Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute has been selected as a clinical trial site for Michigan-based Strata Oncology Inc.
From left, Brian Nester, president and CEO of LVHN, Dr. Suresh Nair, physician in chief, Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute, Maureen Topper, Ed Topper – Cris Collingwood
The institute joins Strata Oncology Inc., a next-generation precision oncology company enabling smarter and earlier cancer treatment, along with the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center in the Strata Sentinel trial.
The trial is a prospective, observational study of the StrataMRD minimal residual disease test that has the potential to shift cancer care, bringing the use of biomarker-matched precision therapies to earlier stages of the disease, Strata Oncology said.
“At Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute, we are continuously working to improve cancer care, including partnering with innovators to bring the latest technology to the patients we serve,” said Dr. Suresh Nair, physician in chief of the Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute. “With the Strata Sentinel trial, we aim to demonstrate the utility of detecting recurrence as soon as possible using the ctDNA-based StrataMRD test.
“We will also evaluate the clinical benefit of treating patients with micrometastatic disease, including with biomarker-matched therapies chosen based on the extended treatment selection data provided by Strata Oncology platform,” Nair said.
“The Strata Sentinel trial is a key piece of our strategy of developing integrated solutions to enable smarter and earlier cancer treatment,” said Dan Rhodes, PhD, co-founder and CEO, Strata Oncology. “We are grateful to add Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute and the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center to our growing list of partners that we are working with to not only collect clinical validation and utility data, but also to learn together to create the sustainable, scalable systems necessary to deliver the best possible treatment to every patient with cancer.”
Tissue embedded in paraffin for use in genome testing at HNL Lab Medicine – PHOTO/PROVIDED –
HNL Lab Medicine knows the future of medicine is in diagnostics and is ramping up its use of genetic testing to help doctors find the right tools to treat patients quickly.
In addition to pathology tests, the company has moved into genomics to help the most severe cancer patients find the right “cocktail” to treat their specific needs and is testing COVID samples to see what variants are showing up in the area.
Dr. Geetika Trivedi, clinical genomics scientist, HNL Lab Medicine – PHOTO/PROVIDED –
Geetika Trivedi, a clinical genomics scientist for HNL, said doctors have had access to genome testing, but in the past, had to send samples elsewhere to get results.
Now, they can send them to HNL, shortening the time it takes to determine the right course of treatment, which she said can save up to a week.
“For the most severe cases,” she said, “that can make the difference in a patient’s outcome.”
Trivedi said she and her team are working on bringing genomic testing and have tested for solid tumors. “Cancer is complex because it is directed by genetics. We look at the DNA signature – the genetic makeup of the tumor and can predict if the patient will respond to a certain treatment or not.”
If not, doctors can enroll patients in the proper clinical trials based on the information extracted from the DNA results extracted from the tumor samples, she said.
HNL began when the pathology services of Lehigh Valley Hospital Center and Allentown Hospital merged in 1985, leading to the creation of HealthEast Laboratories.
By 1998, the organization consolidated as Health Network Laboratories and became a for-profit limited partnership, with Lehigh Valley Health Network as its primary equity partner.
In 2020, the organization rebranded as HNL Lab Medicine.
Shortly after, HNL acquired a company called Connective Tissue Gene Tests (CTGT). “Our goal is to become a leader in this field, not just locally but nationally,” the company said.
Currently, HNL produces more than 60 million pathology results for more than three million patients a year, the company said.
With genetic testing, “we look at the human genome that drives the cancer,” she said. “We get a lot of information and can’t look at each mutation, so we use a computer program to break them down.”
Some mutations specific to a patient’s tumor type might have FDA approved therapy or NCCN guideline. This information can help doctors to determine the best treatment, she said. “Based on the information we get; doctors can determine the best treatment.”
All of this, she said, can be completed in two-to-three days, allowing treatment to start earlier. HNL is looking to move into Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) testing soon. MRD uses blood samples to diagnose and monitor how the patient is responding to treatment.
“This is more minimally invasive and extremely important for diagnosis,” she said. It can also be used to monitor patients during treatment, especially if testing is needed on a regular basis.
HNL works with Lehigh Valley Health Network and other clients with genetic testing and is looking to expanding into more facilities in the future. “We work with more than 30 hospitals for pathology,” said Leanne Aquino, spokesperson for HNL.
“Our goal is to expand this to other hospitals,” Trivedi said. “It’s very exciting and we have an amazing team.”
HNL has also been doing genome sequencing for COVID-19 samples, she said. “We can find out what variant is here and report it to the state Department of Health. This is not being used for treatment purposes and is only used for making recommendations and updating guidelines”.
Trivedi said the testing not only finds trends but can find new variants as they emerge.
