National Comprehensive Cancer Network

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For Patients

NCCN Research & Business Resources


Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia, Pennyslvania
888.369.2427
www.fccc.edu

Adult Oncology Services

Introduction

Multidisciplinary Teams

Multidisciplinary teams work together to provide a coordinated approach to treatment to meet the needs of every patient.

Special Expertise

Specialty Centers include:

· Risk assessment programs for people with a family history and other risk factors for specific cancers (breast and/or ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, and melanoma)

· Multidisciplinary treatment programs for adult solid tumors and hematologic malignancies

· Pain and Palliative Care Program

· Lippincott Family Hospice Program

Other areas of expertise include:

· Advanced laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgical techniques, including robotic-assisted surgery with da Vinci

· Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS)

· Transoral laser surgery

· Maxillofacial prosthetics, microsurgery, and reconstruction for head and neck cancers

· Advanced breast reconstruction using tissue-transfer procedures

· Immunotherapy with specially developed antibodies or therapeutic vaccines

· Radiofrequency ablation

· Interventional bronchoscopy and radiology

· Photodynamic therapy

· Endoscopic ultrasound and various interventional endoscopy procedures for gastrointestinal cancers

Fox Chase's state-of-the-art radiation oncology department offers advanced and precise treatment delivery with the newest technologies. Physicians at the Center are leaders in using image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and have the most experience in the Philadelphia region with intensity-modulated radiation therapy delivery (IMRT). In addition, Fox Chase developed three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT). The Center also offers advanced stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS/SRT); brachytherapy (both high-dose and low-dose for implanted radiation therapy delivery); and high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), which allows for the heating and ablation of tumors.

Simulation technology includes CT simulation, MR simulation and PET/CT simulation allowing for the most precise radiation treatment planning available. A full spectrum of image-guided technology for localization includes BAT (B-mode Acquisition and Targeting) ultrasound, CT-on-Rails and Calypso 4-D Localization System, all allowing for verification of exact positioning before and during treatment, ensuring accurate and precise treatment delivery.

Fox Chase has the latest linear accelerators: Trilogy by Varian with Rapid Arc; GE Oncology Wide Bore 16-slice simulator; and GE 1.5T MR with spectroscopy capabilities and high intensity ultrasound.

General Information

General Information

1.888.FOX.CHASE (1.888.369.2427)

Referring Physician Line

1.888.FOX.CHASE (1.888.369.2427)

Location

Philadelphia, PA

Facility

Campus is in Northeast Philadelphia.

Travel Assistance

Travel assistance is offered. Call 215.728.3628.

Lodging

Available through furnished apartments and local hotels that offer a special rate for patients and their families. To arrange, call 215.728.3628.

Treatment

Multidisciplinary Clinics

Clinic

Contact Number

Breast Evaluation Center
Gastrointestinal Cancers
Genitourinary Cancers
Gynecologic Cancer Center
Head and Neck Cancer Center
Hematologic Cancer Center
Lung Cancer
Neuroendocrine Cancers
Neurological Cancers
Pigmented Skin Lesions
Sarcomas

215.728.2570

Stem-Cell Transplant Program

The Fox Chase-Temple Bone-Marrow Transplant Program offers bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, including collection and laboratory processing. The program has performed more than 1,000 transplants since opening in 1988. It occupies a state-of-the-art facility at Jeanes Hospital, an affiliate of the Temple University Health System, and is located adjacent to Fox Chase Cancer Center. The program offers both autologous (self-donor) and allogeneic (donor) transplants in adults. Allogeneic transplants may come from either matched related or matched unrelated donors. The Fox Chase-Temple Bone-Marrow Transplant Program offers treatment protocols for patients aged 16 through 70. For patients over 40 or those who do not qualify for high-intensity regimens, low-intensity or mini-transplant programs are available using matched related or unrelated donors.

The Fox Chase-Temple program is fully accredited by the National Marrow Donor Program and the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), which has awarded the program its prestigious Level I status.

