MDNews - Mid Hudson

Isolated limb perfusion is one special- ized oncology procedure that Health Quest Medical Practice, P.C. surgical oncologist Dr. Nitzkorski initiated at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. This procedure is indicated based on the collaborative findings of the tumor board and may be performed when a cancer such as melanoma has spread throughout an extremity. Providers isolate the blood supply and administer chemo- therapy into the limb. At the beginning of the procedure, which typically takes approximately one hour, the limb is heated. When the limb and tumor site reach a spe- cific temperature, chemotherapy is injected at a high concentration. The site-specific nature of this procedure reduces potential side eˆects outside the treatment area. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemo- therapy (HIPEC) is another advanced treatment option Vassar Brothers Medical Center oˆers locally for cancer patients. HIPEC is indicated for certain types of abdominal cancers that can be treated by surgical removal of the cancer followed by perfusion of a high dose of chemotherapy in the abdomen. Vassar Brothers Medical Center is one of the few hospitals in the United States that utilizes this therapy for cancers in the chest as well. "Certain types of tumors can spread to the lining of the chest wall but haven't spread throughout the bloodstream," Dr. Connery says. "For instance, a thymoma occurs when malignant cells form on the outside surface of the thymus. That tumor sheds cells to the lining of the chest cavity. With HIPEC, after you remove all of the visible tumor components, you place a tube in the chest to perfuse chemotherapy. An apparatus that is a bit like a heart-lung machine pumps this fluid into the chest at a temperature higher than the normal body temperature, and this allows chemotherapy in high concentrations to invade the chest lining. It's used for limited cancers such as mesothelioma, some types of appendiceal carcinomas and certain types of tumors that spread along the lining of the abdomen." Vassar Brothers Medical Center will be adding another thoracic surgeon as well, and anticipates the team will expand to include a head and neck cancer surgeon with reconstructive capabilities. "We've broadened the scope of treatment in other disease areas, including adding a top-notch, fellowship-trained hepatobi- liary surgeon, Dr. Ryan Swan, to join our surgical oncology team," Dr. Connery says. "These advances have enabled us to provide more uniform delivery of cancer care." RADIATION ONCOLOGY Radiation oncologists are a key part of the treatment team at Vassar. Having advanced radiation oncology treatments Meet the Team THE NE WLY A SSEMBLED Health Quest Medical Practice medical oncology team is committed to providing advanced cancer care to patients in the community. The team was assembled in 2016 to continue the addition of advanced capabilities at Vassar. The medical oncology physicians are often the first stop on a cancer patient's diagnosis journey. They provide a high level of treatment by ensuring the right clinicians collaborate on each case, bringing a broad range of exper tise to bear in patient care. MEDICAL ONCOLOGY + James Leonardo, MD, PhD, FACP, leads the team as Medical Director of Medical Oncology at HQMP. + Amir Harandi, MD, focuses on gastrointestinal cancers. + Inder Lal, MD, practices general medical oncology and hematology. + Radhika Rachamalla, MD, focuses on breast cancer. SURGICAL ONCOLOGY + Cliff Conner y, MD, FACS, FCCP, Medical Director of the Dyson Center for Cancer Care and Medical Director of the HQMP Division of Thoracic Oncology + Angela Keleher, MD, FACS, Director of the Dyson Breast Center and Director of Breast Surger y at Vassar Brothers Medical Center + James Nitzkorski, MD + John Choi, MD + Pranat Kumar, MD + Ryan Swan, MD + Gregor y Zanieski, MD Angela Keleher, MD, FACS, Director of the Dyson Breast Center and Director of Breast Surgery at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, and Gregory Zanieski, MD, collaborate on a patient case at the Dyson Breast Center. 0 8 0 8❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R F E A T U R E

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