NEW GERIATRIC ONCOLOGY PROGRAM AT THE CANCER CENTER AT HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER TO PROVIDE OPTIMAL CANCER CARE FOR SENIORS

(June 21st, 2007, Hackensack, NJ) 

 Hackensack University Medical Center has announced the launching of its Geriatric Oncology Program, in order to provide optimal cancer care for seniors, and to overcome the special challenges this population faces in battling the disease.

 Leading the program, and HUMC Cancer Center’s new Division of Geriatric Oncology is Richard J. Rosenbluth, M.D., a hematologist/oncologist who has been on the medical staff of HUMC’s Cancer Center for 30 years and is a clinical professor of medicine at New York University Medical Center.

 Dr. Rosenbluth points out that just as a child would see a pediatrician for medical care, an older patient should go to a geriatrician. And an older patient with cancer will benefit from the combined expertise of the Geriatric Oncology Program’s physician experts.

 “Older patients have unique needs because of their often complex medical histories, numerous drugs they are taking, their social situations, possible problems with cognitive dysfunction related to age, and general diminution of organ function that occurs naturally in the older population. Only an expert in geriatrics, working in conjunction with a medical oncologist sensitive to these problems, can decide on the appropriate treatment for any elderly cancer patient,” said Dr. Rosenbluth.

 All new patients meet with a medical oncologist, a geriatrician, a psychosocial professional, and a nutritionist, all of whom work together to provide a comprehensive assessment of the patient’s fitness to withstand the therapy necessary to treat his or her cancer. Patients spend approximately three hours with the Geriatric Oncology Program team. Following the initial assessment, the team meets to evaluate the patient’s fitness for therapy.

 Dr. Rosenbluth explains that patients over age 75 who are fit tend to do as well as younger patients with standard cancer care treatment.

 The team’s decisions and recommendations are then presented to the patient and his or her family as well as to the patient’s primary physician when appropriate. After these discussions, treatment for the patient’s cancer is initiated.

 The Program is the first such center designed for senior cancer patients in the New York metropolitan area, meeting a need which is anticipated to grow dramatically in the coming years.

 “The risk of developing cancer increases with age, and as the population ages over the next decade, we can expect that the percentage of older persons diagnosed with cancer will grow,” says Dr. Rosenbluth. “With our Geriatric Oncology Program, we treat patients with a multidisciplinary approach that considers all of the barriers that older patients face when they try to obtain optimal cancer care.”

 The Geriatric Oncology Program is located in the Hackensack University Medical Plaza, Suite 400, 20 Prospect Avenue, Hackensack. Equipment and furnishings promote comfort and address limited mobility and other assistive needs of older persons. Multi-lingual staff are available to explain the program and gather medical and social histories from patients.  For more information, or to set up an appointment please contact us at (201) 336-8404.