“We have seen trends since 2021 and have reported all the variants to the state,” she said. “Some variants are more transmissible than others and that helps the DOH make recommendations on travel restrictions, mask wearing and other issues.”
While other labs are doing diagnostics, “we are a major lab doing sequencing.”
HNL is monitoring for two new omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 but hasn’t seen them in data yet. These have been seen in the U.S, she said.
In the past few weeks, Trivedi said there has been a 10-15% increase in Omicron cases, which were down to below 3%.
While it is spreading, HNL can alert the DOH and local medical facilities, who can then put proper protocols in place to protect the public.
“We have great tools to provide better care,” she said. “So, we will expand outside Lehigh Valley to offer a full menu of genetic testing.”
HNL operates in more than 60 locations and employs more than 1,100 people, including 35 pathologists. The company’s labs serve over 12,000 healthcare providers in communities as far away as Chambersburg and southern New Jersey.
The National Pancreas Foundation has approved St. Luke’s Cancer Center, Bethlehem, as a NPF Center.
NPF Centers are awarded after an audit review to determine that an institutions focus is on multidisciplinary treatment of pancreatic cancer, treating the “whole patient” with a focus on the best possible outcomes and an improved quality of life, St. Luke’s said.
“We are honored that St. Luke’s has been designated as NPF Center for treatment of pancreatic cancer,” said Dr. Darius Desai, chief of Surgical Oncology. “Having the NPF Center designation acknowledges St. Luke’s commitment to providing the best and most innovative care possible.”
“We are thrilled to expand our NPF Centers of Excellence Program to better serve the needs of patients suffering from pancreas disease,” said David Bakelman, CEO of the National Pancreas Foundation. “The NPF Centers of Excellence Program is one of the pillars of NPF, and we are looking forward to working with our current and new centers.”
An approved NPF Center must meet the criteria that were developed by a task force made up of invited subject matter experts and patient advocates. The criteria include having the required expert physician specialties such as gastroenterologists,pancreas surgeons, and interventional radiologists, along with more patient focused programs such as a pain management service, psychosocial support and more.
“Our entire team should be very proud of this achievement,” said Mary-Kate Cellmer, St. Luke’s Cancer Center administrator. “This award is certainly validation of our entire team’s delivery of excellent patient care.”
From left, Brian Nester, Dr. Suresh Nair, Maureen and Joe Topper, – Cris Collingwood
Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute was renamed the Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute today after Joe and Maureen Topper gave the facility a “generous” gift.
Maureen Topper is a breast cancer survivor and her care close to home made the Topper’s want to give back to the organization.
During a press conference attended by about 50 cancer patients and their families, Brian A. Nester, president and CEO of Lehigh Valley Health Network, said the gift will be used to bring innovative and lifesaving clinical trials to the region.
“The field of oncology is rapidly evolving, and the clinicians in our cancer program are dedicated to providing our patients the highest-level care within our community. Since 2016, we have been a member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance, which has enhanced our ability to provide state-of-the-art cancer treatments,” Nester said.
Doctors, nurses and staff filled the staircase and upper decks of the atrium where the press conference was held. A new banner was unrolled and the staff waved purple towels to celebrate the renaming.
The Toppers requested the amount of their gift to remain undisclosed. Speaking to the gathering this morning, Maureen Topper said she felt connected to the cancer team immediately. “I was very confident the plan here was a good one for us. The positive, supportive manner made me feel I was going to be OK,” she said.
“Our gift will help get the word out about the cancer institute and through support and growth, it will make it better than it is,” she said.
Nester said since receiving the gift, recruitment of new staff and clinical trials are already underway. “The gift will complement network investments in advanced cancer treatments and technologies, including stem cell transplantation and cellular therapies.”
In addition, he said, the gift will serve as a permanent source of funding for Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute to attract, recruit and retain the best and brightest physicians, nurses and staff.
“At Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute, we aren’t just treating cancer – we are caring for people,” said Dr. Suresh Nair, physician in chief of the institute. “Our focus is on the individual, not only their disease. We strive to offer our patients the best treatment options for their specific diagnoses so they can continue their lives and reach milestones they didn’t think were possible.”
The cancer center, in its fifth year, is one of three cancer centers int the country participating in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance, which provides patients with treatment in their communities.
Every Ribbon Counts, a Nazareth-based charity dedicated to supporting cancer patients, has had to find new ways to raise support during the pandemic, which has shut down in-person fundraising events.
“We’ve had to find different ways to bring the community together,” said communications coordinator Josh Rultenberg. “There are more zoom meetings, more skype calls.”
– “There are more zoom meetings, more skype calls…”-Josh Rultenberg, communications coordinator, Every Ribbon Counts, pictured in his former role as on air reporter at WFMZ-TV 69 news. -PHOTO/SUBMITTED
Rultenberg, a former reporter for WFMZ-TV 69 news in Allentown, who is volunteering his time with ERC, said the non-profit’s focus is less on bringing money in right now and more on helping people during the pandemic.
