FAC U LT Y G R O W T HIncludes radiation oncologists, radiobiologists and physicists

N E W PAT I E N T S

By the Numbers: Radiation Oncology

N E W S F R O M T H E R E G I O N ’ S P R E M I E R A C A D E M I C M E D I C A L C E N T E R

ADVANCES

In three years, program has grown into one of nation’s largest.

They may not be able to rid the world of cancer, but fac-ulty and staff at The University of Kansas Cancer Center and the Department of Radiation Oncology are improving patient care dramatically.

Their treatments not only are faster, but they are more accurate, personalized, convenient and effective.

Just last month the department and cancer center cut the ribbon on new radiation therapy ser-vices at KUCC-Overland Park. Additions include state-of-the-art technology such as the Varian Triology Linear Accelerator.

It is the department’s ninth lin-ear accelerator, up from just three in 2009. Since then the patient volume and faculty size also have increased several fold. (See By the

Numbers, below.) “Our Radiation Oncology

Department is now one of the largest clinical programs in the country,” said Parvesh Kumar, MD, the Joe and Jean Brandmeyer chair and professor of the Department of Radiation Oncology.

“Our growth means patients in the Kansas City metro can receive

leading-edge radiation therapy treatments while staying close to home.”

In fact, every business day more than 200 patients receive radiation therapy at one of seven locations around the metro – in-cluding at the North Kansas City Hospital campus, an affiliation that started July 1.

Much of the growth is due to

the integration of Kansas City Cancer Center in 2011. The expansion also was driven by the cancer center’s quest for National Cancer Institute designation, which it achieved last year.

Kumar was recruited in 2010 to build the Radiation Oncology program and help the cancer center reach NCI designation.

There is much more on the horizon. The department has achieved provisional main membership status in Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, which will lead to more radiation oncology clinical trials. And at the main campus, a renovation of the Richard and Annette Bloch Radiation Oncology Pavilion is slated to begin this month.

“Our overall goal is to become one of the top outstanding radia-tion oncology programs in the country,” Kumar said, “and we are well on our way to achieving this goal for our patients.”

JULY 5, 2013

To help area patients receive treatment close to home, the Department of Radiation Oncology and services at The University of Kansas Cancer Center have expanded dramatically in recent years.

Dermatology Spotlight

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To suggest a By the Numbers, email Advances@kumc.edu.

2009 2010 2011 20122009 2010 2011 2012

1,0268

1,80219

2,63825

Radiation Oncology: Bigger, better for cancer care

4,041Average number of patient treatments per

month – or more than 200 patients per business day

2,756 Community

Cancer Program

1,285 Main

Campus

873

4

Last month’s ribbon-cutting in Overland Park featured a host of leaders from Radiation Oncology and The University of Kansas Cancer Center, including Parvesh Kumar, MD (with scissors), and cancer center Director Roy Jensen, MD (to his right).

Events Nursing Career Fair July 12

open to all – Curious about a career in nursing? Check out the sixth annual Nursing Career Fair: 3:30-4:30 p.m. Friday, July 12, in the School of Nursing Atrium on the main campus. The fair is open to anyone interested in a nursing profession. You can talk with hospital nurse leaders, along with representatives from area nursing schools and voca-tional programs, about what it takes to become a nurse.

Balance and Core – Learn low-intensity balance exercises and abdominal, lower-back and hip-strengthening tips to improve en-ergy and function: 4-5 p.m. July 15, The University of Kansas Cancer Center – North. Registration required at 913-588-1227 or kumed.com/bewell.

Yoga and mind/body experi-ence – Learn how to breathe to promote energy and vitality, followed by a session of yoga in chairs: 11 a.m.-noon July 19, The University of Kansas Cancer Center – Lee’s Summit. Registration required at 913-588-1227 or kumed.com/bewell.

