Radiation oncologists create communications networks to assist with treatment plans, can get Mesothelioma patients

Radiation oncologists who are not connected with large medical resources, and often do not have access to the latest technologies and the information in the field, will soon be able to consult some of the leading oncologists to aid in the development of effective treatment plans for their patients.   Programme, co-created by Duke Cancer Center and Shaw National Cancer Centre "to bridge the gap between small rural radiation oncology and rapidly evolving technology, which is used in the larger group practice," can be especially beneficial for mesothelioma patients who cannot travel to a major medical center to receive treatment from a specialist.

 Mesothelioma is a serious and very aggressive cancer that occurs in individuals exposed to airborne asbestos fibres.Only 3,000 Americans diagnosed with cancer each year due to the relative rarity of mesotelioms among the population, it is recommended that patients are processed by specialists.

This means frequent travellers to large cities like New York to Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, to gain access to specialists. Initiative to connect community oncologist may involve earlier and more effective treatment for mesothelioma patients in hospitals across the country.

Dr. Carol Hahn, Butler-Harris, senior lecturer in Radiation oncology and Medical Director of radiation oncology at Duke Raleigh Hospital and Dr. Patricia Hardenbergh, Director of radiation oncology at Shaw received 1.35 million dollars from the American Cancer Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to develop the program.

Secure, Web-based technology used to patient files is shared and to allow the less experienced oncologists practically cooperate and communicate with leading radiation oncologists from around the country. Hahn says that 85% of patients receive radiation treatment in Community law, but the practice of radiation oncologists rarely can only see as "Duke [the doctor] provides care to regularly."

Hahn and Hardenbergh recruit 300 community radiation oncologists to participate in the study; Their aim is to ensure that patients are treated in the best possible way and to determine how the quality of care can be improved.

Source: Fall 2010, notes the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, the "new project seeks to connect community oncologists with specialists in the United States"