| April
30, 2005
Marquette General
developing comprehensive Brain Tumor Program
Upper Michigan Cancer and Neuroscience Centers spearheading project;
MGH collaborating with NMU’s biology department
By JIM LAJOIE
Marquette General Hospital
The
Upper Michigan
Cancer Center and the Upper
Michigan Neuroscience Center at Marquette General Hospital are assembling
the components of a comprehensive Brain Tumor Program that they
hope to have fully operational by the fall.
MGH is using the Brain Tumor Center at Duke (N.C.) University,
pioneered by Dr. Henry S. Friedman, as a model and consulting
resource to follow.
Dr. Friedman, Co-Director of The Clinical Neuro-Oncology Program of The Brain
Tumor Center at Duke, recently spoke at a Brain Tumor Management meeting
in Chicago. Dr. Richard Rovin, a board-certified neurosurgeon on staff at
Marquette
General, attended the meeting. Before leaving, he asked Dr. Friedman for
guidance in developing a similar program in Marquette that would meet the
needs of brain
cancer patients in the Upper Peninsula.
“We want to provide a team approach to (brain tumor) management,” said
Dr. Rovin, a partner at Northern Neurosurgery Group, PC, in the Upper Michigan
Neuroscience Center.
The Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Program core team includes Dr. Rovin, Hematologist/Oncologist
Dr. Aaron Scholnik, Radiation Oncologist Dr. Paul Thieme, Program Directors
of the Neuroscience and Cancer Centers, nursing staff and social workers
at Marquette General.
The Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Program has three key components.
“First, we want to improve our patient advocacy programs by offering support
groups for brain tumor patients, families and caregivers; provide educational
support for patients and their families; and develop a newsletter and web site,” Dr.
Rovin explained.
Secondly, he said, the Brain Tumor Program will develop a uniform clinical
treatment program.
Finally, MGH will collaborate with Northern Michigan University’s
biology department to develop a research program.
Robert Winn, PhD, biology professor at NMU, is leading the research arm
of the Upper Michigan Brain Tumor Program. The research will examine the
genetics
of primary brain tumors in an effort to identify the mechanisms that cause
a cell to become cancerous. Improved understanding of altered genetic pathways
may then lead to new treatment approaches.
Dr. Winn said his students are honored to work closely with MGH on the new
initiative.
“We’re excited to partner with MGH in this way,” Winn said. “Using
our research strengths, with resources available at MGH, will benefit both
institutions. Additionally, I strongly believe it will result in a better understanding
of
brain tumors and ultimately better care for patients.”
The NMU biology department, Winn said, will undertake the actual detection
and characterization of specific genes or gene products that may play a role
in the development and growth of tumor cells.
“We will use a variety of molecular techniques depending on the specific
target we hope to identify,” he said. “We’ll be looking
for the presence of gene products in tumor cells that may be underlying causes
of
the tumor.”
Marquette General provides medical, surgical and radiation therapy care for
a number of patients with a variety of benign and malignant brain tumors.
One of those patients is Dorothy Verley, a retired Health, Physical Education
and
Recreation professor who taught at NMU.
Verley, 64, underwent brain tumor surgery in November at Marquette General.
During the surgery, Dr. Rovin implanted chemotherapy wafers (called Gliadel)
into the tumor. The wafers dissolve, releasing the chemotherapy drug BCNU.
According to Dr. Rovin, the localized drug application increases the drug
concentration at the tumor site with minimal side effects in other parts
of the body.
Following surgery, Verley underwent radiation therapy five days a week for
four weeks at the Upper Michigan Cancer Center at MGH. She also received
chemotherapy at U.P. Hematology/Oncology Associates in the Peninsula Medical
Center
Verley knew something was wrong last summer when infrequent migraine headaches
began to the multiply to the point that she was experiencing them daily.
“I was sleeping a lot, too,” she explained. “On my way back
from a trip, the migraines became very bad. When I got home, I went to the
(MGH) emergency department and an MRI confirmed I had a tumor.”
A recent MRI shows the area as being “clean,” but Verley will
continue to undergo monthly chemotherapy treatments to stay one step ahead
of the cancer.
She’s pleased to see Marquette General launch a Brain Tumor Program.
“I came into this experience unaware of brain tumors,” Verley said. “I’m
still trying to cope with the long-term perspective. It becomes overwhelming
managing 17 different types of medications.
“I think the education and support groups are a good idea, just to be able
to say you can contact someone to pinpoint certain maladies. I’m very
interested in this project.”
Dr. Rovin is optimistic that patients like Verley will reap the benefits of
the program.
“This is a very exciting time,” Dr. Rovin said. “NMU is fired
up about the research, and we are ready to build on our program and take
it to another level.”
May 1-7 is Brain Tumor Awareness Week. Information about the Brain Tumor Program
can be found at www.hopestartshere.org. For more information, contact Northern
Neurosurgery Group, PC, at 906-225-4575 or 1-888-886-4644; or email info@hopestartshere.org.
|
