Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Releases Quality 2017 Report

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has released its Quality 2017 report. It contains the latest data on patient outcomes, including five-year survival rates by disease site and stage, and other key quality indicators. The numbers demonstrate that Roswell Park is at the forefront of innovation in oncology.

The Quality book is a valuable resource for patients and physicians. It provides patients and their caregivers with the information that’s needed to make important decisions about their healthcare. It also helps them see the quality of cancer care Roswell Park provides through its multidisciplinary, disease-specific care model.

The survival outcomes data published in this report were compared to national statistics. The numbers demonstrate the Center’s high volumes in specialized care, such as minimally invasive robotic and video-assisted surgery, gamma knife radiosurgery and hypofractionated radiation therapy, which delivers higher doses of radiation therapy over a shorter period of time and may kill more tumor cells and have fewer side effects. The cancer center also delivers specialized blood and marrow transplants.

The Quality book — Roswell Park’s third outcomes publication — highlights these accomplishments and much more. It documents factors that affect patient safety and quality of life, such as post-operative infection, readmission, length of stay and overall patient experience. 

“Our goal is to ensure patients receive high-quality, cost-effective care,” says Boris Kuvshinoff, MD, MBA, Roswell Park’s Chief Medical Officer. “At Roswell Park, we’re continuously collecting outcomes data to identify opportunities for improvement in patient care.  The breadth of quality initiatives can range from individual procedures and treatments, all the way through system level redesign.”

Here are some of the findings reported in the Quality 2017 report:

• Roswell Park exceeds the national average for breast conservation surgery (BCS). The national average is around 60%. Roswell Park’s rate is 76%.
• The Center’s surgical team performs minimally invasive and robotic surgical procedures across multiple disciplines. Roswell Park’s use of this important surgical option, which is associated with reduced length of hospital stay and improved quality of life for many cancer types, is among the highest in New York State.
• Roswell Park is a leading center for cytoreductive surgery combined with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CS/HIPEC), a two-step procedure used to improve survival and quality of life for patients with late-stage gastrointestinal cancers. First, a patient undergoes surgery to remove the tumor or cancer, then heated chemotherapy is used to treat the remaining cancer cells.
• The Roswell Park Division of Diagnostic Hematology provides comprehensive reporting of diagnostic and prognostic information.  For many leukemia patients, treatment decisions must be made promptly. Roswell Park provides an integrated diagnosis within 24 hours.
• The Center for Immunotherapy at Roswell Park has more than 20 ongoing clinical trials, including two involving an innovative glioblastoma vaccine, SurVaxM, developed at Roswell Park and CimaVax-EGF used to treat non-small cell lung carcinoma.  
• Roswell Park has more than 80 active immunotherapy clinical trials, including two involving an innovative glioblastoma vaccine, SurVaxM, developed at the cancer center and CimaVax-EGF used to treat non-small cell lung carcinoma.

Click here to view the Quality 2017 book.

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Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a community united by the drive to eliminate cancer’s grip on humanity by unlocking its secrets through personalized approaches and unleashing the healing power of hope. Founded by Dr. Roswell Park in 1898, it is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. Learn more at www.roswellpark.org, or contact us at 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or ASKRoswell@roswellpark.org.