Siteman Cancer Center opened its first treatment facility in Illinois on Aug. 1. The Swansea, Ill., facility marks Siteman’s sixth location overall.
The treatment center offers convenient access to nationally recognized cancer care, including clinical trials, for residents of southern and central Illinois and beyond. The initial site is at 4000 N. Illinois Lane; however, a new facility is being planned for the Memorial Hospital East campus in nearby Shiloh, Ill., that would open in early 2020.
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the region.
“Siteman Cancer Center is pleased to be able to extend into Illinois the exceptional cancer care provided by our Washington University physicians,” said Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, Siteman director and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor at the School of Medicine. “Construction of our newest facility in Illinois during 2019 also will mark a milestone, as Siteman recognizes our 20th year of providing care for patients, now on both sides of the Mississippi River.”
Siteman’s location in Swansea formerly housed The Cancer Treatment Center and Illinois Oncology Ltd. Radiation oncologists Susan Laduzinsky, MD, and Jason Lee, MD, previously with The Cancer Treatment Center, and nurse practitioner Rhonda McCabe began offering care Aug. 1 as part of Washington University Physicians in Illinois Inc., a physicians group affiliated with Washington University and dedicated to providing clinical care in Illinois. They join medical oncologists William J. Popovic, MD; Alfred O. Greco, MD; Guillermo Rodriguez Jr., MD; and John L. Visconti, DO, previously with Illinois Oncology Ltd., who already practice as part of the same group at the Swansea facility.
Construction on the facility at Memorial Hospital East, part of BJC HealthCare, is expected to begin later this year. Memorial Hospital East and Washington University Physicians in Illinois Inc. will jointly operate the new Siteman facility when it opens in early 2020.
“Together, we will offer the most advanced cancer care in the region, along with access to leading-edge clinical trials, in a location closer to home for Illinois residents,” said Mark J. Turner, president of Memorial Regional Health Services, which includes Memorial Hospital East and Memorial Hospital Belleville.
Siteman is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center within 275 miles of St. Clair County in Illinois. An international leader in cancer care, research, prevention, education and community outreach, Siteman was established in 1999 with a $35 million gift from Alvin J. and Ruth Siteman. Since then, it has grown to become one of the five largest cancer centers in the country based on the number of patients treated – 50,000 people each year, including 10,000 who are newly diagnosed.
In 2015, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded Siteman an “exceptional” rating, the highest possible, based on a rigorous review of the cancer center’s research programs. Siteman also is the region’s only member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a nonprofit alliance of 27 cancer centers dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of cancer care.
At Siteman, care is provided by physicians who specialize in a particular type of cancer, including rare tumors.
“Unusual cancers that may be seen infrequently elsewhere are everyday concerns to us,” said Jeff Michalski, MD, vice chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology and the Carlos A. Perez Distinguished Professor of Radiation Oncology at the School of Medicine. “We are pleased to be able to offer the expertise of our Washington University physicians and our advanced treatments to residents of southern and central Illinois.”
Overall, Siteman offers more than 400 therapeutic clinical trials, which are designed to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative cancer therapies. By participating in a clinical trial, patients can gain early access to investigational therapies that are not widely available to the public. Siteman patients seen in Swansea will have access to those trials.
Washington University researchers at Siteman’s main location also have broad expertise in genomics and immunology, which is helping to inform new approaches to cancer diagnosis and treatment. These scientists are developing personalized treatments for breast, brain and other types of cancer, including personalized vaccines and other immunotherapies aimed at boosting a patient’s own immune system to fight the disease.
“Care at Siteman is backed by the innovative research of Washington University scientists and physicians,” said John DiPersio, MD, PhD, Siteman deputy director and the Virginia E. and Sam J. Golman Professor of Medicine in Oncology at the School of Medicine. “With the expansion, we are able to provide convenient access for Illinois residents to treatments and research programs that have the potential to benefit patients.”
Other Siteman Cancer Center satellite locations at BJC-affiliated facilities include:
- Washington University Medical Campus in St. Louis, home to Siteman’s main outpatient facility and the new Barnes-Jewish Hospital Parkview Tower for cancer patients who require hospitalization.
- South St. Louis County, near Interstate 55 and Butler Hill Road.
- Christian Hospital in north St. Louis County.
- Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in west St. Louis County.
- Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital in St. Charles County.
Registered nurses coordinate care at all Siteman facilities through the Patient Care Coordination Center. To make an appointment, call 800-600-3606 toll-free from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays, or visit www.siteman.wustl.edu.