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure – The University of Kansas Cancer Center again is forming a team for the popular event supporting breast cancer re-search and treatment. This year’s event: Aug. 11 at Union Station. Deadline to register online is 9:30 a.m. Aug. 2. To register on-line and join our cancer center team, go to komenkansascity.org:

• Select'KomenRacefortheCure'• Select'Register'• Select'JoinanExistingTeam'• Clickon'Company/CorporateName'andscrolldowntoTheUniversity of Kansas Cancer Center

You can also find posters, brochures and instructions on registering at all of the cancer center locations.

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT

Dermatology: From warts to cancerDermatologists at The University

of Kansas Hospital and University of Kansas Medical Center are ex-panding far beyond the traditional needs of their field.

Yes, they treat common derma-tology issues, such as cysts, der-matitis, rosacea, warts and severe acne. Yet as part of an academic medical center, their work often focuses on more serious skin diseases, such as toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and cutaneous t-cell lymphoma (CTCL), both of which can be fatal.

Director Daniel Aires, MD, estimates a third of the more than 20,000 Dermatology outpatient visits last year involved skin can-cer and other serious conditions. In Aires’ own practice at least half of the patients fall into the seri-ous category.

The division encompasses three dermatologists, as well as six other faculty who teach at area hospitals. The physicians, backed by eight nurses and other staff, see most of their patients on the Medical Office Building’s fourth floor.

Because so many of their patients have skin cancer and other complicated condi-tions, Dermatology staff work

closely with caregivers across the medical center, including those in Pathology, Plastic Surgery and a range of Oncology groups, such as Blood and Marrow Transplant and Radiation Oncology.

“Being able to help people is the best feeling in the world,” Aires said. “And our academic medical center is a great place for it, because of the teamwork and the tremendous growth in every dimension of cancer care.”

In research, he and his col-leagues also are helping bring

new treatments from the bench to the bedside. For instance, Aires is involved in a start-up company called HylaPharm, which is de-veloping a method for delivering chemotherapy drugs directly to cancer cells in tumors and nearby lymph nodes.

Our dermatologists represent an advanced, comprehensive approach – fitting for a field that requires much more than cosmetics. “Skin is a living organ and an integral part of the whole body,” Aires said. “It’s a window to our health.”

EXPOSURE

Homerun for childrenThe Kansas City Royals’ Diamond of Dreams on June 20 raised approxi-mately $150,000. The event this year supports The University of Kansas Hospital’s Neonatal Medical Home and NICU. Among the evening’s high-lights, hospital employees mingled on the field at Kauffman Stadium with players such as Billy Butler. He posed with NICU staff (from left): Colleen Gould, SLP; Tina Stutheit, RN; Melissa Golubski, RN; and Laurie Hay, RN. Watch a video of the evening at youtube.com/kuhospital.

Dermatologists (in white coats) include Deede Liu, MD, and Daniel Aires, MD, backed by some of the Dermatology division staff (from left): Heather Weltner, Samantha Pierce, Hannah Hughey and Megan Smith, all LPNs.

New cancer program begins in NorthlandThe University of Kansas Cancer Center and North Kansas

City Hospital on July 1 officially opened the doors to their joint cancer program. Located at the North Kansas City Hospital campus, the new partnership involves radiation oncology and medical oncology.

The partnership was announced June 4. Radiation Oncologist Mark Thompson, MD, on July 1 began

providing services on belhalf of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, began treating patients at the campus July 1. As part of the new program, facility renovations are under way at the North Kansas City Hospital’s Medical Plaza facility.

Researchers inch closer to PKD cureA new study by University of Kansas Medical Center re-

searchers suggests one mechanism for controlling the ravages of polycystic kidney disease might be found in vitamin B3.

Xiaogang Li, PhD, an associate profes-sor of Nephrology and Hypertension and a member of the KU Kidney Institute, found vitamin B3 helped naturally inhibit the activity of a protein called Sirt1 that influences the for-mation and growth of cysts.

