Robert Burger, MD, Director, Women’s Cancer Center at Fox Chase Cancer Center

Daniel Gottlieb, PhD, host of WHYY-FM's "Voices in the Family" will join Dr. Mary Daly for a panel on the importance of talking to loved ones about cancer.

Fox Chase Cancer Center has covered many milestones in its long and prestigious history, from the development of the hepatitis B vaccine to the discovery of how proteins are broken down and recycled.

Just last year we marked the 50^th anniversary of the discovery of the Philadelphia Chromosome with a symposium, bringing together the scientific world to honor Drs. David Hungerford and Peter Nowell and explore the future of targeted therapies.

This November, we commemorate the 20^th anniversary of another innovative program in the movement toward personalized medicine: the Fox Chase Risk Assessment Program (RAP), one of the first of its kind in the nation.  I’ve invited Mary Daly, MD., Ph.D., Chair of the Fox Chase Department of Clinical Genetics and Founding Director of RAP, to say a few words about this special occasion.

Be well, Bob

Dr. Mary Daly, founder, The Risk Assessment Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center

When we started the Risk Assessment Program in 1991, we focused solely on individuals with a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer.  It is amazing to think how we’ve grown, adding prostate, GI, and lung cancers, as well as melanoma, under our umbrella.  I am extremely proud of how far we’ve come in 20 years, and we could not have achieved any of it without our RAP families, who are the heart and foundation of the program.

To bring together the oncologists, nurses, genetic counselors and families who have contributed so much to our growth, we will hold a special event at WHYY’s Hamilton Media Commons in Old City, Philadelphia, on Sunday, November 13, 2011.  I’ve asked Daniel Gottlieb, Ph.D., host of WHYY-FM’s “Voices in the Family” and health reporter Maiken Scott to join us in conversation about the importance of talking to loved ones about cancer.  Members of the RAP family will also share their experiences on the panel, as well as through feature videos illustrating the role of the program in their families’ health journey.  I am certain that it will be a wonderful and thought-provoking afternoon.

WHYY Health Reporter, Maiken Scott, will also join Dr. Daly on the panel.

If you or someone you know has taken part in the Risk Assessment Program, I invite you to share in the 20^th anniversary celebration by submitting photos to be featured in a slideshow at the anniversary event and on our anniversary website: www.foxchase.org/rapcelebration. I look forward in sharing these memories with you, and making more over the next 20 years.

Sincerely,

Mary B. Daly

For more information about the 20^th Anniversary Celebration, email rapcelebration@fccc.edu or call 215-728-4788 or 215-728-2465, or for more information on how you can join the RAP family and learn more about your risk, visit www.fccc.edu/prevention/riskAssessment.

To hear more from Dr. Daly about the importance of risk assessment, listen to her One Great Idea on Philly.com.

Robert Burger, MD, Director, Women’s Cancer Center at Fox Chase Cancer Center

Chances are that if you’re on this blog, you know something about Fox Chase’s Women’s Cancer Center.  Maybe you’re familiar with our expertise in breast and gynecologic cancer care, or you’ve visited our new offices in the Robert C. Young, M.D. pavilion.

For an in-depth look at our amazing facility—including details on the services we provide, from prevention to treatment to survivorship—I encourage you to check out our new webisode.

During this six-minute virtual tour, you’ll hear from me and a variety of different staff from around the Center as we explain exactly why the Women’s Cancer Center is the only one of its kind in the region.

See if you recognize a familiar face, or learn something new – and let us know what you think! We want to hear from you.

Be Well,

Bob

Robert Burger, MD, Director, Women’s Cancer Center at Fox Chase Cancer Center

Robert Burger, MD, Director, Women's Cancer Center

As early as grade school, we’re taught each person is truly unique – from personality to fingerprint.  And yet, in the past, cancer care has not been able to incorporate this basic philosophy.  Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers and clinicians, however, are at the forefront of transforming the “one-size-fits-all” model to a more individualized one.  With the development of our Institute of Personalized Medicine (IPM), Fox Chase is taking an active role in redefining just how personalized cancer care can become.

Fox Chase’s IPM is matching emerging targeted drug therapies to the unique genetic profiles of individual patient tumors on a much larger scale than previously possible.  In other words, the IPM more accurately determines which patients should be enrolled into which clinical trials, and this could significantly impact both patient outcomes and the overall success of the trial.  As my colleague and Fox Chase’s Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Jeff Boyd describes, “Within ten years, this will be the standard of care for treating cancer of all types, but today you will find it at Fox Chase.”

When talking about the Women’s Cancer Center, you might have heard me describe how we treat the whole person – the mind, the body and the spirit.  It is the marriage of this philosophy with the superior science demonstrated in the IPM that propels us all forward in the treatment of cancer.  Fox Chase has a long history of advancing the role of science and health, including discovering the Philadelphia chromosome (the first genetic abnormality associated with cancer) and the hepatitis B vaccine (the first “anti-cancer vaccine”): This just the latest area in which Fox Chase is pushing boundaries.

Below, I’ve included a first look at our most recent television commercial, which features this “one-of-a-kind” approach.  If you have a second, take a look, and thank you for your support as we seek every day to improve the quality of life of people with cancer.

Be well,

Bob