Committed to Excellence in Cancer Research, Education and Patient Care
Inroads
January 2020
Radiation Oncology to Unveil
New Linear Accelerator / Patient Care Area
Kendra Harris, MD, chair of Radiation Oncology at Tulane Cancer Center, (third from left) invites community physicians, allied health professionals and community supporters to the department’s Open House and Ribbon-Cutting on Wednesday, January 29, 4:30 – 6:00 PM, when the new linear accelerator, CT simulator and patient care area will be officially unveiled.
Tulane Health System recently upgraded its radiation oncology technology, facilities and capabilities with the addition of a new linear accelerator and CT simulator and a renovated patient care area.
 
"These investments will improve patient care with shorter treatment sessions in a more comfortable environment, as well as help reduce treatment side effects by better targeting radiation to avoid normal tissues," said Kendra Harris, MD , chair of Radiation Oncology.
 
In celebration, the Radiation Oncology Department will host an Open House and Ribbon-Cutting on Wednesday, January 29, 4:30 - 6:00 PM, at the Tulane Cancer Center Comprehensive Clinic, 150 S. Liberty St., New Orleans.
 
The Radiation Oncology Department invites community physicians and allied health professionals as well as community supporters to join us at the Open House. Refreshments will be served and tours of the patient care area will be offered. Parking is available in the Saratoga Garage above the cancer clinic (enter from Saratoga St.).
 
The TrueBeam linear accelerator is an innovative system that uses image-guided, high-precision radiotherapy to treat cancers anywhere in the body, including the prostate and head and neck, as well as provide breath-hold-guided treatments to the lung and breast and focused treatment to the brain.
 
For more information on the ribbon-cutting or to RSVP, please contact Jill Woodson Garrett at jill.woodsongarrett@hcahealthcare.com or 504-988-6324.
Local non-profit Krewe de Pink will honor "Six Sweet Survivors of Breast Cancer" at their inaugural "Death by Chocolate - Not Breast Cancer" fundraiser on Friday, February 7, 5:30 PM at Schoen Mansion on Canal St.

“We are excited to announce our 'Six Sweet Survivors,' who represent the advances that have been made in breast cancer research and are inspiration for those fighting the disease,” explains Carol Osborne, president of Krewe de Pink.

Being honored at the event are:

Breanne Kostyk — Pastry Chef, Ace Hotel New Orleans
Lisa Picone Love — Sales Manager, St. Charles Avenue Magazine
Carole Cukell Neff — Attorney, Sessions Fishman Nathan and Israel
Norma Jane Sabiston — President, Sabiston Consultants
Kim Sport — Attorney & Activist, Breastoration Founder
Julie Stokes, CPA — Civic Leader & Recovering State Representative

These extraordinary women will be the guests of honor at the chocolate- and champagne-tasting event, which also features a competition among Delgado’s Culinary and Pastry Arts Program students. The students will be creating 12 tasty chocolate bites. Each will be judged on their chocolate-inspired dishes – both sweet and savory – and 1 st- and 2 nd -place prizes will be awarded in both categories.

Guests will participate in the judging; enjoy special ruby chocolate confections from Callebaut Chocolate, generously donating the chocolate for the event; and receive swag bags, compliments of Delgado. Delgado’s Music Department will also provide the evening's entertainment.

Hillery Moise, event chair, applauds the Six Sweet Survivors. “They are an inspiration to us all and make what we do here so important to the eradication of the disease,“ she adds.

Krewe de Pink's Death by Chocolate - Not Breast Cancer, like its sister fundraisers Pink Bra Run and the Pink Prom, directly supports breast cancer research at Tulane Cancer Center. Specifically, funds raised support the work of Dr. Bridgette Collins-Burow and her team as they seek to better understand triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disease that tends to be more common in women younger than age 40, who are African-American, or who have a BRCA1 mutation.

Dedicated to producing fundraising events with a New Orleans flair, KDP was started in 2009 by a team of concerned and passionate locals who were all affected by breast cancer and who wanted to fight back. Over the last three years, KDP has donated $100,000 to Tulane.

Death by Chocolate is made possible by the generosity of the beautiful Schoen Mansion, Delgado Community College’s Culinary and Pastry Arts Program and Music Department, Callebaut Chocolate, and members of Krewe de Pink. Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased online at www.krewedepink.org or at Eventbrite.

For more information, please visit www.krewedepink.org or contact Hillery Moise at (504) 237-4717 or hillerysontoulouse@yahoo.com or Carol Osborne at (504) 606-1347 or cclalady@cox.net.
Tulane Health First in Region to Offer
Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer
Tulane is the only provider of focal therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer in the Greater New Orleans region.
Men who have been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer often face a difficult choice when reviewing their treatment options. Generally, patients must choose between active surveillance – essentially keeping an eye on the cancer to see if it gets worse – and aggressive treatments like traditional surgery or radiation, which can have side effects, such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

Now, thanks to a new treatment offered by Tulane Health System, some men have the option of focal therapy, a targeted treatment that destroys areas of cancer in the prostate while sparing the rest of the healthy tissue.