Cancer Prevention and Screening

Margaret Dyson Family Risk Assessment Program

800.325.4145 or 215.728.2795

Melanoma Family Risk Assessment Program

215.214.1448

Gastrointestinal Tumor Risk Assessment Program

215.728.7041

Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment Program

215.728.2406

Services of Fox Chase's risk assessment programs include education, a personal review of one's risk for cancer, screening and screening recommendations, and counseling about genetic testing, if appropriate.

In addition, screening programs for the community are provided at a reduced cost to individuals through corporate and community outreach services, which bring on-site screening to workplaces and community organizations. For more information, call 215.728.3554.

Support Services

1.888.FOX CHASE (1.888.369.2427)

This toll-free phone line gives easy access to Fox Chase for patients and family members. Oncology-certified nurses answer questions about cancer, treatment options, and more Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

CarePages

CarePages are free, private, personalized Web pages for patients and families at Fox Chase. The service helps patients keep others up to date on their progress both during and following treatment. Visit www.carepages.com/fccc.

Live Help

Patients and family members can connect with a trained cancer education specialist online to get answers to cancer-related questions in real-time. This service is available Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. At all other times, users may e-mail their questions and receive a response within one to two business days. Visit www.fccc.edu/cancer/liveHelp.html.

Social Work Services

215-728-2668

This department offers professional counseling and support for patients and families in coping with cancer at all stages of diagnosis and treatment. Practical problems are also addressed such as transportation, accommodations for family members, nursing home placement, insurance, and financial concerns.

Support Groups

Social Work Services offers a number of support groups for patients and their families. These include:

· Bereavement Support Group: Offers support for families dealing with the loss of a loved one to cancer.

· Breast Cancer Support Group: Offers support to women with a diagnosis of breast cancer. Participants can join at any time during or after treatment for support, information and sharing.

· Esophagectomy Support Group: Helps esophagectomy patients learn about this procedure and offers a forum for sharing their experiences with others. Group is composed of newly diagnosed people, people undergoing treatment, and post-treatment patients who can share successful ways of coping.

· Head & Neck Support Group: Offers education and support for patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Family members are also welcomed. Educational services are also provided by a speech therapist, physical therapist, clinical nurse specialist, and social worker.

· Kidney Cancer Support Group: Co-sponsored by the Kidney Cancer Association to offer support for people diagnosed with kidney cancer.

· Kids' Night Out: Offers school-aged children the chance to address general issues related to parental cancer through art and play activities. There is a group for parents that meets at the same time.

· Laryngectomy Group ("The Speak Eezy Club of Delaware Valley"): Provides free speech therapy and psychosocial support to patients and their families.

· Look Good… Feel Better: This free program, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, helps women cancer patients learn new ways of dealing with changes in appearance that may occur throughout chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Licensed cosmetologists with special training related to skin care, hair loss and nail care teach makeup, hair styling, and grooming techniques. Participants practice these techniques using products donated by the cosmetic industry.

· Ostomy Support Group: Offers support for patients who have had surgery such as a colostomy or ileostomy.

For more information about support groups at Fox Chase, call 215.728.2668.

Survivor Clinics

Through Fox Chase's Survivor Clinics, advance practice clinicians continue to provide care and address the needs of patients who have completed their cancer treatment. For more information, call 1.888.FOX CHASE (1.888.369.2427).

Supportive Care

Pain and Palliative Care Program

215.728.3544.

This program provides palliative care-pain management-for patients at any time during their illness, often starting at diagnosis. While palliative care and hospice services overlap in their patient-centered philosophy of care, palliative care is often part of a curative, life-prolonging treatment. One of the few such centers in the nation, the staff develops an individual care plan to provide the fastest pain relief in the most effective way with the fewest side effects. Nurses are on call at all times, and provide intensive education and support for patients.

