creating hope OCTOBER 2012
Quick answers provide hope, relieve stress
Fast response makes a difference to the Undiagnosed Breast Clinic’s first patient at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center By Michelle Talsma Everson
A
s a busy wife, mom and grandmother, Leaann Benzer already had a lot on her plate without having to worry about the potential of breast cancer. But, when she found a lump during a self exam, she quickly booked a mammogram. With a family history of breast cancer, she wasn’t taking any chances. When the results of the mammogram came back abnormal, Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center on the Banner Gateway Campus, was her first choice to investigate further. “They [Banner MD Anderson] called me, saying they had my records, and I booked an appointment with Dr. Byrum,” she explains. “The only reason I had to wait for an appointment at the Undiagnosed Breast Clinic was because I was the first one to go through the clinic.”
Expect results Dr. Stephanie Byrum is a general surgeon at Banner MD Anderson with special training in the treatment of breast diseases. She explains that the Undiagnosed Breast Clinic, which opened this past April, is a place where
Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center patient Leaann Benzer, with her surgeon, Dr. Stephanie Byrum.
inside 2 Clinical trials
6 Raising awareness
3 Volunteers give back
7 Saving lives, one year later
4 Genetic family history
8 Events
5 Ask the expert
Clinical trials lead to new treatments By Stephanie Conner
Leaann Benzer’s breast cancer was caught in the early stages. women who suspect breast cancer can expect quick answers and results. “A patient can get imaging done, have a biopsy performed, get results, and meet with physicians within a 24-hour turnaround,” Byrum says. “Whatever the results, there is a sense of relief knowing that either they are okay or that they have a treatment plan in place.” In her experience, Benzer had a biopsy performed in the morning and had results by that afternoon. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with breast cancer; luckily, it was in its early stages. She quickly picked a surgery date and had a lumpectomy performed. After the surgery, she had another procedure to remove excess tissue, underwent several weeks of radiation, and is now on oral pills to continue treating the disease.
Patient support “Nobody would choose to have cancer, but as far as dealing with Banner MD Anderson, they were wonderful,” Benzer says. “They were always friendly and up-to-date; I know that I’ve done everything I can do to fight this disease.”
2
O ctober 2 0 1 2 creat i n g h o p e
Byrum says that Benzer’s case went “smoothly and remarkably well” because her disease was caught in the early stages and the treatment took place in such a short time. She also notes that Benzer’s case exemplifies one of the main missions of the clinic: to catch any potential cancer in the earliest possible stage because, the earlier it’s discovered, the more successful the treatment. “Our goals with the Undiagnosed Breast Clinic are to eventually have daily operation (the clinic is currently open one day a week), continue to have result turnaround within 24 hours, and to continue to serve more patients,” Byrum says. “The quick service helps to relieve that anxiety and provide relief. Everything we do is about supporting the patient.” If a patient is confirmed to have cancer at the Undiagnosed Breast Clinic, Banner MD Anderson is home to a wide variety of cutting-edge treatments and experts in the field as part of their Comprehensive Breast Program. To schedule an appointment in the Undiagnosed Breast Clinic, call 480-256-6444.
At Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, a growing clinical trials program is helping patients today and in the future. “Clinical trials are important because they provide patients with access to innovative therapies and treatments that wouldn’t be available outside of research,” says Lee Seabrooke, M.A., MBA, the Center’s Director of Research. The program currently offers drug trials that are in phases II and III — meaning the drugs are being tested to ensure they are effective (phase II) and that they’re more effective than the current standard of care or as effective with fewer side effects (phase III). Four trials — including trials for pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer and chronic lymphocytic leukemia — are actively enrolling patients who meet very specific criteria. And that’s just the beginning, which is an impressive start for the first year. “In addition to the current trials, we have a growing pipeline of about 18 trials that will be offered in the near future,” Seabrooke says. Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center has been officially accepted into the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and Gynecology Oncology Group (GOG) as an affiliate of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. The SWOG and GOG memberships represent major steps for the research program at Banner MD Anderson that will provide additional access for our patients to new and innovative therapies within NCI sponsored clinical trials. If you’re interested in learning more about the clinical trials offered at Banner MD Anderson, call the main line at 480-256-6444.