“Cancer takes all of your resources, emotionally, physically and financially,” he said. “Cancer patients need help now more than ever.”
Every Ribbon Counts was founded by Abby Silfies, executive director of the Lehigh Valley branch of the American Heart Association, and Susan Bostian, a doctor of integrative health and nutrition, in 2019. “We agreed that now is the time to act on this,” said Bostian. “We hope that Josh’s talents dedicated to our online presence will help share our vision in a consistent, impactful, way.”
“Our online platform is now more important than ever and the ability to lend virtual support to our audience is now a necessity,” said Silfies.
ERC founders Abby Silfies, left, and Susan Bostian, right, say that the foundation’s online presence is now more important than ever -PHOTO/SUBMITTED
Bostian, Silfies and Rultenberg have collaborated on three new online segments to expand online support- “Mission Mondays,” wherein stories of the importance of cancer-funding are shared every Monday, “Who Are We Wednesdays,” which highlights those who directly benefit the foundation or who are battling cancer themselves, and “Fit Fridays,” in which local companies share ways to stay healthy.
Rultenberg will be writing the three online segments.
“This is about helping the everyday person in their battle,” he said. “I’m excited to tell these important stories.”
One story Rultenberg will be sharing is that of Michael Ziemian, a single father from Nazareth who lost his wife to cancer on Christmas Day in 2018. Ziemian was helped by the ERC, and is now a dedicated volunteer.
“If you are going through cancer yourself or are just a volunteer with a big heart, we want to hear your story,” Rultenberg said.
For more information on Every Ribbon Counts, email [email protected] or visit the ERC website at www.everyribboncounts.com
A class-action lawsuit alleges people living near Allentown’s B.Braun Medical Inc., plant were exposed to large amounts of harmful ethylene oxide gas, putting them at a higher risk of cancer than average.
PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
The suit, filed on behalf of Mourad Abdelaziz and others by Morgan & Morgan, a Philadelphia-based law firm, accuses the medical equipment manufacturer of releasing the colorless, odorless gas from its plant at 901 Marcon Blvd. over several decades. The complaint says those exposed to the gas could be 18 times more likely to develop cancer than the average American.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies ethylene oxide as a carcinogen.
B.Braun’s plant uses large volumes of the gas to sterilize medical equipment, according to the complaint. The gas is then released into the air.
B.Braun could not be reached for comment.
The plaintiffs, who are demanding a jury trial, are seeking compensatory damages, including the cost of a program for medical monitoring and health screenings.
A new cancer treatment tool which employs magnetic resonance imaging to treat tumors is now in use at the McGlinn Cancer Institute at Reading Hospital.
The MRIdian MRI-Guided Linear Accelerator was first installed in August and Reading Hospital patients began receiving treatment with it in December 2019, according to Tower Health, the parent health network of Reading Hospital.
A ribbon cutting for the new tool was held on Jan. 16 with Clint Matthews, president and CEO of Tower Health, and Dr. Erik Rupard, chief of hematology and oncology at Reading Hospital, presiding over the event.
The MRI Linear Accelerator combines two pieces of equipment into one, according to Tower Health. The tool allows physicians to conduct a patient’s radiation therapy treatment while simultaneously looking at a real-time image of the tumor through MRI.
The system is designed to minimize exposure of healthy tissue to radiation when a tumor is in a hard-to-reach location within the body or near critical organs such as the heart, lungs, and upper abdomen.
“This technology is unlike any other radiation option available today, including proton therapy,” said Dr. Michael L. Haas, chief of radiation oncology at Reading Hospital. “It allows us to see the tumor while we treat it and deliver a less invasive, and often more precise and accurate radiation treatment.”
Haas said that if the tumor being treated or a body organ moves beyond the boundary set by the physician, the radiation beam automatically pauses. When the target moves back into the predefined boundaries, treatment automatically resumes.
Naylin Rivera, who will be opening Style With Care in October in Allentown, fits a wig on Joann Butz, who is undergoing medical treatment and suffering hair loss. –
Naylin and Eddie Rivera want to help people who have lost their hair feel better about themselves.
The couple’s new hair salon Style With Care is unique because of Naylin Rivera’s training as a nurse and cosmetologist. She will run the salon, specializing in wig and hairpiece fittings, repair and care, for clients suffering from baldness, whether caused by medical treatments, drug side effects, disease progression or heredity.
“For the past few years I’ve been dealing with more and more friends and family members dealing with medical treatments [for hair loss issues] and the demand is growing every day,” said Rivera, a Bayada Home Health Care pediatrics nurse and licensed cosmetologist.
