St. Elizabeth Healthcare Oncologist Dr. Doug Flora welcomed regional leaders to discuss key themes related to cancer care advancements.
On Friday, May 16, Dr. Doug Flora hosted a roundtable with regional leaders to discuss advancements in cancer care and research with Dr. Arif Kamal, the Chief Patient Officer of the American Cancer Society (ACS). The ACS reports that one in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. To better educate and empower providers from the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati region, experts from the following organizations were also in attendance:
- Cincinnati Cancer Advisors
- Cincinnati Children’s
- Kroger Health
- Oncology Hematology Care
- St. Elizabeth Healthcare
- The Christ Hospital
- TriHealth
- UC Health
The key themes of the roundtable were:
Collaboration Over Competition
The discussion highlighted the importance of different groups working together to improve cancer care and research. This includes partnerships between health organizations, schools, companies, and even international cooperation. The goal is to enhance research, prevention, and fairness in cancer care for everyone.
No Cure Without Good Science and Supporting Clinical Trials
The importance of scientific progress and strong clinical trial programs was emphasized. Successes in increasing clinical trial enrollment, making trials more accessible within the community, and the impact of continuous research funding were highlighted. Breakthroughs in areas like immunotherapy, cellular therapy, antibody-drug conjugates, and oncolytic viruses were noted as direct results of strong scientific pursuit.
Moving to Prevention/Earlier Detection, Modifying Risk Factors, and Intercepting Cancer Early
The focus was on being proactive in cancer care. Key ideas included using food as medicine, setting up clinics for early detection and intervention in high-risk individuals, and improving cancer screening guidelines to catch cancer early when it’s most treatable.
Precision and Personalized Medicine is Critical and Accelerating
The discussion underscored how personalized medicine is rapidly advancing and changing cancer treatment. This involves using genetic profiling, large-scale exome sequencing projects, pharmacogenetics to tailor treatments like chemotherapy, and artificial intelligence to find the best personalized treatment paths.
Hope is Here: Unprecedented Progress in Cancer Care
The amazing progress in cancer care was discussed. This includes more people participating in clinical trials, advances in new therapies, a focus on prevention and early detection, the power of personalized medicine, and a spirit of collaboration. Future directions include moving towards more decentralized care models and maintaining a strong emphasis on empathy and compassion.
For more information on St. Elizabeth Cancer Care, visit www.stelizabeth.com/cancer.
