New Directions in Cancer Care and Research at Lombardi

 

 

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(This is part 3 of 6 of a series of articles excerpted from "A Medical Mission" in the Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Georgetown Magazine. Click here for Part 1 and Part 2)

According to the American Cancer Society, about 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year. Now more than ever, strong efforts are needed in the fields of of cancer care and research. Under the guidance of Louis Weiner, MD, GUMC’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center is conducting the cutting-edge research and providing the innovative care needed to combat this deadly disease.

Prior to being appointed director of Lombardi in 2007, Weiner served as chair of the medical oncology department and vice president for translational research at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. He held an endowed chair in medical science and was the driving force behind developing an immunotherapy laboratory and clinical programs at Fox Chase.

Weiner also established a medical oncology fellowship program. And he simultaneously served as a professor in the department of medicine at Temple University School of Medicine.

At Fox Chase, Weiner focused on translational research using antibody-based immunotherapies to fight cancer, and he brought his research lab with him when he came to Georgetown. He is principal investigator for research grants totaling more than $3 million and also is responsible for a National Cancer Institute Core Grant that supports many aspects of Lombardi’s research activities.

Lombardi is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in the nation’s capital and one of 40 in the country. The center treats virtually every type of cancer, with particular strengths in breast cancer and solid tumors, including prostate, colon and lung cancers. Its breast cancer program is listed in the top 10 internationally by Thomson Reuters Scientific, which measures the scientific impact of research publications by individuals and institutions in a number of specialty fields.

Comprehensive cancer centers must meet strict criteria, which include a strong core of basic laboratory research in several fields, the ability to translate those research findings into therapies that can be used to treat patients, a program of high-priority clinical trials, and a commitment to community service and outreach activities related to cancer prevention and control. During Lombardi’s last renewal in 2003, NCI’s Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) guidelines program provided more than $25 million for the cancer center over a five-year period. Lombardi was first awarded the comprehensive cancer center designation in 1974 and has received renewals since 1990. The next renewal cycle comes up in 2009.

Weiner says he came to the cancer center in part because of Lombardi’s NCI designation, but also because of the amount of institutional support he observed – at both the Medical Center and university levels – for Lombardi's success.

“I was attracted to this position … for many reasons – but perhaps most importantly, because of the outstanding researchers and clinicians who work every day to prevent, treat and cure cancer using cutting-edge tools and ideas that arise at this exceptional institution,” Weiner said after his appointment. “We are in an era of unprecedented opportunity to effectively translate advances in cancer research into improved patient care, and Lombardi has a perfect mix of outstanding scientists and physicians who will work together to accomplish this goal.”

In addition to continuing Lombardi’s historic focus on breast cancer research, Weiner's vision for the cancer center includes establishing it as an international leader in functional genomics (a field of molecular biology that makes use of genome sequencing projects to describe gene and protein functions and interactions), a regional leader in clinical care, and an innovator of programs that reach out and help the local community.

“We want to one day fully integrate clinical and basic science research to move Lombardi closer to a more personalized approach to medicine,” Weiner says. “We plan to invest in technologies that allow researchers to study the global interactions of genes, proteins and other molecules within cells.”

Georgetown’s clinical partner, the nonprofit hospital network MedStar Health, operates Georgetown University Hospital, bringing collaborative opportunities with Lombardi as well.

For example, MedStar Health has committed $16 million for a new, centralized, integrated Comprehensive Cancer Treatment Center that will bring all cancer-related services under one roof, creating a more comforting and efficient environment for patient care. Construction of the center is likely to begin next year.

Lombardi and the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) are working together to investigate ways of increasing cancer awareness and reducing cancer incidence among African Americans, who bear a disproportionately high burden of certain types of cancer. The partnership includes a UDC master’s program in cancer biology, prevention and control taught by Lombardi faculty, and outreach and education for the D.C. community.

Celebramos la Vida!, or “Let’s Celebrate Life,” is a free clinic offered to Latina women 40 years and older who might not otherwise obtain mammograms, pap smears or related health education. The screening is provided one Saturday each month at Lombardi’s Ourisman Breast Health Clinic.

M. Joy Drass, MD, former president of Georgetown University Hospital, says Weiner is helping Lombardi to “continue to strengthen its already outstanding clinical services that are provided to thousands of patients each year.”

To continue reading, click here for Part 2 of this story.