Rivera has been a nurse since 2008, and a cosmetologist since 2001.
According to WebMD.com about 40 percent of women have visible hair loss by the time they are 40.
Hair loss and baldness – whether male, female, young or old, can have a devastating effect on emotional, social and mental health.
“The American Hair Loss Association recognizes that hair loss in women is a serious life-altering condition that can no longer be ignored,” the WebMD website said.
Style With Care will occupy the former Allentown Geoff Gutgold Advertising building, located at 1809 W. Allen St. The Riveras bought the property, and they are renovating it with a planned October opening.
Jeffrey Barber, president of Lehigh Valley Financial Group LLC in Allentown arranged a Small Business Administration loan to fund the start-up business.
Barber said the Rivera’s niche project was a good fit for his commercial lending client, WSFS Bank (We Stand for Service) in Wayne, Montgomery County.
Candice Caruso of WSFS Bank said the project appealed to her firm because the services will be targeted as well as “inclusive” to the general public.
“Anyone who wants to support the Rivera’s mission can patronize their salon,” Caruso said.
She is vice president and director of government guaranteed lending for WSFS Bank.
“What is really exciting about this opportunity is [for the Riveras] to provide aesthetics to their customers and help individuals with their confidence,” Caruso said.
Barber said Rivera’s unique hands-on expertise, a combined medical and cosmetology background and the couple’s commitment to purchase the building for their business were positive points in their application process.
“They have an important audience to serve. Cancer patient survivors have specific needs,” Caruso said.
She said the loan due diligence process showed the Riveras thoughtfully created their marketing and business plans, assessed their competitive landscape and brought skills to their project which will set them apart.
“She [Naylin Rivera] brings an advantage. She’s created her marketing plan and is leveraging relationships she’s built over the years,” Caruso said.
The Small Business Administration program is focused on making sure eligible businesses have a solid analysis of the competition, their demographics and location and beyond those elements how they’ll execute their plan, Caruso said.
Style With Care will have two private wig fitting and styling rooms by appointment. Wig and hairpiece repair will also be available on the premises.
Hair services will be available to the general public.
Rivera said Style With Care’s lightweight, natural looking wigs aim to help improve self image and bolster self-esteem during a particularly difficult time for many suffering from hair loss.
Both human hair and synthetic wigs will be offered, and custom wig work will also be available to customers, Rivera said.
The cost for a full woman’s wig ranges from $300 to $2,000, depending upon length and quality, Rivera said.
For a lot of people undergoing treatment for hair loss, thinning hair or baldness impacts self esteem, how they look and feel in front of others and how comfortable they may be in front of others. “They feel undressed if they’re seen without hair. “It really is about self-image and confidence,” Rivera said.
She said as well as cancer treatments, hereditary and various medications – especially those aimed at treating women’s health issues, can cause enough hair loss to require a wig.
“People have scares from cancer treatments, some have major scarring,” which may make them more self-conscious about their looks, Rivera said.
St. Luke’s University Health Network performs the highest number of breast and lung cancer surgeries in the Lehigh Valley, while Lehigh Valley Health Network performs the most brain, colon, liver, pancreas, rectum and stomach cancer procedures, according to new data from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council.
The data, released May 23, compares the volumes of 11 types of cancer surgeries performed at hospitals throughout the state from July 2017 through June 2018.
Released as a tool to help cancer patients and their families, the data aims to facilitate decisions about where to go for cancer care, according to Joe Martin, executive director of the Pennsylvania Health Care Containment Council.
“Reporting volume for these cancer surgeries is important because there is strong evidence in the scientific literature that links hospital surgical volume and patient outcomes,” he said.
Martin also said that it is important to look at the full picture when considering cancer care options because hospitals may have a low number of cases for one type of cancer surgery and a high number of cases for another.
For Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke’s, the difference in number of surgeries performed was most marked in breast, lung and prostate cancers, where St. Luke’s completed more surgeries.
St. Luke’s performed 373 breast cancer procedures, with the Anderson campus performing 217 alone, compared to 203 at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
St. Luke’s completed 113 lung cancer surgeries, while Lehigh Valley completed 58. St. Luke’s undertook 115 prostate surgeries, compared to 58 at Lehigh Valley.
Lehigh Valley, however, performed more pancreatic cancer surgeries, 34, compared to 21 at St. Luke’s. Lehigh Valley also did more brain surgeries, 43, while St. Luke’s did 21. Lehigh Valley also performed slightly more colon, liver, rectum and stomach cancer procedures.
The two health networks were evenly matched in the number of bladder and esophagus cancer surgeries performed.
The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council is an independent state agency charged with collecting, analyzing and reporting information that can be used to improve the quality and cost of health care in Pennsylvania.
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