Li and colleagues were able to show that vitamin B3 slowed the creation of cysts and restored kidney function in mice with PKD. The results were published in the June 17 Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Polycystic kidney disease is one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases, affecting 600,000 Americans and 12.5 million people worldwide.

iPad: A key to home healthcare?A researcher at the University of Kansas School of Nursing is

investigating how iPads can be used to help reduce infections among people with severe digestive disorders who, at home, receive life-sustaining nutrition directly into their bloodstream.

The project is funded through a $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It will use mobile technol-ogy to engage patients and their families by connecting them to web-based healthcare clinics, peer support and a range of internet nursing educational and counseling resources.

Millions of dollars are spent annually on poor health associ-ated with complex homecare. The NIH identified IV blood-stream sepsis infections as one of the most costly but prevent-able diagnoses in home healthcare.

“We’ll use the iPad, with its wireless internet and photo capabilities, to troubleshoot healthcare issues related to home parenteral nutrition,” said researcher Carol Smith, RN, PhD.

“For example, visual snapshots of the patients’ IV catheter insertion sites have already provided early detection of skin and bloodstream infections, and other serious complications can also be monitored.”

About 80 patients are part of the study, with the first group of 20 households receiving their iPads this summer.

In the NewsA recap of recent articles, TV segments and other media coverage of the region’s leading academic medical center.

Teens: unhealthy diets, too little exercise – The Kansas City Star, June 25. A new study from researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that only half of U.S. adolescents are participating in physical activity five or more days a week, and that only one in three eat fruits and vegetables daily. Today’s teens are “remarkably unhealthy,” said Ann Davis, PhD, MPH, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Kansas Medical Center. “They are extremely sedentary and they have terrible diets for a variety of reasons.”

Obesity now labeled a disease – KSHB 41, June 19. The American Medical Association has declared obesity a disease, which could help parents and their children better fight the problem, according to General Pediatrics’ Stephen Lauer, PhD, MD. “Yearsago,wedidn'ttalkto parents about a 1-year-old who was just a chubby baby,” he said. “It was: ‘They’re fine, they’ll grow out of it, it’s baby fat.‘ We start now – even earlier than that – trying to keep their weights at a healthy range.”

Midwest Cancer Alliance helps Great Bend man – Great Bend Tribune, June 14. The benefit of The University of Kansas Cancer Center’s outreach arm, the Midwest Cancer Alliance (MCA), is evident in Great Bend, Kan. Bill Mead, who is battling head and neck cancer, and his local oncologist, Mark Fesen, MD, discussed how the MCA helped them con-nect with physicians and researchers at our cancer center. “It is great to have their cooperation and enthusiasm,” Fesen said. “They bring a supe-rior level of academics and science. It is reassuring in complicated cases.”

Hospital first in U.S. to offer groundbreaking childbirth training – KCTV 5, June 11. Carl Weiner, MD, chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, explainedhowthehospital'sPROMPT(PracticalObstetricMulti-Professional Training) technique has improved outcomes among child-birth complications. Weiner introduced the program at The University of Kansas Hospital in 2007. Since then, cesarean sections have dropped from 34 to 23 percent (the national rate is 32 percent). His team began training other hospitals on the technique in June.

The research team includes Xia Zhou, PhD (left), and Xiaogang Li, PhD.

Nurses in trainingDozens of high school students participated in Nurse Academy last month. The annual two-day program, hosted by the University of Kansas School of Nursing and The University of Kansas Hospital, introduces teens to the nursing profession through hands-on activities in Pediatrics, the EmergencyDepartment,askillslaband more. In this session, students learned how the Operating Room team uses plates and screws to repair a broken jaw. Another Nurse Academy is slated for July 11-12. (Details: www.kumc.edu/nurse-academy.)

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Our People Leukemia luminary – A former

patient-turned employee at The University of Kansas Cancer Center is gaining national recognition.

The smiling face of Emily Thompson can be found in thou-sands of hospitals and healthcare fa-cilities around the nation. A leukemia survivor, Thompson is on the cover of The AML Guide, the Leukemia & LymphomaSociety'sannualpublica-tion for caregivers and patients of acute myeloid leukemia.