Giving back ‘feels good’ Volunteers at Banner MD Anderson try to ease patients’ way By Debra Gelbart
A
s a volunteer at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, Anna Ortega wants to be “the person I wish I could have met” when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer seven years ago at 45. Told then that the cancer had spread to her bones and that she was considered terminal, Ortega relied on her strong faith, upbeat attitude and her “fantastic doctors, who were eager to learn as much as I was eager to live and who never treated me like a victim.” Living in New York City at the time, she longed to meet a survivor of Stage 4 cancer. She and her husband moved to the Valley in 2009, about four years after her diagnosis. The dry climate here eases the achiness in her bones. They settled in Gilbert, close to what would soon become the newest cancer center in Greater Phoenix bringing together Banner Health and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
First a patient, then a volunteer Steve Playford’s journey to volunteering began when he was a patient at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center. He and his wife live just a mile away from the center. After he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, his urologist left town for six weeks, so he decided to attend an open house held at the cancer center last summer before it officially opened. He said one of the doctors there spoke with him for 45 minutes about his diagnosis. Playford, 64, toured the new facility and was so impressed with the level of caring he encountered, he became a patient of one of the urologists at Banner MD Ander-
Cancer survivor Anna Ortega gives back by volunteering at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center. son. After he completed his treatment, he decided to become a volunteer. Now, every Tuesday morning, he volunteers in radiation oncology for four hours.
Rewards, opportunities are plentiful Ortega also was eager to give back and volunteer. She, too, was assigned to the radiation oncology department, where she would greet patients and escort them to their treatment. Then, she was asked if she would like to volunteer in the Boutique of Hope, which sells breast prostheses, wigs and accessories for cancer patients. Ortega jumped at the chance to “help women get through cancer, which tries to rob them of so much.” She is now training to become a certified prosthesis fitter. Without a doubt, she said, the best part of volunteering is “meeting people whose eyes light up when they find out I’m a Stage 4 survivor. I love knowing that they get a measure of hope when we talk.” Shelly Orona, the volunteer program coordinator at Banner MD Anderson
Cancer Center, said Ortega and Playford are two of about 100 volunteers at the center. She said volunteers must be at least 18 years old and be willing to be interviewed, undergo a background check, pass a health screening and attend a volunteer orientation. Each volunteer is asked to work a four-hour shift each week. “The most meaningful thing a volunteer can do is simply listen when a patient wants to talk,” Orona said. “Everyone can use a ray of sunshine in their day and that’s what we hope to accomplish through our volunteers.” Orona said volunteers can work at the information desk, in the Boutique of Hope, in diagnostic imaging, in the infusion center where patients receive chemotherapy treatments, in radiation oncology and in the learning center. “This couldn’t be a better place — for volunteers and patients,” Playford said. “It’s as leading-edge, as professional and as compassionate as you will ever deal with.” To become a volunteer, contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 480-256-3216. BannerMDAnderson.com
3
Climbing the genetic family tree Big questions when looking at your family’s cancer history By Brian Sodoma
T
echnology and the Internet have helped many re-connect with old friends and family members. Coupled with the mapping of the human genome people want to reconnect with their ancestry in a more personalized way. With genetic family trees, one can gain great insight into health pre-dispositions and even hereditary cancer risk. April O’Connor, director of the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Clinical Genetics Program, is a certified genetic counselor. The genetics expert facilitates family history discussions with her patients and guides them in the process of constructing their cancer-focused genetic family tree. She helps people look at least three generations (child, parent, grandparent, aunts/ uncles, cousins) into their family history to enable them to better assess and understand their hereditary cancer risk. Here, O’Connor shares some important questions she asks of her patients when constructing cancerfocused genetic family trees: • Age? What is a family member’s age, and if they developed cancer, how old were they at diagnosis? If an individual was under 50, that can be a red flag for hereditary cancer, O’Connor says. • Cancer Type? Was it a rare form of cancer, like ovarian or male breast cancer? Was it a recurrence or a new primary? What type of cancer was it? For example, if it was thyroid cancer, was it medullary, papillary or follicular? • In Breast Cancer: It is important to
4
O ctober 2 0 1 2 creat i n g h o p e
know if the cancer occurred in one breast or both breasts at the same time. Bilateral (both breasts) breast cancer is more concerning for the possibility of a hereditary predisposition to cancer, the genetic counselor says. • Two cancers? Is the family history significant for individuals who had two separate primary cancers of a different type? Colon and endometrial cancer or breast and ovarian cancer in the same individual, for example, can be associated with a hereditary cancer syndrome, O’Connor explains. • How Many? How many people in the family had a certain type of cancer? If there are many relatives with the same type of cancer, particularly on one side of a family, the family history is more suspicious for a hereditary cancer syndrome.
