Renowned specialists from Jefferson and other top institutions to speak at dinner symposium Thursday, April 6

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As one of the first multidisciplinary programs in the United States for patients with genitourinary malignancies, The Genitourinary (GU) Cancer Program at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia will celebrate its 10 th anniversary in April. The Jefferson GU program has evaluated and treated 5,000 patients and, today, serves as a recognized successful model for the trend in the multidisciplinary approach to GU cancer treatment across the nation.

“It is an honor to be celebrating a decade of service to our patients and our community,” said Leonard G. Gomella, M.D., who established the Jefferson Program and served as its first director. He also serves as director of Urologic Oncology at the Kimmel Cancer Center.

“We at Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center have one of the first and continue to develop one of the strongest multidisciplinary GU programs in the country,” explains Dr. Gomella, the Bernard W. Godwin professor and chair of Urology at Jefferson. “Patients can be diagnosed, treated or have therapy recommendations or confirmation of therapy plans made to their referring physician, all in one location, during one visit, under the supervision of the most highly skilled physicians, using the most advanced technologies and the latest treatments.”

The 10 th Anniversary will be commemorated at a dinner symposium, Celebrating Ten Years of Multidisciplinary Care, on Thursday, April 6, 2006 at 5:30 PM at the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia Hotel. Speakers will include the following nationally-recognized oncology specialists:

• Richard G. Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., Director
  The Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University
• Leonard G. Gomella, M.D., Director, Urologic Oncology
  The Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson
• Walter J. Curran, Jr., M.D., Clinical Director
  The Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson
• Michael J. Zelefsky, M.D., Director, Brachytherapy Program
  Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
• Daniel P. Petrylak, M.D.
  Division of Medical Oncology, Columbia University
• Michael O. Koch, M.D., Chair of Urology
  Indiana University

“Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is thrilled to mark this milestone for the GU Cancer Program,” said Thomas Jefferson University Hospital president and CEO Thomas J. Lewis, who will also address the symposium. “That it has paved the way for other multidisciplinary centers across the country is testament to the Program’s primary founders, Dr. Leonard G. Gomella and Dr. Richard K. Valicenti, and its dedicated specialists, nurses and staff, who have committed themselves to the best in patient care and education over this first decade.”

The GU Multidisciplinary Cancer Program at Jefferson has established itself, since its founding in January 1996, as one of only a handful of progressive treatment centers in the United States where patients with prostate, bladder, kidney, testicular or other urologic cancers can receive input from multiple specialists in a single visit. Experts in urologic oncology, radiation oncology and medical oncology evaluate each patient, and pathology and radiology consultations are also available.

In addition, the Program bridges mainstream medicine to promising alternative and complementary therapies through a partnership with The Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine, as well as the latest in investigational clinical trials. The GU Program also offers a Buddy program that pairs new prostate cancer patients with survivors, to provide psychosocial support.

In the past decade, The Genitourinary Cancer Program at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson has redefined state-of-the-art treatment. It has introduced the latest breakthrough technologies and protocols including prostate brachytherapy, cryotherapy, IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) and laparoscopic prostatectomy, nephrectomy and partial nephrectomy. Urologic oncologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center have been involved in minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery since the early 1990’s and we the first in the Delaware Valley to offer laparoscopic prostatectomy.

Recently added to the roster of ground-breaking treatments is robotic laparoscopic prostatectomy, a significant advance in the laparoscopic technique for candidates for whom surgery has been recommended to treat prostate cancer. The surgical robot system operates at such high a level of precision, that it empowers the surgeon to perform a very exacting, nerve-sparing operation.

Access to the latest protocols is essential to many cancer patients as a treatment plan is developed with their team of specialists. Trials are available to patients through the Kimmel Cancer Center, individual Jefferson departments, as well as the Jefferson Cancer Network Hospitals, which include 23 area hospitals.

In summer 2006, the center will obtain HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) technology, as one of only a handful of institutions nationwide to participate in a study of the new minimally invasive treatment for prostate cancer.

A strong focus has also been placed on education and interaction at the Genitourinary Cancer Program. Patients, their families and their primary care physicians are encouraged to take active roles in the treatment decision-making process. Every case is reviewed at a management conference, during which all members of the cancer center professional staff discuss the recommendations provided to each patient and referring physician.

“The Kimmel Cancer Center is proud of its multidisciplinary GU Cancer Program. Dr. Gomella has truly led the country as a pioneer of multidisciplinary care for patients with prostate cancer over the last ten years,” said Richard G. Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., Director, The Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital. “This approach brings the doctors of multiple specialties to the patients and avoids so much of the confusion where the patients are forced to search for different specialists.” He added, “Prostate cancer is growing as a killer in this country. We have an urgent need for new prostate cancer treatments and intelligent delivery systems, including nanotechnology, if we are to beat this disease in real time. We are pioneering new advances in prostate cancer prevention, early diagnosis and treatment at the Kimmel Cancer Center.”

Dr. Gomella said he is looking forward to the next ten years. “I think Kimmel Cancer Center Director Dr. Richard Pestell’s considerable research strengths and interests in prostate cancer will open up many new clinical and investigational opportunities.”

Additionally, Dr. Gomella would like to see further incorporation of complimentary therapies. “As this program continues to grow,” said Dr. Gomella, “I would like to see us expand the role of mind-body healing, nutrition and alternative medicine, making it an essential component of each patient’s treatment strategy. Many people don’t realize just how important this can be to overall health and healing.” Dr. Gomella has also set as a priority a larger physical location, and additional professional staff, to keep up with patient demand.

A National Cancer Institute designated cancer center, the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson conducts the highest level of cancer research, education and clinical care - providing the most advanced patient clinical trials and services in every medical specialty dealing with cancer.

The Kimmel Cancer Center, staffed with a team of more than 200 world-class researchers, has been making breakthroughs in understanding the genetic processes that cause cancer. The Center coordinates the efforts of the Institute, as well as a host of Jefferson departments and clinical programs at a variety of facilities, including Jefferson’s Bodine Cancer Center for Cancer Treatment. In addition, the Kimmel Cancer Center acts as the point of entry for patients involved in clinical trials conducted by Jefferson cancer researchers.

To schedule a consultation with a physician in Jefferson’s Genitourinary Cancer Program, call 1-800-JEFF-NOW.