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Each year, more than one million Americans are diagnosed with cancer. The goal of the Ochsner Cancer Services is to provide the most advanced cancer care available and, at the same time, to offer the compassionate support that enables the patient to meet the challenge of living with cancer.

More than 2,000 new cancer patients are seen each year by members of the Ochsner cancer team, and their diagnoses comprise virtually every known type of cancer. Ochsner patients are drawn from all over the Gulf South, the United States, and Central and South America. Cancer patients benefit from the strengths of the Ochsner group medical practice and the team of highly skilled cancer specialists, including physicians, oncology nurses, social workers, and other health care professionals. Ochsner offers a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to cancer care, diagnosis and treatment, extensive outpatient cancer services as well as the highest level of inpatient care at Ochsner Health System.

Ochsner is approved by the Commission on Cancer, a service of American College of Surgeons, and on the list of outstanding cancer treatment centers in the United States. Ochsner physicians, nurses and technologists are active in professional groups regionally and nationally. They pursue many research projects, leading to the publication of papers and professional journals.

If you would like more information about cancer care at Ochsner, would like to know about cancer screenings, or if you would like to schedule a consultation with one of our cancer experts, a phone call can help you determine the right type of specialist and identify which type of physician can best handle your care. You can reach us Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., by calling 504-842-3910.

The Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center

Ochsner is excited to announce the expansion of Cancer Services through the new Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center. The center will feature state-of-the-art, innovative treatment options in cancer care, as well as cancer research options and novel clinical trials. Phase I of The Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center opened in summer 2010. Phase II is due to open in the near future.

Features of the new Cancer Center include:

• Expanded medical oncology clinics with more then 50 personalized and semi-private chemo infusion stations. This more than doubles the current space available for cancer patients to receive their treatments and provides a relaxing and compassionate atmosphere overlooking the Mississippi River.
• Urologic, gynecologic, and surgical oncology consultation services and multidisciplinary teams available to assist in providing comprehensive cancer care.
• An extensive clinical cancer research program offering a large portfolio of cancer clinical trials for all major cancer types. Including National Cancer Institute, Cooperative Group, pharmaceutical and investigator-initiated clinical trials examining the state-of-the-art treatment options, cutting-edge drugs and other novel agents for treating cancer.

 
Research and Clinical Trials

• Ochsner is designated as a Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and has been continuously funded by the NCI since 1983.
• Ochsner offers clinical trial sites at Ochsner Medical Center (Jefferson Highway), Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge and Ochsner Medical Center - North Shore.
• Protocols are derived from Ochsner's affiliation with the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), the Gynecology Oncology Group (GOG), and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG).

Ochsner Research Partnership with Louisiana State University

The partnership between Ochsner Health System and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans is based on developing a broad array of cancer research collaborations. This will involve collaboration between physicians and basic scientists at Ochsner and the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center at LSU. The collaboration's goal is to enhance and expand both research as to the basic mechanisms of cancer as well as translating those findings in to new options for patient treatment. Additional collaborations in clinical research and joint training programs are also underway.

Ochsner is a member of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium (LCRC).