2008/2009 Cancer Institute Annual Report

Two recent media campaigns of the University of Tennessee Medical Center have resulted in television commercials that have focused on the themes, collaboration and regional referrals with continued emphasis on our moniker, Wisdom for Your Life. As I considered the great accomplishments of the Cancer Institute in 2008 and 2009, I realized that both themes are notable in our center of excellence during this time period. Collaboration, also known as teamwork, is at the hallmark of any great organization, and is seen every day in the management of cancer patients in our outpatient clinics, operating rooms and other areas of this academic medical center. The tumor boards that exist within the Cancer Institute, for example, were particularly active in 2009, with 1,254 cases presented at 192 tumor conferences. These included 577 cases of breast cancer, 427 cases of lung cancer and 163 cases of head and neck cancer, among others. The information gleamed at these tumor conferences clearly resulted in the imparting of collective wisdom on the physicians and support staff caring for these patients. Much of this collective wisdom resulted in effective treatment with hopeful cure of our patients who have entrusted their care to the compassionate and skillful members of the cancer team in this medical center.

Regional referrals continue to define the Cancer Institute’s commitment to cancer care. In-state referrals increased 2% in 2009, reflecting the Cancer Institute’s ongoing dedication to providing the public with a full range of services to prevent, diagnose, treat and rehabilitate patients with a malignant diagnosis. Among the 1,762 new patients treated at the UT Cancer Institute in 2009, 574 (32.6%) came from Knox County compared to 29.5% in 2008. The remaining in-state patients originated from all over Tennessee including Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Cumberland, Grainger, Hawkins, Loudon, McMinn, Monroe, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier and Union Counties, among others. A large number of out-of-state referrals accompanied this broad-based group of new patients. We are proud of our ability to serve the region with distinction, particularly during a time when cancer patients commonly travel long distances to receive their surgical and medical care. The percent of cancer cases entered into the Tumor Registry remains consistent with both Tennessee and U.S. estimated averages for accessions of breast, lung, prostate, bladder and melanoma cases.

I hope that the 2008/2009 Annual Report of the Cancer Institute is interesting and informative for you. We look forward to continuing to work with you.

Eric R. Carlson, DMD, MD
Chair, Clinical Cancer Committee