HEALTHCARE
State-of-the-Art Cancer Care at New Jersey ’ s Top Hospitals
Novel , breakthrough therapies are expanding , improving and changing patient care .
Compiled by Miles Z . Epstein Editor , COMMERCE
By unravelling the mystery of cancer cell
dormancy , researchers could find ways to detect these dangerous cells and then eliminate them or stop them from waking up . In addition , getting drugs inside the cancer cells they need to destroy is a major problem that scientists face when designing new treatments . While many such issues call for more research and clinical trials , progress is being made in how cancer is being treated at New Jersey ’ s top hospitals . Here is a snapshot of the advances that are saving lives right here and right now in New Jersey .
Atlantic Health System Cancer Care By Eric Whitman , M . D ., Medical Director
With 250 cancer professionals , Atlantic Health System Cancer Care offers the latest immunotherapy , biological therapy , chemotherapy , radiotherapy and surgical oncology treatments and unparalleled access to promising clinical trials , including CAR-T therapy , cancer vaccines and cancer metabolism — all in a safe environment . We affiliated with the Translational Genomics Research Institute ( TGen ) to create the Breakthrough Oncology Accelerator , a pioneering research and clinical collaboration that increases patient access to the most innovative cancer therapies . Last year , we opened the Phase I Breakthrough Treatment Center to complement our broad-based clinical research program . We were also named lead affiliate of Atlantic Health Cancer Consortium — the only New Jersey-based National Cancer Institute ( NCI ) Community Oncology Research Program ( NCORP ). The NCORP develops and implements NCI cancer prevention , screening , care delivery and treatment studies with leading healthcare systems across the state . Our cancer care services continue to grow , with the October opening of Morristown
With 250 cancer professionals , Atlantic Health System Cancer Care offers the latest immunotherapy , biological therapy , chemotherapy , radiotherapy and surgical oncology treatments and unparalleled access to promising clinical trials .
Medical Center ’ s newly expanded state-of-the-art , patient-centered Infusion Center at the Carol G . Simon Cancer Center . The first of three phases of expansion of New Jersey ’ s pre-eminent cancer center , the new center was designed with patient comfort and safety in mind , to meet a 40 percent increase in demand for our infusion services .
Hackensack Meridian Health , Hackensack University Medical Center By Andre Goy , M . D ., Chairman and Executive Director , John Theurer Cancer Center
The John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center was recently recognized by U . S . News & World Report as the best cancer center in New Jersey . This recognition reflects our strong focus on clinical science ; with more than 85 adult oncology research team members supporting more than 450 clinical trials of novel and promising treatment alternatives . Our heme malignancies and cell therapy program has now expanded to MedStar Lombardi in Washington D . C . and performs more than 500 bone marrow transplants annually . We are at the forefront of immunotherapy , from initiating the first CAR T-cell therapy in New Jersey , to becoming the first certified center in the state to offer this revolutionary treatment , in which a patient ’ s own immune cells ( T-cells ) are trained to fight cancer . The therapy is now approved in several types of relapsed / refractory Non-Hodgkin lymphoma as well as B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia . Through our collaboration with Hackensack Meridian Health ’ s Center for Discovery and Innovation ( CDI ) we have a strong focus on drug discovery and molecular genetics . We also have the largest robotic program in New Jersey , conducting more minimally invasive cancer surgeries than any other center in New Jersey and among the top three in the New York metro area .
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Dreamstime
By unravelling the mystery of cancer cell dormancy , researchers could find ways to detect these dangerous cells and then eliminate them or stop them from waking up .
A 3D rendering of a Natural Killer Cell ( NK Cell ) destroying a cancer cell .
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