Cancer Fighters Thrive is a quarterly print and online magazine bringing readers practical, innovative and inspirational information about cancer treatment and survivorship.
Issue link: http://cancerfightersthrive.epubxp.com/i/259111
spring 2014 | cancer fighters thrive 27 cf thrive. com MEET THE DOCTOR MEET THE DOCTOR Q A & Istvan Redei, MD National Director of Stem Cell Transplant and Cell Therapy Hematologist-Oncologist Cancer Treatment Centers of America® Zion, Illinois WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO SPECIALIZE IN HEMATOLOGIC ONCOLOGY? From the time I began medical school, I knew I wanted to specialize in hema- tologic malignancies, so I focused much of my time working with hematology patients and completed a fellowship for stem cell transplantation. The reason I like hematologic oncol- ogy is that it is a very complex feld; it is basically a combination of oncology, intensive care and acute care. The chal- lenges inherent with this type of cancer care are great, however the rewards by far outweigh those challenges. WHAT DOES YOUR WORK AS NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF STEM CELL TRANSPLANT AND CELL THERAPY INVOLVE? At this time Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) has three different Stem Cell Transplant Units—in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Zion, Illinois. My role is to coordi- nate these three units—to make sure they all use the same protocols and fol- low the same principles. I oversee quality assurance, making certain that care at all the centers is the highest it can be and accords to the Mother Standard® of Care. I keep in touch with physicians from all three of the stem cell transplant sites; I do site visits; I evaluate charts and proto- cols to ensure we are all doing the highest level of work possible. HOW DO YOU WORK ALONGSIDE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CARE TEAM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO PATIENT CARE AT CTCA? In the Stem Cell Transplant Unit, we work together to provide integrative care in two different services: inpatient service and outpatient service. In the inpatient service, where patients are often more sick and need more acute care, we offer a lot of nutritional support—our dieti- tians do rounds every day and we discuss patients' specifc needs. Nutrition is a very important aspect of inpatient care. Mind-Body medicine is also important, as there can be a lot of stress related to inpatient care; and social services that help caregivers and families, who are often stretched during the inpatient care period, are also essential. We also work closely with our on-site pharmacists, who ensure that all chemotherapeutic agents and other medications are properly administered. In the outpatient setting, we work closely with the naturopathic clinician, who plays a very important role on the integrative team—answering patients' questions, helping patients manage side effects of treatment with supple- ments and helping improve the quality of life for patients who have fnished chemotherapy and are coming back for follow-up. Physical therapists also have a signifcant role on the team as do nurses. My nurses are fantastic and provide the highest level of patient care possible. In both the inpatient and outpatient services, we offer a full range of conven- tional treatments and integrative sup- port therapies for all of our patients. My role is to coordinate this care, to decide when various services are needed. I serve as a conductor of sorts—overseeing and making sure that everyone gets the proper care at the proper time. ARE THERE SPECIFIC TRENDS IN CANCER RESEARCH OR TREATMENT THAT YOU FIND ESPECIALLY PROMISING OR EXCITING? The trend right now across many cancer types, including hematologic malignancies, is targeted therapy. We are more and more able to target certain pathways using more-precise chemotherapy drugs to kill cancer cells. It is very exciting to see new targeted medications coming out. As far as stem cell transplantation, one notable advance is that we are using less and less high-dose chemotherapy and cftSp#23vky.indd 27 2/4/14 9:25 AM