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Lombardi Cancer Center

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Georgetown University Medical Center
3800 Reservoir Road, NW.
Washington, DC 20007
202-444-4400
http://lombardi.georgetown.edu

Summary

The Lombardi Cancer Center (LCC) located in Washington, DC has been accredited as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute. The center has also been accredited by The Joint Commission, an accreditation that verifies licensure and that the center receives Medicaid reimbursement. It is currently not included in the 50 Best Cancer Centers guide published by U.S. News and World Report.

The center offers a great amount of resources for myeloma testing and treatment procedures, such as bone marrow aspiration, biopsies, bone density tests, and chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. The hospital has a few doctors who are dedicated solely to the treatment of myeloma. There are many doctors that specialize in oncology at the LCC who could help with complications caused by myeloma .

The LCC has all the basic and general patient services, however, it does not house a separate center for outpatient treatments or families of patients like many other cancer centers now do. The center does, however, have a helpful cancer hotline to inform patients and answer questions about cancer treatments and the Nina Hyde Resource Room, a place for patient cancer education located within the cancer center.

Currently, the center is participating in two clinical trials for myeloma. Partnered with the Georgetown University Hospital and the Georgetown Medical Center, the center is able to dedicate many resources to current and upcoming biomedical research, including clinical trials for a possible “anti-cancer” vaccine.

Doctors

The following doctors specialize in hematology/oncology at the LCC and attend to patients with myeloma.

Bruce D Cheson
Phone number: 202-444-7932
E-mail: bdc4@georgetown.edu
Titles: Professor of Medicine, Head of Hematology, Director of Hematology Research at Lombardi
Specialty: Hematology/Oncology
Clinical interests: development and evaluation of new therapeutic approaches for hematologic malignancies
Accomplishments: Head of the Medicine Section for the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Clinical Investigations Branch within the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, and senior staff physician in the NCI’s Lymphoma Clinic

Craig Kessler
Phone number: 202-444-8676
E-mail: kesslerc@georgetown.edu
Titles: Professor of Medicine & Pathology, Professor of Medicine and Pathology Director of Division of Coagulation in the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Director of Therapeutic and Cellular Apheresis, Unit Director of the Comprehensive Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Treatment Center
Specialty: Hematology/Oncology
Clinical interests: hemophilia and hematologic malignancies

Aziza T Shad
Phone number: 202-444-2224
E-mail: shada@georgetown.edu
Titles: Professor & Chief. Amey Distinguished Professor of Neuro-Oncology & Childhood Cancer Director, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation.
Specialty: Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Accomplishments: Listed in the Washingtonian Magazine 'Top Docs' issue, received the 2007 GRAVITAS Award for Outstanding Humanitarian Work from GRAVITAS International, and the 2007 Alumni Fellow Award from the Pennsylvania State Alumni Association.

S. Gerald Sandler
Phone number: (202) 444-8520
Titles: Professor, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine and Lombardi Cancer Center; Professor, Department of Pathology
Specialties: Hematology/Oncology
Clinical interests: Transfusions, Autologous (self) donations

Mortality and Safety Indices*

Mortality index: 0.92/1.00
The mortality index compares actual to expected numbers of Medicare inpatient deaths within 30 days after admission. Anything lower than 1.00 is better than expected and higher than 1.00 is worse than expected.

Patient safety index: 1/5
The patient safety index is passed on the success of the center’s minimization of patient injuries and deaths from avoidable accidents and poor medical care. Higher is better.

Reputation and Efficiency

Reputation*: 0.6%
Percentage of cancer specialists responding to U.S. News surveys between 2007-2009 who recommended the hospital for challenging cases and procedures.

Number of Patients Treated/Discharged*: 812
All Medicare inpatients who received defined kinds of medical or surgical care between 2005-2007.