Lippincott Family Hospice Program

215.728.3011

Fox Chase Cancer Center's Lippincott Family Hospice Program provides supportive in-home services for adult cancer patients and their families through a team of medically supervised, skilled health professionals, all of whom have special training and sensitivity to terminally ill cancer patients and their families. The care focuses on comfort in the final stages of life, rather than on cure, addressing the needs of the entire person, including medical, spiritual, and psychosocial support. The program serves patients in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Lower Bucks, and Delaware counties.

The hospice program is Medicare-certified as a hospice provider, licensed in the state of Pennsylvania, and accredited by The Joint Commission. The service is a provider member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the Pennsylvania Hospice Network. Physicians, other health-care professionals, patients, and families may initiate referrals to the program.

The Lippincott Family Hospice Program offers the following services:

Nursing Care

Registered nurses specializing in cancer and hospice care provide supportive nursing services aimed at managing and controlling pain and other symptoms caused by illness. Nursing support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Social Work

A social worker with expertise in the medical aspects of terminal illness assesses the needs of patients and caregivers, and provides counseling. This facilitates adjustment to the illness and secures resources that allow patients to remain in the company of family and friends.

Pastoral Counseling

A specially trained interdenominational chaplain provides services aimed at strengthening and reinforcing patients' spiritual comfort throughout their illness.

Certified Nursing Assistants

Trained and supervised aides provide personal-care services, such as bathing, feeding, toileting, and skin care.

Hospice Volunteers

Specially trained volunteers can help support patient and family needs.

Medical Equipment, Supplies, and Medications

Medical items and medications related to the terminal illness may be provided directly through the service or arranged through outside suppliers.

Nutrition Support Services

215.728.4756

Nutrition Support Services at Fox Chase provides nutrition assessment and evaluation for patients receiving specialized nutrition such as enteral or parenteral nutrition. The service is directed by a doctor who specializes in oncologic gastroenterology and provided by a registered, licensed dietician specializing in nutrition support. Services are available to both inpatients and outpatients.

Outpatient Nutrition Clinic

215.728.2600

Cancer patients being treated on an outpatient basis have access to Fox Chase's Outpatient Nutrition Clinic, available on Friday afternoons. Patients may make an appointment for a one-on-one consultation with the dietician if they are having trouble maintaining their weight during treatment or have other nutrition questions or problems. There is no referral or payment required for the service. Patients needing help may call to speak with the dietician at any time.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

215.728.2592

The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department at Fox Chase offers occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and lymphedema therapy (using complete decongestive physiotherapy). Services are available to both inpatients and outpatients.

Respiratory Care

215-728-3515

Registered respiratory therapists (RRT) and certified respiratory therapy technicians (CRTT), under the direction of a pulmonary physician, help patients minimize heart and lung disease symptoms and maximize their strength. Respiratory care services are also important in caring for the critically ill and providing valuable diagnostic information for doctors.

Cooperative Group Membership

Cooperative Group Membership List

· American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG)

· National Cancer Institute's Clinical Trials Support Unit (CTSU)

· Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)

· Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG)

· Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG)

· Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG)

Activities in Cooperative Group

Committee chairs and membership

Average Number of Adult Clinical Trials

225

Clinical and Research Efforts

The Keystone Programs for Collaborative Discovery are a suite of innovative team-based cancer research initiatives launched by Fox Chase Cancer Center in February 2008. At the heart of each Keystone Program is a self-organized group of scientists, clinicians, and other research professionals seeking to integrate and focus their joined expertise on a major question in cancer. The expectation is that this team-based, thematic research approach will accelerate the pace of medical progress against cancer. Learn more about the Keystone Programs and other research initiatives at Fox Chase by visiting www.fccc.edu/research/.

For information about clinical trials at Fox Chase, visit:

www.fccc.edu/cancer/clinicalTrials

www.protonet.fccc.edu/

Adult Oncology Program*

No. of Inpatient Beds (Medical/Surgical)

No. of Admissions

Average Length of Stay (days)

No. of Outpatient Visits

No. of Oncologists (Medical, Radiation, and Surgical)

100

4,104

5.3

71,508

69

*Data is for the 2007 FY (July 1, 2006-June 30, 2007)