The Penn Medicine Princeton Cancer Center in Plainsboro received a $2.5 million grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation to fund a new program for older cancer patients.
The hospital’s new geriatric oncology program expands research opportunities and professional expertise in geriatrics while expanding outreach to older adults in the central New Jersey community.
James Demetriades, CEO of Penn Medicine Princeton Health, said: Releases about new programs.
“We are seeing a significant increase in the need for specialized cancer care for older adults,” said Demetriades. “Today, 70% of those with cancer are over the age of 65 and 18% are over the age of 80. Each of these individuals faces unique challenges and we are committed to working with them. We work together to create a care plan that meets your unique needs.”
Ramy Sedom, clinical assistant professor of hematology and oncology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, will lead the geriatric oncology program at Princeton Health. Sedhom is the co-leader of the Geriatric Oncology Service across the Pen He Medicine System. A faculty member of the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation, he serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network committee that develops clinical practice guidelines for geriatric oncology.
“Our program is rooted in the proposition of caring for the whole patient, not the patient’s illness,” Sedhom said. “Geriatrics has a core tenant. You never know what you don’t know. Older adults are a distinct group with unique personal and caregiver needs. Supported by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation As a result, we are fortunate to be able to transform cancer care for older people in our communities.”
As part of the program, patients aged 80 and older undergo a geriatric assessment to assess social, cultural, mental, economic and emotional factors as well as health status.
Historically, the elderly have been underrepresented in clinical trials, posing a challenge for oncologists trying to match current therapies with this population, and leading to a health equity gap in oncology care for the elderly. is occurring. An initiative driven by the new Geriatric Oncology Program aims to change this.
John Damonti, president of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, said in a news release: “In that spirit, we are proud to support the creation of the Geriatric Oncology Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health. Provides comprehensive, personalized care for people over the age of 65. It also funds innovative research, infrastructure development, education and outreach to expand the scope and impact of this work. To do.”
This grant supports the Geriatric Oncology Program’s efforts to build a research infrastructure to design and conduct clinical trials to improve care for older people with cancer. It also strengthens a range of other key activities, such as:
• Recruit a multidisciplinary team of professionals with geriatric expertise, including clinicians, supportive care staff and community health navigators.
• Test new treatments and care delivery models by bringing new research from Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center to patients in central New Jersey.
• Expanding the geriatric care capacity of Princeton health staff through education and expanding outreach to older persons through community health navigators.