of cancer.

Their partnership with Fox Chase is only the beginning of St. Francis' dedication to the treatment and prevention of cancer. As part of their cancer prevention program, St. Francis also offers free, often "standing room only" screenings for breast, skin and prostate cancer. These types of cancers combined account for nearly half of all new detected cancer cases. However, with regular screening, self-examination, and early detection, about 90 percent of these cancer patients could survive.

In addition, the hospital recently unveiled its new inpatient cancer unit. The 3B Oncology Unit is the second unit completed as part of the medical center's three-year, multi-million dollar renovation project which began in 1992. It is also the first unit in the hospital developed with the patient centered services model in mind. In this model, ancillary services are unit based so that patients will not have to be transported to different areas of the hospital for testing, treatment and care.

The cancer unit consists of such new features as an educational classroom, a kitchen/pantry for families to cook meals if they desire, a library/reading room, an expanded outpatient chemotherapy area, and an on-site pharmacy satellite.

Undoubtedly survival, whether it lasts for months or for many years, is a gift St. Francis hopes to give as many of their cancer patients as possible. "Survivors" are the eight million people across the nation (which statistically equals some two percent of the local population) who have been diagnosed with cancer and are alive today. Last month, St. Francis hosted an event which united over 200 area "survivors" in commemoration of National Cancer Survivor's Day ... truly the very best reason to celebrate.

Such a celebration is made possible by St. Francis Medical Center's partnership with the Fox Chase Network and their many programs, research techniques, technologies, skills and compassionate people who come together to bring the highest quality of cancer care closer to area residents than ever before.

Copyright Mercer County Chamber of Commerce Jul 1994
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