• Ethnic Background? Individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish decent, for example, have an increased risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, O’Connor adds. There are parallels associated with other ethnicities as well. • Prophylactic Surgery? It’s important to ask family members if they’ve had prophylactic surgeries such as a hysterectomy and oophorectomy. A family history may not look suspicious for a hereditary cancer syndrome because of a lack of that cancer type in relatives due to these surgeries removing the at-risk organs. Learn more about family histories on our website at www.bannermdanderson. com. For appointments with the Clinical Cancer Genetics program, please call 480-256-6444.
askthe expert Bryan Wong, MD, PhD, an oncologist from Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert, discusses the importance of prostate screenings for early detection of prostate cancer By Alison Stanton
T
his year, Wong said, prostate cancer will be diagnosed in approximately 240,000 patients and is the most common form of cancer in men in the United States after nonmelanoma skin cancers. It is the second most common cause of cancer related-death, after lung cancer, with around 28,000 men predicted to die in 2012 in the U.S. from the disease. “For men in the U.S., the overall estimated lifetime risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer is approximately one in six, with risk of death approximately one in 34,� he said. With these sobering statistics in mind, Wong answered several questions about prostate screening exams:
Q:
Why are prostate exams important?
A:
The idea behind screening is to identify patients so that we may intervene early and reduce morbidity and mortality from this disease. Outcome correlates with a variety of factors, especially with the extent of disease at the time of diagnosis.
What does the procedure entail? About how long does it take, and is it painful?
Q:
A:
Screening for prostate cancer may involve one or more tests,
possibly including a blood test for prostate specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal examination. The PSA test is a blood test drawn by taking a blood sample from a vein, and the digital rectal examination is performed in a physician’s office to feel for abnormalities of the prostate. Patients may experience some pressure and a sensation of urgency to urinate. There may be some discomfort if the prostate gland is irritated or swollen, or if there are nearby fissures or sores. There may be a small risk of bleeding, for example, if there are hemorrhoids.
Q:
Does everyone need to undergo screening?
A:
There is still controversy about whether screening is warranted, as debate remains as to how much benefit is derived from screening populations, as well as recognizing issues
For more information about prostate cancer, visit bannermdanderson.com.
including potential for overdiagnosis, complications of treatment, and impact on quality of life. Different groups such as the American Urologic Association (AUA), American Cancer Society (ACS), and United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) may have differing opinions. The decision to screen for prostate cancer should involve a discussion between the patient and health care provider regarding the benefits and risks of screening.
Q:
When should men start getting prostate exams?
A:
When the decision is made to screen, recommendations for timing may vary between groups. For example, the ACS suggests screening to begin at age 50 in patients with life expectancy felt to be more than 10 years. For patients felt to be at higher risk, such as African Americans, patients with a family history of prostate cancer, and the presence of some genetic predispositions, consideration may be given to screen perhaps five to ten years earlier. BannerMDAnderson.com
5
A Center of Excellence
O
nce patients meet with a physician in the Undiagnosed Breast Clinic, they take a short walk to the Women’s Imaging Center for appropriate testing. From diagnostic mammography and MRI to ultrasound and image-guided biopsies, this imaging center is second to none. The center is now designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology (ACR). This designation is awarded to breast imaging centers that achieve excellence in all of the ACR’s voluntary breast-imaging accreditation programs.
The accreditation certifies that Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center has achieved high practice standards in image quality, personnel qualifications, facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs. Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Breast Center is now fully accredited in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy. Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center is proud to be the first Banner Health facility in Arizona to acquire the Breast Imaging Center of Excellence accreditation and is proud to be among an
elite group of breast imaging centers that have achieved this designation. The Breast Imaging Center of Excellence designation reflects the importance we place on providing the highest quality of care to our patients. To make an appointment at the Women’s Imaging Center, please call 480-543-6900.
Banner Health and Bashas’
partner to raise awareness, funds for Banner MD Anderson
A
s the largest nonprofit health care system in Arizona, Banner Health relies on the generous support of individuals, corporations and foundations to deliver on its promise to provide the best patient care. Patients deserve a highly integrated experience, and many of the programs and services made possible through philanthropy are an enormous part of that experience. The Bashas’ family of stores is one of many corporations that are helping
build a stronger, healthier community. During the month of October, Bashas’ asks you to Join Our Team in the Fight Against Breast Cancer. Banner Health has partnered with Bashas’ for an exciting in-store promotion to benefit breast cancer programs at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center. Throughout October, all Arizona Bashas’ and Food City stores will sell special pink icons for $1 each, with all proceeds benefitting breast cancer programs and services at Banner MD
for more info: Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center On the campus of Banner Gateway Medical Center U.S. 60 and Higley Road in Gilbert Schedule an appointment: (480) 256-6444
6
O ctober 2 0 1 2 creat i n g h o p e
Follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/bannermdanderson Check out our website bannermdanderson.com
Anderson. In addition, beginning October 1 and continuing through the end of the year, 10 cents from each case of Bashas’ pink-labeled bottled water sold will support the cancer center. Bashas’ and Food City locations in the Phoenix Metro area will also be collecting donations at checkout and will sell specially marked pink items in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All of these proceeds will be donated to Banner MD Anderson.
