CH Newsletter 2023

Fusing science and compassion Leading-edge cancer care, right where you need it

Under the direction of Chairman of Cancer Care Services Bhoomi Mehrotra, MD, the Catholic Health Cancer Institute is on the leading edge of newly emerging cancer therapies.

There is probably no more unnerving diagnosis than to be told you have cancer. It’s estimated that roughly two million people in the U.S. will receive that diagnosis this year. Yet cancer can be treated and overcome. There are millions of cancer survivors who can attest to that. Many are here on Long Island and have been cared for by our expert oncologists and other doctors, along with our outstanding nursing and care team, at Catholic Health.

“We treat the whole person, not just the disease.”

—Bhoomi Mehrotra, MD

“Several years ago, we launched the Catholic Health Cancer Institute by assembling some of the best oncologists in our region and supporting them with best-in-class diagnostic, medical and surgical technologies,” said Catholic Health President & CEO Patrick O’Shaughnessy, DO, MBA. “Our Catholic Health Cancer Institute is now accessible at a number of locations on Long Island.”

Good Samaritan in West Islip is Catholic Health’s Suffolk County anchor for

cancer care. “Good Sam” is one of a select group of hospitals nationwide to receive Three-Year Full Accreditation from the Commission on Cancer for five consecutive surveys.

Catholic Health’s Nassau County anchor is St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, which is ranked as one of the best hospitals in the nation for Gastroenterology & GI Surgery by U.S. News & World Report and also rated as High Performing in Cancer, Pulmonology & Lung Surgery and Urology (2023–2024).

said Good Samaritan’s Chair of Radiation Oncology Johnny Kao, MD. “Instead of delivering a uniform dose of radiation to the entire prostate as in the past, we can concentrate a higher dose on the prostate tumor seen on MRI while greatly reducing the dose to the surrounding organs.”

Catholic Health is also in the lead on newly approved medicines to contain and reverse the spread of cancer cells.

“We’re leaders in the first use of FDA­ approved radiopharmaceutical drugs, which we inject into the bloodstream to

“Catholic Health has unrivaled expertise across all specialties relating to cancer care and St. Francis’s Director of Radiation Oncology treatment,” said Catholic Edward Obedian, MD, is participating in Health Chairman of Long Island’s first use of newly approved Cancer Care Services radiopharmaceutical drugs to neutralize Bhoomi Mehrotra, MD. cancer cells.

Next-generation cancer care. Now. Catholic Health is at the forefront of emerging advances in cancer treatment, using several new therapies ahead of other health care systems.

“At Catholic Health, we use advanced technology to target prostate tumors with the least amount of discomfort to our patients,”

reach cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body,” said Director of Radiation Oncology Edward Obedian, MD. “It’s not standard stereotactic beam therapy, nor is it chemotherapy. We’re opening new pathways to target cancer cells and keep our patients living long and healthy lives.”

And as part of the Roswell Park Cancer Care Network, the Catholic Health Cancer Institute gives Long Islanders exclusive access to the latest trials of innovative new treatments. “The novel therapies we are testing through clinical trials are shaping the future of cancer care,” said Catholic Health Cancer Institute Director of Hematology Dilip Patel, MD. “We’re participating in trials that are exploring new treatments for lung cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, head and neck cancer and multiple myeloma. We’re learning new things every day, steadily pushing back the boundaries.”

A number of novel therapies still in clinical trials are designed to stimulate the body’s defense system to fight back against cancer cells. This is showing tremendous promise, as is hormone therapy to slow or even stop the growth of cancer cells that use hormones to grow and multiply. The Catholic Health Cancer Institute is among the first health care systems to use these new approaches.

Personalized cancer care Beyond its clinical expertise, Catholic Health has a distinct approach to cancer, designed to deliver personalized care.

Good Samaritan’s Chair of Radiation Oncology Johnny Kao, MD, uses best in-class radiation therapy to reduce or eradicate prostate tumors.

St. Catherine of Siena Hospital’s Director of Breast Health Jana Deitch, MD, was the first breast surgeon in Suffolk County— and only the second on Long Island—to be certified in Hidden Scar Surgery, an advanced surgical procedure that renders the incision virtually undetectable after healing.

“We treat the whole person, not just the disease,” said Dr. Mehrotra. “It starts with really knowing your patient. We focus on every detail, including what other health conditions may be contributing factors.

We want to know your diet, your history, and above all, we want to know your emotional, spiritual and physical needs.”

Catholic Health’s oncology experts work as a team to decipher the genetic makeup of the tumor and analyze every factor in coming up with a highly personalized care plan. The Catholic Health Cancer Institute employs a multidisciplinary team of physicians and related experts who work in harmony—with each other, the patient and the patient’s family—to create a strategy customized to each unique patient.

Mo berae natectem que volupta

Catholic Health Co-Chair of Digestive Disease Services Christopher DiMaio, MD (left), confers with Chairman of Surgical Services Gary Gecelter, MD (right), on tumors of the digestive tract.

A multidisciplinary approach to cancer

The Catholic Health Cancer Institute brings a multi-angled analysis to each cancer case. Every case is reviewed by its Multidisciplinary Tumor Board, made up of oncologists and cancer specialists representing all the relevant disciplines, from hematology to radiation to surgery. They analyze the case as a team and come to a consensus on how best to treat the cancer.

“No two cancer patients are alike,” said Catholic Health Chairman of Surgical Services Gary Gecelter, MD. “Some will need surgery, some won’t. Some will need chemotherapy, some won’t. Some will need radiation therapy, others won’t.

We bring all the expertise together to ensure a forward course that best serves the patient.”

Dr. Gecelter works closely with Co-Chair of Digestive Disease Services Christopher DiMaio, MD, who is also chairman of gastroenterology at St. Francis Hospital, one of the best hospitals in the country for Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report (2023–2024). Tumors that surface in the esophagus, stomach, intestines, colon, pancreas, liver and bile ducts require bringing both disciplines to the task of treating the patient’s condition.

“Screenings and early detection are key,” said Dr. DiMaio. “We now have advanced tests to determine the existence of a cancerous mass at stages much earlier than in years past. That’s making it easier

to treat cancer and produce more positive outcomes.”

Today many complex surgeries can be performed via minimally invasive techniques, such as laparoscopic and robotic surgery. “Our surgeons make every effort to perform cancer operations via minimally invasive techniques,” said St. Francis Hospital’s Director of Colorectal Surgery Daniel Popowich, MD. “This allows for smaller incisions, less pain, less risk of infection, less risk of hernia and a much faster recovery.”

Catholic Health is a leader in advanced and minimally invasive surgery. “When our tumor board determines that surgery is a necessary part of the treatment strategy, I can say with certainty that Catholic Health is second to none,” said Dr. Gecelter. “We have an unmatchable level of expertise—at St. Francis, Good Samaritan and at our other Catholic Health hospitals—all right here on Long Island.”

“I’ve been at other health care systems, and I can vouch that the close

collaboration between gastroenterologists and surgeons across Catholic Health is quite exceptional,” said Dr. DiMaio. “The patient is always at the center of all we do.”

The Catholic Health Cancer Institute is available at: • St. Francis Ambulatory Services at 2200 Northern Boulevard, East Hills • Good Samaritan University Hospital at 111 Beach Drive, West Islip (near main campus) • Mercy Hospital at 1000 North Village Avenue, Rockville Centre • St. Joseph Hospital at 4295 Hempstead Turnpike, Bethpage Catholic Health also provides cancer services at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown.

Call (844) 86-CANCER to schedule a consultation.