Group and independent cancer care practices provide options

When it comes to the topic of cancer care, many people find planning to be overwhelming. Choosing a provider can make a crucial difference in the quality of care, treatment and outcomes. When it comes to cancer care in the Dayton area, there are a variety of group and independent practices to choose from, each with its own benefits to consider when making this critical choice.

One of these providers is Kettering Health, a faith-based practice with medical centers in the Dayton area. The Kettering Health Cancer Center was built with its patients in mind, according to the company, focusing on healing the whole person.

“Kettering Health is a place to seek cancer care if you value personalized touch, if you value [knowing] your caregivers, seeing familiar faces, knowing their names, having them know you, and, just as importantly, having them know your values, what you’re about [and] what your objectives are with your treatment, which can vary from situation to situation” says Dr. Anthony Paravati, executive medical director of oncology at Kettering Health.

Helping Kettering Health stay at the forefront of innovation is a new program implemented this year: a full-service bispecific T cell engager program, or BiTE. This therapy utilizes engineered antibodies to connect a patient’s immune T cells directly to cancer cells.

“The thing that’s really exciting about it is that it takes these medicines and acts as a bridge between the individual cancer cell and the individual T cell… It’s like a smart, targeted therapy for that specific cancer,” Paravati says.

Kettering Health Cancer Center’s radiation oncology, medical oncology, surgical oncology and gynecologic oncology services are all accredited by the Commission on Cancer (CoC).

Like many other clinics, Kettering Health faces challenges despite its size and many resources. A common problem faced by cancer clinics is not being able to keep up with the demand as more people are diagnosed with cancer.

“I think a big challenge that we face and that’s very common among cancer programs, is that the population, nationally and locally, with no exception, continues to get older and so as the population gradually gets older, that means more cancer,” Paravati says “It means a higher incidence of cancer per unit time per year, et cetera. And so, we struggle to identify and grow our teams fast enough to match the demand for care.”

Cancer prevention is an important tool in cancer care and many can start in their own homes. Implementing healthy lifestyle choices like getting enough sleep and eating well can help a person’s overall health.

However, many people do not always or cannot always make exclusively healthy choices. In instances like these, it is important to ensure proper annual screenings for cancers that can be caused by environmental or genetic factors.

“If you have a higher incidence of the condition, screening becomes much more relevant for that cohort of people that you’re looking at,” Paravati says.

Another care option is a an independent practice like Dayton Physician Network (DPN). This network offers patients a different sense of community in their journey through survivorship.

This multidisciplinary network of physicians was formed in 2006 and has since grown to a community of over 40 physicians and more than 350 employees. With a network of medical hematologists, radiation oncologists and urologists, DPN has a variety of medical services for many different cancer care needs.

“Dayton Physicians Cancer Center offers several advantages over other options, particularly in terms of accessibility, convenience and a coordinated approach to care,” says Dr. Rajeev Kulkarni, medical oncologist with the practice. “Unlike some larger or academic or hospital centers, Dayton Physicians is a community oncology practice, which can provide a more personalized patient experience.”

DPN strives to provide its patients with quality care by working in collaboration with other medical specialties, such as gastroenterology, pulmonology, ENT, surgery, radiology and pathology, to ensure its patients receive the best evidence-based cancer care at a local level.

“Dayton Physician Network… is an affiliate of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, bringing together the best of academic medicine, cancer expertise and community health care in Ohio while allowing patients to receive treatment close to home,” says Dr. Rodger Wood, medical oncologist with Dayton Physicians Network.

As an independent practice, DPN is able to provide a patient-centered approach to cancer care through a community of physicians. Patients can expect rapid scheduling and consistent care with the same team of physicians.

“At Dayton Physicians, we offer robust care management, connecting patients with specialized support programs and addressing mental health needs,” says Kulkarni.

In its pursuit of patient-centered cancer care, DPN offers a variety of supportive services, such as chemotherapy classes, care management services and access to support groups and a patient advocacy network.

Dayton Physicians Network also offers informational resources and support through links to helpful organizations on its website. Among those links, patients can find a patient support resource database that assists in finding free or reduced cost options for housing, food, health care and more.

In collaboration with the Dayton Clinical Oncology Program, Dayton Physicians Network is bringing up-to-date cancer research to the Miami Valley Area. Physicians in this network discuss the risks and benefits of these treatments to ensure understanding between patients and their treatment.

“We are continuing to expand treatment services with newer immune therapies, radiopharmaceuticals and drug development clinical trials,” Wood says.

Some of the new clinical trials coming soon to Dayton Physicians Network include treatment for high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and treatment for breast and lung cancer.

It is new developments like those that make sure that Dayton stays healthy and can battle cancer. Whether group practice or independent practice, Dayton has a variety of options when it comes to cancer care needs.