‘Everyone said … go to Banner MD Anderson’ One year later, Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center has saved lives, made a difference in battle against cancer By Stephanie Conner
W
hen Linda Deutsch had her regular screening mammogram last year, the radiologist decided to biopsy a lump in her breast. “I was diagnosed with breast cancer on a Friday,” Deutsch, 62, recalls. “And Banner MD Anderson opened on Monday.” It’s a year later, and she’s just one of the more than 3,500 people helped by Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert. “I was in such a stupor when I found out, but everyone I talked to said to go to Banner MD Anderson,” she says, and when she met with the doctors and staff, she knew it was a good decision. “I liked everyone I met with. … I had a good feeling. I felt comfortable.”
Our approach With a lot of diseases, diagnosis and treatment are straightforward, says Edgardo Rivera, M.D., the Cancer Center’s medical director. But cancer isn’t like that. “Cancer is not like any other disease,” he says. “With a few exceptions, cancer essentially has become a multi-modality type of disease…you might need feedback from a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist and surgeon. You need support services like pharmacy, psychology, physical therapy, genetics.” As it’s developed over the past year, Banner MD Anderson has made it a point to focus on not just the treatment of cancer, but also on prevention and survivorship services. “For a cancer patient,” Rivera says, “it’s also about what happens on their journey even once they finish treatment.” As the Cancer Center commemorates its first anniversary, there is much
Linda Deutsch is one of hundreds of patients who have benefited by coming to Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in the hospital’s first year. to celebrate, including the opening of the building itself, the hiring of nationally and internationally known experts, the development of a clinical trial program and more. But perhaps most important is people like Deutsch and Manny Fimbres — people who have fought cancer inside these walls.
Beating cancer In November, Deutsch underwent a surgery, called a lumpectomy, to remove the lump in her breast. Eight days later, after an examination of the lymph nodes showed the cancer had spread, she had surgery to remove the lymph nodes under the arm. That was followed by six months of chemotherapy and then two months of radiation treatment. “The people I worked with were all terrific,” she says. “They really took care of me and made me feel safe.” When Fimbres, 43, was looking for an oncologist, he and his wife struggled to find a doctor they liked — until a friend
recommended Banner MD Anderson. “We went to the building to do a tour. We were sold by their attitude and their demeanor,” he remembers. “They were so nice. You were a person, not just another number on a medical record. … There was no doubt I was getting treatment there.” Treating Fimbres’ anal cancer involved a very aggressive six weeks of biweekly chemotherapy and daily (Monday through Friday) radiation therapy. Today, the cancer is in remission, and Fimbres’ doctor is monitoring him closely. “Luckily enough, my cancer was not that fully developed,” he says. “I got there just in time to get treated.” For Deutsch, while she’s continued to work and enjoy activities such as bike riding through her treatments, one thing she hasn’t been able to do is travel. With cancer treatment behind her, she’s looking forward to traveling to Boston to visit her daughter and grandkids — which is just the beginning. “I look forward to having my life back,” she says. BannerMDAnderson.com
7
PRESORTED STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID LONG BEACH, CA PERMIT NO.1677
Events and Classes B anner MD Anderson Cancer Center offers a
variety of classes and support groups to assist cancer survivors and their support teams.
These classes are free and open to the public. Classes
are held at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2946 E. Banner Gateway Drive, Gilbert, AZ, 85234.
Living and Coping with Cancer Support Group 5:30 p.m., Third Tuesday of each month A therapeutic support group led by licensed social workers to encourage hope and healing for all cancer survivors. Support is welcome to attend but please no children under 16 years of age.
Journey to Wellness Group 4 p.m., Third Wednesday of each month A wellness education group led by a registered dietitian and exercise physiologist that promotes healthy lifestyles. A different topic is discussed every month. October – beginning a backyard Organic Garden November – Cancelled due to holiday December – Having a Healthy Holiday (Nutrition and Exercise)
Nutrition during Cancer Treatment 9 a.m., First Tuesday of each month A registered dietician will discuss optimal nutrition for cancer patients. You will learn how to preserve lead body mass, decrease risk of infection, maintain physical strength and improve your tolerance to cancer treatment.
Chemotherapy Class 3 p.m., First and Third Thursdays of each month Patients and caregivers are encouraged to attend this introductory class to cancer, chemotherapy and side effect management. Our nursing and pharmacy staff will help you better understand how chemotherapy works and offer helpful tips for managing common side effects such as low blood counts, nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, and much more.
For questions, contact the Health and Wellness Coordinator at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center at 480-256-4141.
To schedule an appointment, call 480-256-6444