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Siteman Cancer Center announces fourth network affiliate

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The Siteman Cancer Network, an affiliation between Siteman Cancer Center and regional medical centers, has added a fourth member, the network’s second in Illinois. Carterville, Ill.-based SIH Cancer Institute has joined the network, which aims to improve the health of people and communities through cancer prevention, research and access to specialized treatment, when necessary, at Siteman in St. Louis.

Led by Siteman at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the network provides cancer prevention and control strategies and genomic and genetic testing. Patients also will have streamlined access to highly specialized treatments and technologies, such as bone marrow transplantation, proton therapy and clinical trials, at Siteman in St. Louis.

“Siteman Cancer Center and the SIH Cancer Institute – through the Siteman Cancer Network – are committed to reducing the burden of cancer in our communities,” said Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, director of Siteman Cancer Center and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor and senior associate dean for cancer programs at the School of Medicine. “Together, we are working to build a healthier region.”

As the St. Louis region’s only comprehensive cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute and only member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Siteman Cancer Center is committed to collaborating with other health-care providers to help improve the health and well-being of the region, Eberlein said.

Key components of network affiliation include:

  • Development of targeted interventions to reduce cancer risk, and evaluation tools to measure success.
  • Implementation of such cancer prevention strategies as the use of interactive tools, e-books, videos, individual coaching and online cancer risk assessment tools.
  • Use of genomic and genetic testing to help identify more personalized, targeted treatments based on the characteristics of a patient’s disease.
  • Sharing of best practices to improve patient care. Examples include how nurses and radiation therapists are trained to care for oncology patients, and implementing industry-approved guidelines for survivorship, screening and genetic counseling programs.

The network’s efforts also are expected to increase the number of people screened for cancer, which should result in earlier detection and improved health outcomes.

“SIH Cancer Institute is proud to collaborate with Siteman, a nationally recognized comprehensive cancer center,” said Rex Budde, president and CEO of Southern Illinois Healthcare, which includes SIH Cancer Institute. “By becoming a member of the Siteman Cancer Network, we are expanding our ability to reduce the burden of cancer in Southern Illinois.”

Other Siteman Cancer Network members are: Alton Memorial Hospital in Alton, Ill.; Phelps Health in Rolla, Mo.; and Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Mo.

Membership in the Siteman network also strengthens and further expands SIH’s connection as a member of the BJC Collaborative, an affiliation of health-care systems throughout Illinois and Missouri aimed at improving clinical care and performance and reducing overall health-care costs.

Learn more at siteman.wustl.edu/network.