Tests Offered

  • Physical exam and history: An exam of the body to check general signs of health, including checking for signs of disease, such as lumps or anything else that seems unusual. A history of the patient's health habits and past illnesses and treatments will also be taken.
  • Biopsy: The removal of bone cells, lymph nodes, or tissues so they can be viewed under a microscope by a pathologist to check for abnormal cells or signs of cancer.
  • Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy: The removal of bone marrow, blood, and a small piece of bone by inserting a hollow needle into the hipbone or breastbone.
  • X-rays
  • MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
  • CT scan (CAT scan)
  • PET scan (positron emission tomography scan)
  • Complete blood count (CBC)
  • Blood chemistry studies: A procedure in which a blood sample is checked to measure the amounts of certain substances, such as calcium or albumin, released into the blood by organs and tissues in the body.
  • Blood or urine immunoglobulin studies: A procedure in which a blood or urine sample is checked to measure the amounts of certain antibodies (immunoglobulins). For multiple myeloma, beta-2-microglobulin, M protein, and other proteins made by the myeloma cells are measured. A higher-than-normal amount of these substances can be a sign of disease.
  • 24-hour urine test: A test in which urine is collected for 24 hours to measure the amounts of certain substances. An unusual (higher or lower than normal) amount of a substance can be a sign of disease in the organ or tissue that makes it. A higher than normal amount of protein may be a sign of multiple myeloma.
  • Electrophoresis: A test in which a blood or urine sample is checked for M proteins and the amount of M proteins is measured.
  • Cytogenetic analysis: A test in which cells in a sample of blood or bone marrow are viewed under a microscope to look for certain changes in the chromosomes.
  • Bone densitometry: A procedure that uses a special type of x-ray to measure bone loss.

Treatments/Procedures Offered:

  • Induction therapy: This is the first phase of treatment. Its purpose is to reduce the amount of disease, and may include one or more of the following:
    • Corticosteroid therapy.
    • Thalomid (thalidomide) or Revlimid (lenalidomide) therapy.
    • Velcade (bortezomib) therapy.
    • Chemotherapy.
  • Consolidation chemotherapy: This is a type of high-dose chemotherapy often given as the second phase of treatment, and may include either:
    • autologous stem cell transplant, in which the patient's own stem cells are used; or
    • allogeneic stem cell transplant, in which the patient receives stem cells from a donor.
  • Maintenance therapy: After the initial treatment, maintenance therapy is often given to help keep the disease in remission for a longer time. Several types of treatment are being studied for this use, including:
    • Chemotherapy.
    • Biologic therapy.
    • Corticosteroid therapy.
    • Thalidomide therapy.
  • Supportive care to treat bone problems and amyloidosis (a variety of conditions in which amyloid proteins are abnormally deposited in organs and/or tissues) may include:
    • Bisphosphonate therapy to slow bone loss and reduce bone pain.
    • Radiation therapy for tumors of the spine.
    • Chemotherapy to reduce back pain from osteoporosis or compression fractures of the spine.
    • Chemotherapy and corticosteroid therapy to treat amyloidosis.

Patient Services Offered

  • Genetic testing/counseling
  • Hospice
  • Pain-management program
  • Palliative care
  • Patient-controlled analgesia
  • Translators
  • Infection isolation room
  • Wound-management services
  • Nutrition counseling
  • Lombardi Cancer Center Hotline- answers questions about diagnosis, treatment, etc.

Health Education:

The Nina Hyde Resource Room:
houses pamphlets, books, audiotapes and DVDs that address a wide range of cancer related topics. Computers provide internet access for expanded cancer research. Located in the Adult Heme/Onc Clinic on the first floor of the Lombardi Building.

For more information on patient services at the LCC, please visit the Patient And Family Resources Page.

Patient/Doctor Testimonies

To be updated.

Current Research/Clinical Trials

The following clinical trials are offered at the Lombardi/Georgetown University Cancer Center. For further information, call 202-444-4000.

Phase 3 randomized controlled trial comparing melphalan (Alkeran), prednisone and thalidomide (Thalomid) versus melphalan (Alkeran), prednisone and, Revlimid (lenalidomide) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who are not candidates for high-dose therapy (NCT00602641)
More details

An open-label, dose-escalation, phase 1/2 study of the oral form of MLN9708, a second-generation proteosome inhibitor, in adult patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma.(NCT00932698)
More details

*These statistics and figures are from U.S. News Health. For more on these figures or how they are determined, please visit the U.S. News and World Report Lombardi Cancer Center Page.