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Siteman Cancer Center launches affiliate network

Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Mo., is first to join collaborative effort to enhance cancer care, prevention

March 3, 2017

Mike Martin Media

Tanna Niemeier, of Fayette, Mo., was pregnant with her daughter when she underwent two rounds of chemotherapy for a cancer of the immune system. Under the care of physicians at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Mo., and Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Niemeier went on to deliver Charlotte. Through the Siteman Cancer Network, the institutions will work together to enhance cancer prevention and outreach and other services.

Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has launched the Siteman Cancer Network, an affiliation with regional medical centers that is aimed at improving the health of individuals and communities through cancer research, treatment and prevention.

Boone Hospital Center, one of Missouri’s top hospitals and part of BJC HealthCare, is the first affiliate in the network and will work with Siteman Cancer Center to provide access to cancer prevention and control strategies and genomic and genetic testing for mid-Missouri residents.

“Siteman Cancer Center and Boone Hospital Center – through the Siteman Cancer Network – are committed to preventing cancer and transforming patient care in the communities we serve,” said Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, director of Siteman Cancer Center. “Together, we’re working to build a healthier Missouri.”

Through the network, Boone Hospital Center and other affiliates can provide their patients access to highly specialized cancer treatments and technologies, including clinical trials, and technologies at Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis. The institutions also jointly will assess the burden of cancer in their respective regions and plan ways to prevent and control the disease.

“Boone Hospital Center is committed to providing our patients the very best in cancer care as close to home as possible,” said Jim Sinek, president of Boone Hospital Center. “As a Siteman Cancer Network affiliate, we’ll work to lessen the burden of cancer on individuals, families and the entire region.”

Key components of the network affiliation include:

• A patient navigator to coordinate access to highly specialized care, including clinical trials, at Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis for especially complex cases.
• Use of genomic and genetic testing to help identify more personalized, targeted treatments based on the characteristics of a patient’s disease.
• Development of a database using that information (with each patient’s permission) to improve clinical care and patient outcomes.
• 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.
• Implementation of cancer-prevention strategies, such as the use of interactive tools, e-books, videos, individual coaching and online cancer risk assessment tools.
• Development of targeted interventions to reduce cancer risk and evaluation tools to measure success.

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

Missouri Cancer Associates, a private practice, is and will continue to be the only provider of medical oncology care for patients of the Stewart Cancer Center at Boone Hospital. Through this relationship, the physicians and patients of the Stewart Cancer Center will have seamless access to necessary prevention, diagnosis and treatment resources available through Siteman Cancer Center, with coordinated care to ensure a convenient, comfortable experience for the patient.

As Missouri’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.

“The Siteman Cancer Network is a natural extension of Siteman Cancer Center’s commitment to prevent cancer and transform patient care,” he said.