The Robert Ebert and Greg Stubblefield Head and Neck Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center was officially dedicated at a ceremony April 22.
The event was held at the Gary C. Werths Building at Siteman Cancer Center and organized by The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Family and friends of the two courageous cancer patients, as well as leaders from Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Siteman Cancer Center, and WashU Medicine, gathered to support the center, the first of its kind in the country.
Institutional and civic leaders who spoke at the event included:
- John Lynch, MD, president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital
- Angelleen Peters-Lewis, PhD, chief operating officer, Barnes-Jewish Hospital
- Tim Eberlein, MD, director of Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center
- Sid Puram, MD, PhD, director of the new Head and Neck Tumor Center, and Division Chief of Head and Neck Surgery at WashU Medicine
- Joe Koenig, president, World Wide Technology, and chair of the Missouri chapter of the American Cancer Society’s CEOs Against Cancer
“We all experienced the passion, energy, and enthusiasm for what could be and how we can achieve the seemingly impossible for our patients.”
Sid Puram
A highlight of the presentations was certainly confirmation of the improvements in patient care that the Center has already achieved:
- Four hundred head and neck cancer patients have now been supported by patient navigators.
- The average time to initiation of post-op radiation therapy has been dramatically reduced, with 72% of patients starting radiation on time compared to 27% before the center. This is expected to increase overall patient survival.
- Average number of days to consult time with ENT, Radiation Oncology and Medical Oncology have been reduced significantly to less than one week for multi-disciplinary evaluation.
- The Center held the first molecular tumor board, and this will now be a regular aspect of ongoing trial planning and discussion.
- Sequencing and analysis of head and neck tumors to provide a comprehensive clinical and scientific dataset for use by the WashU Medicine community has now been started, which should advance translational research.
The dedication of the WashU Head and Neck Tumor Center to Robert Ebert and Greg Stubblefield was a special moment for Center Director Sid Puram, MD, PhD.
“The ceremony honored two leaders and heroes of our community who unfortunately lost their fight with head and neck cancer,” said Puram. “This effort was championed by Joe Koenig and Nancy Stubblefield, who have been unwavering in their commitment to see this through to the wonderful moment we experienced at the dedication. We all experienced the passion, energy, and enthusiasm for what could be and how we can achieve the seemingly impossible for our patients. We have made tremendous progress, but we have a lot more work left to do, and we are more energized than ever after this event.”
Puram acknowledges the success of the center has been driven by a collegial approach with co-leadership from Wade Thorstad, MD, in Radiation Oncology and Doug Adkins, MD, in Medical Oncology, as well as the tremendous efforts of Ryan Jackson, MD, on the surgery team to operationalize the center.
Jackson considers it an honor to play a part to improve the care provided to head and neck cancer patients.
“As a head and neck surgeon who has treated many patients and had close friends and family with head and neck cancer, I have learned firsthand the difficulty in navigating the complex process of treating their disease,” he said. “This center is a significant step forward in truly putting the patient first and making the process as simple as possible when they are going through one of the worst times in their lives.”
For more information, please visit Siteman Head and Neck Tumor Center.