NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 31, 2015 – Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian announced the launch of Orange
County’s first comprehensive Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Program
for those battling this rare and complex form of cancer.
The
Hoag Sarcoma Program, in alliance with Keck Medicine of USC, is led by Program Director Nader
Nassif, M.D., fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon who specializes in
orthopedic oncology, and Burton Eisenberg, M.D., Executive Medical Director
of Hoag Family Cancer Institute, Grace E. Hoag Executive Medical Director
Endowed Chair and Professor of Clinical Surgery, Keck School of Medicine
of USC, a board-certified surgical oncologist with specialty in sarcoma.
To complete this
multidisciplinary team, they partner with a variety of subspecialists between Hoag and Keck Medicine
of USC, including radiation oncologist Peter Chen, M.D., medical oncologists
Dilruba Haque, M.D. and James Hu, M.D., surgical oncologist William Tseng,
M.D., as well as specialized bone and soft tissue pathologists and radiologists
Janet Stallman, M.D. and John Lieu, M.D. The Hoag Sarcoma Program also
provides a dedicated clinical nurse navigator, Lori Berberet, R.N., M.S.N.,
a unique and valuable asset to cancer care.
“Sarcomas are a rarity, so it’s important to be treated by
doctors with the experience and knowledge to approach these complicated
cancers,” Dr. Nassif said. “Patients need expert care and
a team approach, which the Hoag Sarcoma Program offers.”
Sarcoma is a family of cancers that develops from the connective tissue
of the body, including bone, muscle, blood vessels, nerves and fibrous
tissues. There are over 70 subtypes of sarcoma, which means sarcoma can
occur anywhere in the body; however, it often develops in the extremities.
Bone and soft tissue sarcomas are rare. According to American Cancer Society,
roughly 12,000 individuals will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2015.
Because of the rarity and complexity of the disease, only the largest academic
cancer centers in the country offer clinical trials in sarcoma, but thanks
to Hoag’s alliance with Keck Medicine of USC, Orange County sarcoma
patients don’t have to travel far to get access to the most cutting-edge
treatment available.
“We are able to bring that national quality of care to a regional
setting,” Nassif said. “There are no other hospitals in Orange
County that have the resources and training to do what we are doing.”
ABOUT HOAG FAMILY CANCER INSTITUTE AND KECK MEDICINE OF USC ALLIANCE
Hoag Family Cancer Institute and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
have developed an alliance to expand cancer care for Orange County residents.
This new relationship aligns Orange County’s highest volume community
cancer program with the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of
the nation’s premier NCI-designated academic cancer centers. The
alliance, jointly led by Burton Eisenberg, M.D., Executive Medical Director
for Hoag Family Cancer Institute, Grace E. Hoag Executive Medical Director
Endowed Chair and Professor of Clinical Surgery, Keck School of Medicine
of USC, and Stephen Gruber, MD, PhD, Director of the USC Norris Comprehensive
Cancer Center will enhance a variety of comprehensive site-specific tumor
programs such as brain cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, gastrointestinal
cancer, gynecologic cancer, head and neck cancer, lung cancer, melanoma,
prostate and bladder cancer and sarcoma, as well as expand access to leading-edge
clinical research trials, only available at academic centers.
ABOUT HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN
Hoag is an approximately $1 billion nonprofit, regional health care delivery
network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 25,000 inpatients
and 369,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals,
six health centers, and seven urgent care centers. Hoag Hospital Newport
Beach, which has served Orange County since 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine,
which opened in 2010, are designated Magnet hospitals by the American
Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend
of health care services that includes five institutes providing specialized
services in the following areas:
cancer,
heart and vascular,
neurosciences,women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate,
Hoag Orthopedic Institute. In 2013, Hoag entered into an alliance with St. Joseph Health to further
expand health care services in the Orange County community, known as St.
Joseph Hoag Health. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals
in the U.S. News & World Report Metro Edition. National Research Corporation
has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s most preferred hospital for
the past 19 consecutive years and, for an unprecedented 19 years, residents
of Orange County have chosen Hoag as one of the county’s best hospitals
in a local newspaper survey. Visit
www.hoag.org for more information.