Chairman’s Report

Many of the people in Henderson County will remember 2020 for a multitude of reasons. Some individuals were diagnosed with cancer, some family members were found to have cancer, and some community members succumbed to the disease. Pardee Cancer Center continued to care for our oncology patients every day. Our providers prescribed and administered various forms of chemotherapy, radiated tissue to destroy the offending disease, and surgically removed malignant growths in an attempt to avoid spread to more distant sites. Other staff members offered their specific professional services during these various forms of therapy. Some provided guidance as patient’s progressed from one visit to another. Special financial counselors helped alleviate economic fears to our patients. And everyone at Pardee Cancer Center with an employee badge provided words of encouragement, ears to listen, tears, hugs, and comfort on a daily basis.

By the way, 2020 also brought the COVID-19 pandemic to the United States and specifically to our area. Did you see the impact it had on the care of our oncology patients as noted in the paragraph above? Neither did I. While the pandemic had an overwhelming impact on health care and our community in general, it did not have the capability to stop our oncology team from providing the necessary services to our neighbors. Yes, we had to make some modifications to the way that certain services would be provided so that our immunocompromised patients would actually be and feel safe. Every day our team members were there providing their expertise for our oncology service line. While we did not replace worn out hip and knee joints or remove cataracts in our operating rooms for a period of time, we continued to excise cancerous growths each morning because our patients did not have the ability to defer treatment. Fewer numbers of patients were seen in our primary care providers’ offices for routine visits, but we infused chemotherapy drugs daily while wearing extra protective devices for the safety of our patients and team members.

THOMAS L. EISENHAUER, MD, FACS

When performed appropriately, cancer care is complex and requires numerous individuals with varied areas of expertise. Over the years, our multidisciplinary cancer conference has reviewed thousands of patients and helped to create an appropriate treatment plan. This historically has been in a larger, conference room to allow an effective group discussion. With the distancing plan in place, we have had to create an effective substitute for what we had done in the past. We now meet in a “virtual” room digitally to continue our multidisciplinary approach for cancer care. I initially was concerned about this as it does not afford the immediate visual feedback in a conversation with our colleagues. Actually, it has allowed us to be more effective in some of our discussions. It also has given other colleagues the opportunity to participate with the conference at a distance who previously could not participate in person. While I hope that we transition in the future to some version of our previous in-person meetings, I do think that it will be some hybrid version to continue to allow others to participate even if they cannot be physically present in the actual conference room.

Pardee UNC Health Care’s oncology program continues to provide excellent cancer care. New techniques and treatments options are being utilized on a regular basis. Tracking patient outcomes with respect to their specific type and stage of cancer allows us to assess our ability to care for cancer patients. Our statistics show that we provide excellent oncologic care for the patients that we treat. We consider it an honor to provide this service to you. We want to share this privilege with you, our community, and trust you will allow us to continue to care for your cancer needs. 