2009 Recap

How quickly this year has passed! It is hard for us to believe that this is the last blog post for our first year on the blogging circuit! We have enjoyed bringing this new venue of information and communication to you – our cancer center patients and interested community – and we hope that you have found it to be valuable too!.

It has been quite a busy and productive year for us at Holy Cross and the Bienes Cancer Center. We have continued to grow – both in terms of patient volume and size of professional staff. During 2009 we added new subspecialties and sub-specialists to our team including colorectal surgeons – Drs. Lescher, Basu and Schochet and added a new Hematologist/Oncologist Dr. David Drew who joined us in November from the National Cancer Institute. We added new technologies in our radiation oncology department including a new ultrasound based tumor localization system and a brand new linear accelerator with IGRT (Image-guided radiation therapy) and stereotactic radiosurgery capabilities. There is no cancer center in South Florida that has more technology than we do now! And we have maintained our high touch service along with the spirituality and faith based approach that we do with everything at Holy Cross. We continued to develop our disease specific focus for our physicians so that we have dedicated teams of physicians now who focus their practices on breast cancer, prostate cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, lung cancers and colorectal cancers. This specialization is allowing us to be the true leaders in our field that patients deserve and need.

Finally we have significantly expanded our clinical research program – opening the first community hospital based phase 1 clinical trials for cancer in South Florida. We are truly excited to be able to offer these new options to patients who have exhausted all other treatments.

Thank you for participating with us on our journey. 2010 promises to be even more exciting!

Tags: IGRT, image guided radiation therapy, phase 1 clinical trials, stereotactic radiosurgery
Posted in Breast Cancer Surgery, Gastrointestinal Cancer, General Medical, Lung Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Radiation, Research and Genetics, Spirituality |

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Join the Hope Relay for Life

All are welcome to attend the American Cancer Society’s Hope Relay for Life at Holy Cross HealthPlex on Friday, April 24 – Saturday, April 25, 2009.  The event will be held at 1000 NE 56th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL  33334.  Opening Ceremonies start on Friday, April 24, at 6:00 PM, followed by a Survivor Dinner at 6:45 PM, and a Luminaria Ceremony at 9:00 PM.  Enjoy entertainment, food and family activities in the evening.  The event concludes with Closing Ceremonies on Saturday morning at 9:00 AM.  For information or to sign up for the dinner, call 954-564-0880, x7532 or visit Hope Relay for Life, FL.

Tags: american cancer societyy, cancer support, holy cross healthplex, hope relay for life
Posted in Breast Cancer Surgery, Cancer Support, Gastrointestinal Cancer, General Medical, Lung Cancer, Radiation, Research and Genetics, Spirituality |

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Holy Cross on You Tube

Here’s a video from our Holy Cross Hospital TV channel on You Tube about the Michael and Dianne Bienes Comprehensive Cancer Center at Holy Cross Hospital.

Tags: cancer surgery, davinci, video
Posted in Breast Cancer Surgery, Cancer Support, Gastrointestinal Cancer, General Medical, Lung Cancer, Radiation, Research and Genetics |

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Holy Cross Cancer Center Blog is Launched

Welcome to the Michael and Dianne Bienes Cancer Center BLOG. We are pleased to be able to offer this new service to our community and to you.

My name is Dr. Martin Gutierrez and I am the Medical Director of the Oncology Program at Holy Cross Hospital and the Bienes Cancer Center. I am a medical oncologist and hematologist.

I joined Holy Cross last year having previously worked at the National Cancer Institute where I had different roles, including Head of the Office of NCI-Navy Oncology and Lung Cancer Clinical Research Section and Medical Director, of the Health Disparity Clinic at Cardozo until 2006.  Also, I was a Principal Investigator for the Phase I Clinical research program at the main campus of the National Cancer Institute, where we had a portfolio of several clinical trials for all solid tumors and lymphomas.

One of our goals at the Bienes Cancer Center at Holy Cross Hospital is to move our comprehensive cancer program into a more focused and disease specific approach to oncology care. To that end we are creating teams of physicians and allied health professionals to care for people based on the type of disease they have.

For example, we have a breast cancer program that consists of Medical Oncologists, Radiation Oncologists, Breast Surgical Oncologists, genetic counselors, nutritionists, spiritual care pastors, social workers, physician assistants, nurses and other professionals who navigate patients and families from initial diagnosis all the way through treatment.

Each week we will have one of our team of experts adding to this Blog on their area of expertise. We look forward to interacting with you and offering insights into the cutting-edge advances of oncology care.

Tags: Dr. Gutierrez, introduction, launch, welcome
Posted in Breast Cancer Surgery, Cancer Support, Gastrointestinal Cancer, General Medical, Lung Cancer, Radiation, Research and Genetics, Spirituality |

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