She was one of several honorary survivors at an LLS black-tie fundraiser, wheresheworeasurvivor'ssashandthanked donors for their generosity. And in early June, the LLS sent her and other survivors to Washington, D.C., to encourage lawmakers to pass legislation improving blood cancer patients'accesstotreatment.

Just three years ago she was an oth-erwise healthy junior at the University of Kansas, studying to become a speech pathologist. But after a series of piercing headaches, she went for a CT scan at a Lawrence hospital, which

promptly life-flighted her to The University of Kansas Hospital.

She was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. After six months of treatment followed by two years of maintenance, Thompson was declared in remission of the blood cancer in June 2012

Her experience with leukemia, and as a patient at our hospital, changed her direction in life. She joined our can-cer center in November as an office specialist at the Westwood Campus, where she helps schedule patients for blood and marrow transplants.

Although she eventually complet-ed her degree in speech, language andhearing,Thompson'smedicalcareer has shifted firmly to a field in leukemia and BMT."Everythinghappensforareason,"

she said, "and I believe this is what I was meant to do."

A D V A N C I N G T H E P O W E R O F M E D I C I N E ®

© The University of Kansas Hospital

Imagine a day when every bone marrow transplant patient has a match.

A new day of hope for cancer patients is here.

Now, specialists at The University of Kansas Cancer Center have new ways to match almost any bone marrow transplant patient immediately. And a match could mean a cure. In this region, it’s only happening here.

Call 913-588-1227 or visit kucancercenter.org.

Donor-Supported Awards The University of Kansas Hospital every year honors outstand-

ing nurses and other caregivers with donor-supported awards. This is the 12th year for the awards, which were established by

grateful patient families – or by physicians and departments. The 15 winners were honored at a dinner June 26.

• Award for Excellence in Hematology/Oncology Nursing: NatalieWellington,RN,Unit41/21(inpatient);StephanieHammontree,RN,BMT(outpatient);andNancyWashburn,ANP/BC, KUCC-South (community)

• Patricia Huffman Award for Excellence in Maternal/Child Nursing: Kellie Hartman, RN, Pediatrics (Unit 44)

• Riss Family Award for Excellence in Neuroscience Nursing: Sarah Carter Langston, RN, and Cara Compton, RN, both Neuroscience ICU (HC 9)

• Sutherland Family Nursing Excellence Award in Surgical Intensive Care: Patrick Patterson, RN, Surgical ICU

• Thomas McCool Award for Excellence in Burn Nursing: EricWestervelt, RN, Burn ICU (Unit 52)

• Elizabeth Page Award for Excellence in Rehabilitative Care: Tawnya Davis, LMSW, Social Work and Case Management

• Jodie C. Hatzenbihler Clinical Excellence Education Award: Anna Mathew, RN, Cardiovascular PCU (HC 5)

• Cardiovascular and Cardiothoracic Surgical Nursing Excellence Award: Tami Alloway, RN, Cardiothoracic Surgical ICU (HC 3), and Ginny Donohue, RN, Cardiothoracic Treatment and Recovery (HC 2)

• ElizabethWisdomAwardforExcellenceinMedicalIntensiveCare: Lauren Gray, RN, Medical ICU (Unit 65)

• Pulmonary Nursing Excellence Education Award: Kristy Blomquist, RN, Medical Surgical ICU (Unit 61), and Dee Waldrup, RN, Transplant ICU (Unit 63)

Seated (from left): Anna Mathew, Cara Compton, Stephanie Hammontree, Natalie Wellington, Kristy Blomquist, Dee Waldrup and Sarah Langston. Standing (from left): Lauren Gray, Patrick Patterson, Tawnya Davis, Kellie Hartman, Tami Alloway, Ginny Donohue, Nancy Washburn and Eric Westervelt.

Thompson