Every year, more than 75,000 patients visit Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine. Around 12,000 of the people who walk through the center’s doors are dealing with a new diagnosis. Through groundbreaking research and treatment, Siteman ensures that no one has to deal with cancer alone or without hope. The center is a leader in cancer treatment, research, prevention, education and community outreach, providing care to people from across the country.
Breakthroughs at Siteman have led to the creation of personalized vaccines for breast and pancreatic cancers and a whole genome sequencing test that provides quicker results at a lower cost. “Whole genome testing used to be very expensive and take a long time,” Siteman director Dr. Timothy Eberlein notes. “Now, we can do it for less than $1,000 in around 48 hours. This allows us to better predict whether patients will respond to certain interventions, and almost 24% of patients have a change in recommendations after receiving the test.” Other advances include the center’s cellular therapy program, which works to manipulate T-cells to be better at targeting cancer instead of normal cells, improving the effectiveness of chemotherapy while lessening the harsh side effects.
Siteman is the only comprehensive cancer center in the region, serving Missouri, most of Illinois and beyond. As such, the center is dedicated to promoting the health of the community, especially for populations that are at greater risk for cancer mortality. “We’ve developed relationships with many organizations in St. Louis, including nonprofits, churches and more, in order to expand access to the care and expertise Siteman can offer,” Eberlein says. “Every year, we do thousands of screenings for breast, lung, prostate and colon cancers. The earlier these diseases are detected, the better the care and the better the outcomes.”
To more effectively reach the community, Siteman has invested in two new vans to take its services where they’re needed most. The Community Health Van helps patients dealing with high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic conditions. “Our hope is that by helping people address these health issues, they will be more likely to have cancer screenings and receive intervention if they have been diagnosed,” Eberlein explains. “The van has been active throughout the region for almost a year now.” The Lung Cancer Screening Van allows Siteman to go directly to patients who are at risk of developing the disease, which has a higher incidence on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River.
The Tobacco Treatment Program aims to further help people in the region. “Research has shown that once patients stop smoking, they have better outcomes from their cancer treatment,” Eberlein says. “We’ve tried multiple times to help smokers quit and often it failed, but this new program has been three times more effective.” The initiative equips patients with expert advice and innovative resources to help them achieve a smoke-free life.
Private philanthropy has always played a critical role in the advancement of cancer research and treatment. To power the wheel of innovation at Siteman, the Cancer Frontier Fund was established at The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital to support research scientists and physicians in gathering the critical early data needed to secure larger grants. “The fund helps us secure pilot funding, which plays a critical role in allowing us to invest in new ideas,” Eberlein says. “With it, we can hasten the pace of new discoveries, treatments and innovations.”
One of the major fundraising events that benefits the Cancer Frontier Fund is The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Illumination Gala. Since 2007, the event has raised more than $48 million, and those funds have been used to support almost 200 cancer research projects. This year, the gala will be June 6 at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. “Illumination is extraordinarily important because it provides Siteman with unrestricted funds that can be invested and developed into treatments to help patients,” Eberlein says. “From basic interventions to new technologies to prevention strategies we can bring to the community, it all has been supported by Illumination over the years.”
For Eberlein, the St. Louis community’s continued commitment to the fight against cancer is a wonderful illustration of what makes Illumination so powerful. “The evening is one of the best examples of the philanthropic spirit of St. Louis,” he says. “We are incredibly thankful for the support of the community and that of The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Our patients are eternally grateful to everyone who attends Illumination. Their contributions have resulted in new treatments, new technology and new breakthroughs that improve the lives of thousands of people every year.”
The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Illumination Gala benefits cancer research at Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine. The event will be June 6 at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. Pictured on the cover, clockwise from upper left: Dr. Sheila Steward, Dr. Dan Link, Dr. Bettina Drake, Dr. Timothy Eblerlein, Dr. Ramaswamy Govindan. For more information, call 314.286.0602 or visit illuminationgala.org.
Cover design by Julie Streiler
Cover photo Tim Parker Photography
Photos courtesy of The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital
