SAN CARLOS, Calif. & HOLLYWOOD, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) announced today the addition of Memorial Cancer Institute (MCI) in Hollywood, Florida, a part of Memorial Healthcare Systems, to its 360 Community Hospital Centers of Excellence Program, which aims to improve individualized standard of care for lung cancer patients in the community hospital setting.
The Memorial Cancer Institute in Hollywood, Florida is the first community hospital in the nation selected to the program, after the Foundation’s successful pilot program at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California concluded last year.
“Through this program, we are creating lung cancer-specific centers of excellence in the community hospital setting,” said Bonnie J. Addario, a stage 3B survivor and founder of the ALCF. “We are thrilled to have Memorial Cancer Institute joins us to implement this new multi-disciplinary, patient-centric approach to standard of care. They receive our formal seal of excellence, signifying that no lung cancer patient is left behind.”
The designation means MCI reflects the Addario Foundation’s standards of care of providing an individualized approach to care, giving lung cancer patients access to the newest and most effective diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for their specific needs.
“This national and international designation recognizes our Lung Cancer Program for its outstanding clinical care, clinical research, quality outcomes, and survivorship program, all of which benefit our patients and their families,” said Luis Raez, MD, FACP, FCCP, MACSG, Medical Director, Memorial Cancer Institute. “We are honored to receive this designation.”
Because 80 percent of all cancer patients are seen in community hospitals, it’s critical to enhance the standard of care for lung cancer patients and, ultimately, improve survivability. The program is rigid in its standard of treatment and process, focusing on early detection, diagnosis, treatment and treatment monitoring, and patient follow up. The hallmark of the program’s standard of care is ensuring all patients receive molecular testing, which uses DNA, RNA and proteins to test for specific states of disease. In lung cancer, molecular testing is used to determine potential patient response to targeted therapy.
Preliminary metrics and data from the 2013 pilot program have shown that patient outcomes improved dramatically during the first year of the pilot stage.
- 100 percent of patients in the pilot program received molecular testing
- Diagnosis to treatment time improved 77 percent, from an average of 45 days down to 10 days
- 62 percent of patients in program underwent tumor board review
- Patient satisfaction was recorded as across the board: 100 percent
- 26 percent of patients treated were diagnosed at stage 2B or lower
While the understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer has improved, there is additional work to be done. In 2014 alone, more than 228,000 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S., and the American Cancer Society estimates nearly 160,000 Americans will die of the disease.
- Lung cancer takes more lives than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined and it accounts for 27 percent of all cancer deaths. It is the second leading cause of all deaths in the U.S.
- Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in every ethnic group and since 1987 has killed more women every year than breast cancer.
- The five-year survival rate for lung cancer has changed little in nearly 40 years – from 12 percent in 1970 to 16 percent today.
- This staggering loss of life has gone unnoticed too long, and the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is on a mission to change that.
- The ALCF funds clinical research that leads to life-saving discoveries and treatments and provides critical support services and educational programs to empower patients and create hope.
“The Foundation is powering progress through ground-up initiatives, educating patients to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change,” Addario said. “The ALCF is empowering patients to take a seat at the table wherever discussions are being made about their care. We are committed to improving the standard of care and believe that chronically managed lung cancer using molecular testing to determine personalized therapies is the future of lung cancer treatment and the pathway to increasing the survival rate.”
About the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is one of the largest philanthropies (patient-founded, patient-focused, and patient-driven) devoted exclusively to eradicating Lung Cancer through research, early detection, education, and treatment. The Foundation works with a diverse group of physicians, organizations, industry partners, individuals, survivors, and their families to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change. The ALCF was established on March 1, 2006 as a 501c(3) non-profit organization and has raised more than $10 million for lung cancer research.
About the Memorial Cancer Institute in Hollywood, Florida
Memorial Cancer Institute’s multidisciplinary approach to cancer care means that patients have a whole team of cancer specialists on their side. From highly trained physicians to skilled and compassionate nurses, therapists, technicians, social workers and support staff, each member of the team is a highly trained specialist in his or her field. Memorial Cancer Institute has locations at Memorial Regional Hospital and Memorial Hospital West, as well as Aventura. For more information, visit memorialcancerinstitute.com.
