Regional Resource. National Reputation
Home The Regional Cancer Center

News
Clinical Services
Locations
Photo Tour
Physicians & Staff
Research
Support Services
Mobile Mammography
Referring Physician Area
Patient Area
Patient Newsletters
Public Area
Glossary
Hematology
The Regional Cancer Foundation
Contact Us

The Regional Cancer Center

Raising the Bar For You:
The Regional Cancer Center Teams Up with UPMC Cancer Centers

Officials of The Regional Cancer Center (RCC) signing a formal affiliation agreement with UPMC Cancer Centers.

Seated from left to right: Angela Bontempo, President & CEO of Saint Vincent Health Center; Tom Elliott, Chairman of The Board of The Regional Cancer Center; Charles Bogosta, Executive Vice President of UPMC Cancer Centers and John Malone, President & CEO of Hamot Medical Center.

Standing: Tom Fucci, Interim CEO of RCC; Jim Rutkowski and Steve Danch, Members of the RCC Board, and Richard Long, MD Interim CEO and Medical Director of RCC.

Questions & Answers

QUESTION: What is happening between The Regional Cancer Center (RCC) and University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers (UPMC) Cancer Centers?

ANSWER:
We are ahead of the curve on an important new trend in cancer care by announcing collaboration with a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and university program: the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Cancer Centers.

UPMC Cancer Centers, one of the most highly regarded cancer programs in the world, is also one of the largest integrated community networks of cancer physicians and health care specialists in the country.  By combining the resources of The Regional Cancer Center with those of one of the top academic cancer programs in the world unprecedented resources will be assembled locally for our region's cancer patients.

QUESTION: Why affiliate?
ANSWER:
Collaborations between community cancer centers and academic medical centers are an emerging trend in the field of cancer care that has strong rationale and important benefits. After extensive study, RCC leadership along with leadership from its partner hospitals, Hamot Medical Center and Saint Vincent Health System, agreed unanimously that this affiliation will best serve the cancer patients of our region moving forward.

QUESTION: Why UPMC?
ANSWER:
UPMC Cancer Centers is one of the most highly regarded cancer programs in the world and is also one of the largest integrated community networks of cancer physicians and health care specialists in the country. 

UPMC Cancer Centers work in tandem with the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country. The UPCI is the only such designated center in western Pennsylvania, and is committed to improving the understanding of how cancer develops; to characterizing new lifesaving approaches for cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment; and to educating future generations of scientists and clinicians.

For nearly 2 years a leadership task force from RCC has been researching options for affiliation. UPMC Cancer Center’s values and organizational structure provide the best fit with those of RCC.

QUESTION: How does this help patients?
ANSWER:
Academic medical centers are developing innovations in cancer care while at the same time 85% of U.S. cancer patients are diagnosed and treated in their communities – where patients prefer to be treated.

Closer relationships between UPMC Cancer Center physicians and RCC physicians will facilitate wider adoption of new techniques and treatments.

Among the advantages of this collaboration between RCC and UPMC Cancer Centers are:

  • access to UPMC Cancer Centers’ evidenced-based clinical pathways* that apply to an increasingly diverse and complex population of cancer patients
  • a broader pool of clinical research trials
  • additional physician resources

Ultimately this new affiliation will mean enhanced care, more options and local treatment for patients. In short, the same protocols, clinical trials and expertise patients would have access to at a UPMC Cancer Center will be available to them through all locations of The Regional Cancer Center.

* clinical pathways are treatment roadmaps developed by physician teams that are proven to optimize care for specific types of cancer patients 

QUESTION: Will my treatment be changing because of this?
ANSWER:
The same doctors and clinical staff will continue to care for you at RCC. Over time this affiliation will allow us to evaluate and incorporate UPMC Cancer Centers’ clinical pathways and protocols that best suit our patient population to enhance our services, bring efficiency to our operation and enable us to become earlier adopters of new techniques and treatments.

Nationally an average of 3% of cancer patients are enrolled in clinical trials for their cancer treatment. UPMC Cancer Centers’ network average for enrollment is significantly better at 8%. It is our expectation that RCC patients will have similar access to these cutting edge clinical trials that simply are not possible through a non- affiliated community cancer center.

QUESTION: What about my doctors?
ANSWER:
The Regional Cancer Center physicians have been included in this decision-making process from the beginning and do support the decision as a group. Going forward communication and physician involvement will be a priority for both UPMC Cancer Centers and RCC’s physician group. All of the doctors are continuing their practices at RCC under this new arrangement.

National healthcare studies forecast a 77% growth in the demandfor oncology specialty physicians yet it is estimated that the number of practicing oncologists will only grow by 14% during the same period. That means there would be a shortage of 4000 oncologists by 2020.  This affiliation is expected to bring additional physician resources to RCC for the future.

QUESTION: Will I have to leave Erie and go to Pittsburgh?
ANSWER:
No. In fact, quite the opposite. The intent and plan with this affiliation is to further develop RCC so even more services will be provided locally over time. Patients who felt a draw to “big city” care previously are assured now that treatment plans at RCC will be identical to those in Pittsburgh. They should have no reason to leave the area for their treatments as long as the services needed are provided here.

Travel will still be necessary for patients requiring highly specialized services such as bone marrow transplantation which are better managed in a specialty care setting.

QUESTION: How does this affect the Kanzius clinical trials?
ANSWER:
This affiliation will not disrupt anything about The Center’s work with John Kanzius. RCC will continue as a research site for the Kanzius RF generator cancer treatment and related clinical trials are included in the plan for moving forward. Additionally, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute has been active with the Kanzius project from the beginning.

QUESTION: Who is in charge at RCC ?
ANSWER:
The RCC Board of Directors remains in control of the governance of RCC and UPMC Cancer Centers will serve as the manager. Hamot and Saint Vincent still own the Center.