Cutting-Edge Innovation and Research
As the need continues to grow, we plan to expand our clinical research office to facilitate more trials. Currently, MercyOne participates in more than 50 trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, but more opportunities will emerge in the future. Our patients should have access to as many options as possible.
To stay on the cusp of cutting-edge advancements, we will build a technology-advanced conference room for provider forums and tumor boards, in which a team of expert physicians meet to review and discuss complex cancer cases. This will enable our providers to share research with other experts from around the world, and it will also allow for teleconference meetings with providers and patients, so distance is no obstacle for personalized care.
We expect to enhance our services with innovative intraoperative radiation therapy, which uses therapeutic levels of radiation on the tumor area while it is exposed during surgery.
We are particularly eager to lead the way into precision medicine, an approach that allows doctors to prescribe personalized treatments based on genetic testing.
Today, most patients receive the same treatment as other patients with the same type of cancer, even though different people respond differently. Scientists see a future when genetic tests will help decide which treatments a tumor is most likely to respond to, sparing the patient from treatments that are unlikely to help.
