Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health

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An NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center hospital, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health is consistently ranked among the top cancer centers in the nation. Our nationally and internationally recognized staff provides consultations and treatment recommendations for all types of adult cancer.

In 1974, Fox Chase was among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center. Fox Chase Cancer Center joined Temple Health in July 2012. Fox Chase Cancer Center houses the area's most sophisticated technology in surgery, radiation, endoscopy, diagnostic imaging, genomics and bioinformatics.  Fox Chase currently sees nearly 8,000 new patients each year and is approaching 100,000 outpatient visits annually.

Surgical Oncology

State-of-the-art surgical facilities and services include fully integrated MIS/Robotic operating rooms, same-day surgery unit, short-procedure and endoscopy unit, laser and cryosurgery, CT-guided biopsy and stereotactic biopsy technology, full anesthesiology and regional pain capabilities, post anesthesia care unit and an intensive care unit. This year Fox Chase expects to complete over 8,000 oncology-based operative and endoscopy cases.

Outstanding specialty based programs exist within the Department of Surgery including Head and Neck, Thoracic, HPB, Colorectal, Gynecological, Urologic, Melanoma/Sarcoma, Breast and Plastic Surgery. Advanced training fellowships are sponsored by the Department of Surgery including accredited training in Surgical Oncology, Urologic Oncology, and Breast Surgery as well as advanced fellowships in gynecological and thoracic oncology.  Surgical residents in multiple specialties, including General Surgery, rotate at the cancer center.  Medical students from the Temple University School of Medicine participate in the surgical service training as do CRNAs from the University of Pennsylvania and physician extenders (PAs/NPs) from multiple regional programs to round out the educational missions of the Department of Surgery.  Since 1987, the Department of Surgery also helps lead the cancer center’s robust biosample repository (BSR) where all patients undergoing surgical treatment are asked to participate with in this core facility.  Patient capture rate exceeds 90% with more than 17,000 samples currently housed in our BSR which are linked to a 100-item patient questionnaire encompassing robust demographic, dietary and family history data for all participating patients

Medical Oncology

Subspecialty based medical oncologists offer innovative targeted and immunotherapies to compliment traditional chemotherapy.   A robust clinical trials arm accrues >600 patients per year to investigator initiated, pharmaceutical sponsored and cooperative group studies providing patients  with access to a tremendous range of new anticancer treatments.

FCCC Medical Oncology believes in “Personalized” treatment, utilizing genomic signatures and identifying clinical characteristics of individual patients’ tumors to determine their responsiveness to specific chemotherapy drugs. The CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory in the Department of Pathology at FCCC has provided in-house testing for single gene mutation analysis (e.g., EGFR) since 2005 and introduced a 50-gene targeted panel for solid tumor testing by next generation sequencing (NGS) in 2012.  Mutational profiling by NGS has benefitted the FCCC Gastrointestinal Cancer Program, where patients’ with metastatic colorectal cancer are routinely screened for mutations in multiple clinically-relevant genes (e.g., KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, etc.) to determine the most effective drug treatment.

Radiation Oncology

Complete radiation oncology services include CT/MRI simulated four-dimensional treatment planning as well as SIR spheres, stereotactic  robotic treatment, Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapies, low-dose-rate and high-dose-rate implants (brachytherapy). The department uses up to six state-of-the-art linear accelerators for radiation treatment and two treatment planning simulators (CT scan and MRI).  Additionally the department has CyberKnife and high-intensity focused ultrasound capabilities.

The Department of Radiation Oncology includes 35 medical physicists, dosimetrists and radiation therapy technologists and delivers over 24,000 fractions per year.   The Center has pioneered some of radiation oncology’s most effective radiation therapy techniques, from 3D-conformal to intensity modulated radiation therapies (IMRT), innovative image guidance including BAT ultrasound, CT on rails and radiofrequency-guided beacon (Calypso) targeting.

Fox Chase Cancer Center is currently in the process of acquiring advanced technology that is not available anywhere else in North America. This technology is based on a specialized linear accelerator known as a racetrack Microtron (Top Grade Healthcare, Beijing, China).  This technology will allow us to treat a patient population that has exhausted other treatment options and is receiving palliative care at best.  The treatment consists of very high energy radiation therapy, in conjunction with  a radiosensitizing drug which serves as the activation agent.  This will be similar to photodynamic therapy but without the anatomic limitations of light.   FCCC is working with Top Grade to install the equipment, and we are developing the protocols in order to treat patients who have previously had little to no radiation opportunities.

Multidisciplinary Care

Patients with colorectal diseases are cared for by a complete multidisciplinary team at the Fox Chase Cancer Center. The team includes medical, radiation and surgical oncologists as well as a clinical genetics program that runs high risk clinics. In addition, Fox Chase has a team of experienced gastroenterologists comfortable with the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic interventional endoscopy techniques for gastrointestinal disease. Expertise in interventional radiology with respect to percutaneous transhepatic biliary damage, portal vein embolization, hepatic artery embolization as well as transarterial management of pseudoaneurysms is available at all times. Experts in Anesthesia and Critical Care for gastrointestinal patients also are key members of the multidisciplinary team. Finally, pathologists with subspecialties in colon and rectal tumors participate in weekly multidisciplinary conferences

Research

The mission of FCCC is to prevail over cancer by marshalling hearts and minds in bold scientific discovery, pioneering prevention, and compassionate care. The Center conducts research in more than 85 laboratories staffed by 325 physicians and scientists. Clinical, basic, and population research conducted by experts across disciplines in turn enables FCCC to translate new research findings into medical applications that may become models for improved cancer care. Research programs at the Center encompass Cancer Biology, Cancer Prevention and Control, Blood Cell Development and Function, Molecular Therapeutics, and Cancer Epigenetics. Total annual funding for these programs and relevant cancer related funding from Temple University School of Medicine is nearly $45M.

Fox Chase has a strong research focus that includes the following NCI Cancer Center Support Grant core facilities:

• Biological Imaging
• Biosample Repository
• Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
• Cell Sorting Facility
• Cell Culture Facility
• Genomics Facility
• High Throughput Screening
• Histopathology
• Laboratory Animal Facility
• Molecular Modeling Facility
• Population Studies Facility
• Transgenic Mouse Facility

 

In addition to these existing resources, Fox Chase has recently recruited Dr. Wafik El-Deiry as the Deputy Director for Translational Research and Co-Program leader in Developmental Therapeutics. Dr. El-Deiry, in addition to being a pre-eminent physician-scientist of translational drug discovery and development, oversees a lab focused on developing personalized therapies for patients with GI cancers.