Patients with Brain Tumors Benefit from Multiple Specialists at Premier Health’s Neuro-Oncology Clinic and Neuro-Oncology Cancer Conference

Advanced, convenient care aims to ensure that patients and their physicians understand and share treatment goals.

DAYTON, OH (February 22, 2016) – To enhance care for patients with brain tumors, Premier Health now offers the Dayton region’s first and only multidisciplinary neuro-oncology clinic that brings together specialists in medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, neuroradiology, and pathology – all focused on reviewing, recommending, and coordinating treatment for clinic patients. The clinic is held weekly on Thursdays at Miami Valley Hospital South’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Premier Health’s brain tumor board, also held on Thursdays, enables physicians treating patients with brain tumors throughout the greater Dayton region to collaborate with the same neuro-oncology specialists who staff the multidisciplinary clinic.

Multidisciplinary Clinic

“The multidisciplinary clinic streamlines care for the patient,” explains neurosurgeon and neuro-oncologist Ania Pollack, MD. “We take services to our patients in the clinic, so they can see all the physicians they need to see in the same day. Because brain tumors often cause cognitive or physical impairments, transportation and care coordination can be a challenge. This clinic makes life easier for patients and their families.”

Patients usually come to the multidisciplinary clinic when they are diagnosed with a brain tumor, and they may return for follow-up visits. Depending on the patient’s needs and preferences, all the physicians may visit the patient in the exam room together, or they may see the patient individually, one after the other. A neuro-oncology nurse coordinator guides patients through the process and coordinates care. In addition to seeing specialists, patients benefit from direct access to all the services of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, including a social worker, clinical trials coordinator, dietitian and wellness center.

Neuro-oncology Cancer Conference

At the weekly brain tumor board, individual patients’ cases are presented, including their medical history, imaging, lab and other test results along with current treatment plans. The team of neuro-oncology specialists then work together to design a customized care plan that will allow the best possible outcome for the patient and their family.

“The brain tumor board, like the multidisciplinary clinic, aims to ensure that all of a patient’s physicians share the same treatment goals. With this multidisciplinary approach, we can recommend treatment options and assess a patient’s eligibility for clinical trials,” Dr. Pollack says. “It comforts patients and their caregivers to know that multiple specialists are reviewing their case and weighing in on clinical direction. We tell patients, ‘You can get medical advice from a cross functional and multidisciplinary think-tank for your specific condition without having to go to anyone — or anywhere — else.”

To Make an Appointment

The multidisciplinary neuro-oncology clinic and brain tumor board are part of Premier Health’s Neuroscience Institute, which combines care from physicians and surgeons in diverse neuroscience subspecialties, clinical neuroscience research and medical education.

To learn more about the multidisciplinary neuro-oncology clinic and brain tumor board, and to make an appointment for the clinic, please call our clinical nurse specialist at (937) 208-4489. Learn more about neuroscience services at Premier Health at premierhealth.com/neurosciences.

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