Business & Leadership: Slidell Memorial Hospital Regional Cancer Center

Dr. Matthew McElveen

Slidell Memorial Hospital Regional Cancer Center has launched its comprehensive breast cancer program and clinic. The clinic brings together the disciplines that participate in breast cancer care, including medical and radiation oncology, cancer surgery and reconstructive surgery to provide cohesive and compassionate patient care.

Dr. Matthew McElveen is a medical oncologist and director of SMH Regional Cancer Center. “My professional mission is to improve cancer success rates and chances of cancer survival,” he said.

A Slidell resident and New Orleans native, Dr. McElveen received his undergraduate degree from the University of New Orleans. He received his medical degree and completed an internal medicine residency and oncology fellowship at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. His 18 years of practicing in St. Tammany give him a special connection with his patients here.

“I graduated medical school and had some difficulty finding exactly where I wanted to be until my first rotation in oncology, and then I knew that’s where I belonged. Cancer medicine is a little different from other fields in that you spend a lot more time with your patients and a part of you goes through the treatment process with them,” he said.

“You get to know your patients’ lives, their families, their children and even their grandchildren. They are the most gracious and thankful people for everything you do. That affects me deeply and is a reward I just can’t explain.”

The new comprehensive breast cancer program is being piloted through Dr. McElveen’s existing office while construction of the clinic is completed. To date, 40 patients have been through the new program and the outcomes have been exceptional.

“We average 7-21 days from diagnosis to treatment. Just that alone is an absolute win for our area. Patient response has been incredible. At the same appointment, your treatment plan is made and scheduled, and you walk out with everything you need from that appointment,” Dr. McElveen said.

In recent years, breast cancer has become an increasingly complex disease to treat. To help navigate treatment, the program facilitates appointments so that patients see all their physicians on the same visit. The physicians then discuss the plan in a post-visit conference, and the patient leaves that visit with a complete treatment plan. Treatment typically begins 7-10 days after this initial visit.

“We’ve dramatically compressed the amount of time from diagnosis to treatment,” Dr. McElveen said. “Outside of a comprehensive program like ours, that time frame can be 6-8 weeks. We’ve seen a minimum of 50% reduction in that.”

In 2021, taxpayers approved a millage renewal in part to fund this new program. “I say thank you for investing as a community and seeing this as an important issue. We all know people who have been affected by cancer. I feel privileged to work in a community and for an organization that takes seriously its commitment to improve the care and treatment options of breast cancer patients in our region,” Dr. McElveen said.

The SMH Regional Cancer Center is recognized by the Commission on Cancer from the American College of Surgeons as a Comprehensive Community Hospital Cancer Program. The new comprehensive cancer care clinic is slated to open at the end of this year.

SMH Regional Cancer Center, 1120 Robert Boulevard, Slidell, LA 70458(985) 280-6600, SlidellMemorial.org.