Tulane Health System is the only system offering this treatment in the greater New Orleans region.

“With focal therapy, the cancer can potentially be targeted and treated more effectively in a less-invasive fashion, similar to a lumpectomy to treat breast cancer,” said Dr. Spencer Krane, a urologist at Tulane Health System. “We're thrilled to be able to offer this new technology and service to our community. It's our hope that this will have a significant and positive effect on men's quality of life.”

Focal therapy involves the use of groundbreaking new prostate MRI technology as a guidance tool to pinpoint the cancer. Once the cancer has been localized, physicians use specialized equipment to destroy it by either burning it using focused ultrasound (HIFU) or freezing the cancer (cryotherapy).

By focusing specifically on the cancer and not the rest of the prostate, physicians are able to preserve the structures next to the prostate that are important for urinary and sexual function. The goal of focal therapy is to destroy small tumors within the prostate while leaving the remainder of the gland intact.

Focal therapy may not be the best course of treatment for all cases, but it is just one of several treatment options available throughout Tulane Health System. If you'd like to learn more about all Tulane Health System prostate cancer treatment options, please contact the Tulane Multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Clinic at (504) 988-2342 .
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO GET YOUR TICKET!
GET INTO GEAR & SUPPORT PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH!
 
  • Proceeds benefit Tulane Cancer Center's Prostate Cancer Research Program.

  • One lucky winner will receive the grand prize - a GMC Canyon Pickup.

  • Raffle tickets are $100 each and a maximum of 500 will be sold.

  • Tickets can be purchased via credit card only at


  • The winner will be selected in a random drawing on June 1, 2020, and need not be present to win.
 
Good luck and thanks for your support!
Accolades
Oliver Sartor, MD (M ’82, R ’86), will receive the Tulane Medical Alumni Association Outstanding Alumni Award in a ceremony at the National World War II Museum on Saturday, April 4. Dr. Sartor is the assistant dean for oncology, medical director for the Tulane Cancer Center, and the C.E. and Bernadine Laborde Professor of Cancer Research at Tulane. He is also a leading expert worldwide in the area of advanced prostate cancer. This award - the highest given by TMAA - recognizes career accomplishments and/or excellence in the medical profession. Congratulations, Dr. Sartor!
The National Institutes of Health recently awarded Tulane University neuroscientist and Tulane Cancer Center contributing member Stacy Drury, MD, PhD, a $2.9 million grant to lead a research network that will set methodological standards for studying telomeres, a part of the chromosome that scientists increasingly recognize as an important biological marker of aging and age-related diseases. Telomeres are the caps at the end of chromosomes that keep them from shrinking when cells replicate. Shorter telomeres are linked to higher risks for heart disease, obesity, cognitive decline, diabetes, mental illness and poor health outcomes in adulthood.
Tulane Medical Center was recently re-accredited by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons for maintaining levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive, patient-centered care. To earn voluntary CoC accreditation, a cancer program must meet or exceed 34 quality care standards, be evaluated every three years through a survey process and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient-centered care. Three-year Accreditation with Commendation is only awarded to a facility that exceeds standard requirements at the time of its triennial survey.
Several Tulane University School of Medicine students participated in the annual St. Baldrick’s Day event on Jan. 15 in the lobby of the Tulane Medical Center. The event is a head-shaving fundraiser that benefits St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the national, volunteer-driven charity committed to supporting research to find cures for childhood cancers. The students raised over $7,000 through this year’s event. More Info.
Calendar of Events
Champagne & Chocolates Cocktail Party benefiting Tulane Cancer Center's Breast Cancer Research Fund

February 7, 2020 - 5:30-8:30 PM
Schoen Mansion
3827 Canal St., New Orleans, LA
A Sporting Clays Fundraiser benefiting Prostate Cancer Research
Saturday, March 7
Stella Plantation
4881 Highway 39, Braithwaite, LA
A Sporting Clays Fundraiser benefiting Prostate Cancer Research
Saturday, March 28
Riverside Sporting Clays
52400 Hwy. 16, Denham Springs, LA
golf-ball-grass.jpg
benefiting cancer research at Tulane Cancer Center and LSU's
Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center
Monday, March 30
Bayou Oaks at City Park -
South Course

Tulane offers free prostate screenings - a PSA blood test - on the second Tuesday of each month at Tulane Comprehensive Cancer Clinic, 150 S. Liberty St., New Orleans. To make an appointment, call 504-988-6300 or 1-800-588-5800.
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