FORWARD
ADVANCING CANCER TREATMENT
The Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute is at the forefront of personalized immunotherapy treatment and research BY SETH SOFFIAN
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No two people are the same, so no two cancers are the same. At the esteemed Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute, led by world-renowned oncologist Dr. Eduardo M. Sotomayor, a heavy emphasis on personalized cancer treatment includes taking advantage of the important progress in the growing field and the application of immunotherapy, which holds out more than just great promise in oncology. Born decades ago from an elegantly simple idea—to use the body’s immune system rather than foreign substances to fight cancer— immunotherapy has achieved extraordinary results with some cancers, even those in advanced stages. “It’s been a game changer,” said Dr. Abraham B. Schwarzberg, senior vice president and chief of Oncology and Network Development at Tampa General Hospital, recognized in the
top 10 percent in the nation for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report for 2021-22. “It’s allowed the body to fight the cancer as if it’s an infection. We have patients now where their cancers basically melt away, and very often, if it works the way it’s supposed to, they can have the cancer either not come back for years or not come back at all. It’s completely changed the conversation.” Immunotherapy, a broad term that includes a range of treatments at the cellular level, is hardly a magic cure-all. Its success rates vary with different types of cancers. And revving up the body’s powerful immune response—through treatments delivered intravenously, orally, topically, or in other customary fashions—can have significant side effects as well. It is not yet as widely used as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, according to the National Cancer
ADVANCES
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