Every year, more than 75,000 patients visit Siteman. The center is working on breakthroughs in personalizing cancer treatments, according to director Dr. Timothy Eberlein. “Personalization offers more favorable outcomes because it better targets cancer cells,” he says. One of the major areas of investigation is genome sequencing. For some types of cancer, such as leukemia, such sequencing can provide doctors with important insights into patient cases in a shorter amount of time than traditional tests. “In less than 48 hours, we can identify any abnormalities in the cancer genome,” Eberlein explains. “With that information, we can create better treatments for each patient. It’s a completely new way to think about and analyze an individual’s case.”
Genomic analysis of tumors also has led to other breakthroughs, such as the creation of personalized vaccines to treat breast and pancreatic cancers. “We identify the specific mutations and develop a vaccine that recognizes the tumor,” Eberlein notes. “A vaccine made to treat my cancer wouldn’t work to treat your cancer, and vice versa.” The targeted nature of the vaccine means that only cancer cells are destroyed. Additionally, better imaging and nanotechnology also are being used to develop therapies that leave healthy tissue undamaged. “We’re working toward better ways to more accurately treat various cancers, and that means better outcomes for patients,” Eberlein says.
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. “Our investigators have sought to address the mechanisms of public health to reduce disparities in care and survival rates, including in underserved and rural communities that traditionally lack access to cutting-edge screening and treatment,” Eberlein says. In the past, Black women in North County faced a risk for stage IV breast cancer that was two and a half times the national average. Thanks to Siteman’s outreach efforts with community partners and increased screening, that rate has been reduced. Siteman’s outreach programs have also worked to reduce the mortality rate for colorectal cancer in the Mississippi River valley south of St. Louis, a national hotspot for the disease.
As one of the largest cancer centers in the country, Siteman cannot rely solely on government funding for its critical work. Philanthropic support is equally important, allowing researchers to gather crucial data that can be used to secure larger grants from organizations like the National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society. To power the wheel of innovative research at Siteman, the Cancer Frontier Fund was established 15 years ago at the Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “There is incredible competition for grants—the National Cancer Institute turns down 92% of all applicants,” Eberlein notes. “The fund makes our investigators much stronger competitors because they can provide primary data and proof of principle when applying. It’s a little like venture capital. You invest in a really good idea, and for every $1 dollar donated, you see an additional $12 raised through grants.”
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 $45 million, and those funds have been used to support more than 162 cancer research projects. This year, the gala will be June 1 at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. The evening’s celebrity guest host is comedian Jay Leno, and Julie and Rusty Keeley of Keeley Companies and St. Louis City SC’s Carolyn Kindle are serving as lead ambassadors. “It’s amazing to see these individuals share their time and resources to help us raise money to fuel new ideas and treatments,” Eberlein says. “Illumination is always an incredible evening because of the St. Louis community. Our success and innovation in fighting cancer would not be possible without that support.”
The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Illumination Gala benefits cancer research at Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. The event will be June 1 at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. Pictured on the cover: Lead ambassadors Carolyn Kindle and Julie and Rusty Keeley. For more information, call 314.286.0602 or visit illuminationgala.org.
Cover design by Julie Streiler
Cover photo by Tim Parker Photography
Pictured at top: Dr. Timothy Eberlein and Dr. Russell Pachynski
Photos courtesy of Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital