Yale University School of Medicine
333 Cedar Street
Post Office Box 208028
New Haven, CT 06520-8028
203-785-4095 (administrative offices)
203-688-4191 (Appointments)
http://www.info.med.yale.edu/ycc

Summary

The Yale Cancer Center (YCC) located in New Haven, CT has been designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute and ranked as the 21^st best cancer center in the country by U.S. News.

The center dedicates an extensive amount of resources and doctors to hematology and oncology with various tests and treatments such as FISH tests, PET scans, immunophenotyping, and allogeneic stem cell transplantation and autologous  stem cell infusion.

The cancer center is currently participating in one clinical trial for multiple myeloma.

To help and accommodate cancer patients, the YCC houses the Connecticut Challenge Survivorship Clinic for cancer survivors and the soon-to-be-opened Smilow Cancer Hospital for tests and treatments.

The Connecticut Challenge Survivorship Clinic offers services such as personalized wellness education, nutritional counseling, and neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation. The Smilow Cancer Hospital offers outpatient treatment rooms, infusion sites, a healing garden, and much more.

YCC has been accredited by The Joint Commission and is a member of the National Marrow Donor Program. It has also been accredited as a major transplant center by the FACT transplant accreditation committee. Additionally, the YCC has been awarded the Health and Human Services Medal of Honor for Organ Donation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for its third consecutive year.

Doctors

The following doctors are all part of the Yale Cancer Center and the Lymphoma, Leukemia, and Myeloma (LLM) Program.

Oncology:
The following doctors specialize in oncology and are part of the cancer center.

Dennis L. Cooper, MD
Phone number: (203)737-5751
Titles: Professor and Director, Stem Cell Transplant Program, Co-Director, LLM Program
Clinical Interests: bone marrow transplant (including stem cell support); cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL); head and neck cancer; lymphoma; Hodgkin's disease; multiple myeloma

Francine Foss, MD
Phone number: (203)737-5312
Titles: Professor and Co-Director, LLM Program
Clinical Interests: T-cell lymphoma; stem cell transplantation; graft-versus-host disease
Research Interests: stem cell allotransplantation; pharmacologic agents for lymphoma;  bone marrow transplantation

Gary E. Friedlaender, MD
Phone number: (203) 737-5660
Titles: Wayne O. Southwick Professor and Department Chair
Clinical Interests: tumors and pathological fractures; metastatic disease to bone; arthritis fractures and fracture nonunions; infections; sarcoma; multiple myeloma; bone cancer; pediatric cancer; limb-sparing tumor resections
Research Interests: biomolecules for bone repair and regeneration

Michal G. Rose, MD
Titles: Assistant Professor

Warren D. Shlomchik, MD
Phone number: (203)737-2748
Titles: Associate Professor
Clinical Interests: bone marrow transplant
Research Interests: bone marrow transplant

Stuart Seropian, MD
Phone number: (203)737-5751
Titles:Associate Professor
Clinical Interests: Hodgkin's disease; Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL); multiple myeloma; bone marrow transplant; stem cell transplant

Hematology:
The following doctors specialize in hematology and are part of the cancer center.

Madhav Dhodapkar, MD
Phone number: (203)785-4144
Titles: Director of Hematologic Malignancies, Professor and Section Chief
Clinical Interests: multiple myeloma; monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS); immunobiology of cancers
Research Interests: effects of tumors on the immune systems of patients with multiple myeloma  

Thomas P. Duffy, MD
Phone number: (203)785-4744
Titles: Professor and Interim Section Chief
Clinical Interests: leukemia; lymphoma; dysproteinemias; mastocytosis; hematologic aspects of systemic disease; Hodgkin's disease; multiple myeloma

Bernard G. Forget, MD
Phone number: (203)785-4144
Titles: Professor
Clinical Interests: immune hematologic disorders; red blood cell disorders; hemoglobinopathies; red cell membrane disorders; hemolytic anemias; leukemia; sickle cell anemia; thalassemia; thrombocytopenia; cancer

Stephanie Halene, MD
Phone number: (203)785-4144
Titles: Associate Research Scientist
Clinical Interests: leukemia; myelodysplasia; myeloproliferative disorders; polycythemia;   thrombocytosis; thrombocytopenia; sickle cell disease; thrombosis; coagulation
Research Interests: hematopoiesis; myeloid differentiation; leukemia; myelodysplasia

Peter Wayne Marks, MD, PhD
Phone number: (203)785-4744
Titles: Associate Professor
Clinical Interests: general hematology; hemostasis; thrombosis; hemophilia; blood clotting; white blood cell disorders; platelet disorders; leukemia; cancer
Research Interests: clinical research in the area of thrombosis and hemostasis and on leukemia treatment

Peter McPhedran, MD
Phone number: (203)785-4744
Titles: Professor
Clinical Interests: coagulation disorders/bleeding problems; hypercoagulable states; anemias; hemoglobinopathies; lymphomas; multiple myeloma; diagnostic problems in hematology
Research Interests: laboratory hematology, including interpretation of established tests and development of new tests; epidemiology and natural history of blood disorders

Diana S. Beardsley, MD, PhD
Phone number: (203)785-4640
Titles: Associate Professor
Clinical Interests: pediatric hematology; hemophilia; platelet disorders; pediatric oncology (cancer); blood and marrow transplantation; thrombophilia; thromboembolic diseases
Research Interests: platelet immunology; hemophilia; vascular anomalies

Brian R. Smith, MD
Titles: Professor

Radiation Oncology:
The following doctors specialize in radiation oncology and are part of the cancer center.

Kenneth B. Roberts, MD
Phone number: (203)785-2957
Titles: Associate Professor
Clinical Interests: general radiation therapy; pediatric radiation therapy; hematologic malignancy; lymphoma; Hodgkin's disease; total body irradiation; endovascular brachytherapy; oncologic brachytherapy; gynecologic cancer; cervical cancer;   gastrointestinal cancer; colo-rectal cancer; sarcomas; brain tumors
Research Interests: cervix cancer and hypoxic cell cytotoxins; brachytherapy; pediatric malignancies; Hodgkin's disease

Lynn D. Wilson, MD, MPH
Contact information: (203)737-1202
Titles: Professor; Vice Chairman; and Clinical Director, Therapeutic Radiology
Clinical Interests: Cutaneous Lymphoma (CTCL/CBCL); lung cancer; benign and malignant skin cancer; lymphoma; general radiation therapy
Research Interests: cutaneous lymphoma; lung cancer

Mortality and Safety Indices*

Mortality index: 0.65/1.00
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: 2/5
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*: 2.5%
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*: 1.715
All Medicare inpatients who received defined kinds of medical or surgical care between 2005-2007.

Tests Offered

• Blood test
• Biopsy
• Single photon emission CT
• CT scanning
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan
• Bone marrow examination
• Bone imaging
• M-protein analysis
• Cytogenetics -examines chromosomes of cells to give doctors information on how to treat patients
• Immunophenotyping– finds out if the patient’s lymphocytic Myeloma cells are B cells or T cells
• FISH test - Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a test used to check for chromosome abnormalities
• PCR analysis
• genetic testing and the identification of markers of prognosis

Treatments/Procedures Offered

• Chemotherapy and other anti-cancer drug based treatments
• Bone Marrow Transplantation
• Allogeneic stem cell transplantation- donor’s stem cells are used
• Autologous stem cell infusion- patient’s own stem cells are taken when in remission and then reused
• Immunotherapy
• 3D conformal radiotherapy
• Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)  
• Stereotactic radiosurgery
• Haploidentical transplants - allow patients to be transplanted with mismatched or half-matched donor stem cells from a family member with whom they have only one haplotype (set of genes) in common.
• Non-myeloablative or reduced intensity transplants -  a technique that uses a less intense treatment to prepare a patient for transplant and alternatively relies on the donor's immune cells combined with newer agents to fight the cancer.  

Patient Services Offered

• Genetic testing/counseling
• Hospice
• Pain-management program
• Palliative care
• Patient-controlled analgesia
• Translators
• Infection isolation room
• Wound-management services

Connecticut Challenge Survivorship Clinic:
Patients at the Connecticut Challenge Survivorship Clinic also receive dedicated services for cancer survivors. These services include:

• Personalized wellness education
• Psychosocial support for survivors and their families
• Nutritional counseling
• Neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation
• Genetic counseling
• Complementary therapies, including reiki, massage, and guided imagery
• Exercise and fitness recommendations

Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale – Opening in April 2010, the new facility will house all inpatient and outpatient cancer services for patients.

Services offered at the Smilow Cancer Hospital include:

• a healing garden
• a boutique
• 112 inpatient beds
• outpatient treatment rooms
• expanded operating rooms
• infusion sites
• diagnostic imaging services
• radiation oncology
• a specialized Women’s Cancer Center

Patient Testimony

Dr. Mel Goldstein, a meteorologist for WTNH in Connecticut, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1996. He was told he had three years to live. To fight the diagnosis, Dr. Goldstein went through a series of treatments at Yale-New Haven hospital and is currently living a full and remarkable life – winning his battle for the past 13 years. He has returned to his job at WTNH and has authored the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Weather. Dr. Goldstein was kind enough to provide feedback on the YCC and to offer advice to fellow multiple myeloma patients.

About his experience at the YCC:
“I first came to Yale in 1996. I received very good attention from experts in their field. Blood cancers were commonly treated at Yale, although at the time, the number of myeloma patients was limited. Prior to Yale, I was treated elsewhere, but the experience was not a good one for me. At Yale, my doctor, Dennis Cooper, concentrated on each of his patients with considerable individual care. Each myeloma patient was treated individually.”

About his treatment:
“I was on a joint trial with Dana-Farber for Revlimid. I entered the trial a number of years ago as Phase 1, I am still taking Revlimid after 8 years. The tests were pretty standard, but the ability to enter into trials made a huge difference for me. I am now a 13-year survivor. Both Dana-Farber and Yale have been excellent.”

His advice to fellow myeloma patients:
“It is important to seek out the best expertise in the field, and be willing to travel. Learn as much about the disease as possible. There are many nuances to a good treatment program. Cookie-cutter programs are inadequate. My experience has been that each myeloma patient is different from another.”

To learn more about Dr. Goldstein, visit Dr. Mel Myeloma Web site.

Current Research/Clinical Trials

The following clinical trial is available for multiple myeloma:

Phase 1/2 Trial of Combination of Autologous Mature Dendritic Cells Pulsed with a-Galactosyl Ceramide (a-GalCer) and Revlimid (lenalidomide) in Myeloma (NCT00698776).

For more information on this clinical trial, visit the Yale Cancer Center Clinical Trial Web site.

*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 Yale Cancer Center Page.