Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute

A 72-year-old White man presented with chest pain, cough, and dyspnea. He had a medical history of type 1 diabetes that was adequately controlled, and was a former smoker.

Since the start of the Oncology Care Model program in 2016, Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute has saved Medicare $140 million.

Florida Cancer Specialists is bringing their community oncology expertise to North Port, FL with a new cancer center.

A ribbon-cutting event was held at the new Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute cancer center in Manatee County.

Through a new a new collaborative partnership, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute plans to build a proton therapy center in the Tampa Bay area of Florida.

A new Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute location has opened to providing the most advanced and personalized treatments and services for patients with all forms of cancers and blood disorders.

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute has received a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.

The new state-of-the-art North Port Cancer Center is now open.

Three medical oncologists from Florida Cancer Specialists are co-authors on a new integrated safety analysis of umbralisib, used to treat lymphoid malignancies.

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute has expanded its molecular testing capabilities at its state-of-the-art Pathology Laboratory in Fort Myers and is providing patients with clinical next-generation sequencing.

lorida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute has announced the appointment of Michael Diaz, MD as President & Managing Physician.

Sarah Cannon recently opened its newest drug development unit in collaboration with Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute and The University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Lake Nona, Florida.

GenesisCare and Lee Health announce their efforts to transform pancreatic patient survival rates in Florida.

Treatment with daratumumab in community clinics appeared well tolerated in patients with multiple myeloma and showed similar efficacy to that observed in clinical trials.

Zanetta Lamar, MD, discussed the efficacy of tafasitamab in combination with lenalidomide in the clinical trial setting.

American Oncology Network, LLC announces two key leadership appointments.

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute has appointed a new medical director of the Clinical Research Program, Gustavo Fonseca, MD, FACP.

Surgical oncology expertise has been expanded to local communities in North Texas after physicians from Texas Colon & Rectal Specialists, a large colorectal cancer practice in North Texas, have joined Texas Oncology, increasing The US Oncology Network’s reach.

Significant short-term disruptions in care delivery were observed during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, which may have long-term consequences in morbidity and survival implications for patients who were unable to receive cancer screening, treatment, and surgery throughout this time.

"Since 2008, 1748 community oncology clinics and/or practices have closed, been acquired by hospitals, undergone corporate mergers, or reported financial difficulties."

"Over the last 12 years, an average of 9 practices per month have closed, been acquired by a hospital, or merged. These are troubling trends and dangerous for patients battling cancer...”

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, James A. Reeves, MD, discussed how targeted therapies are being used presently in lung cancer and the potential of these agents in the future.

Shekeab Jauhari, MD, a medical oncologist/hematologist, has been named principal investigator at the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, and he will lead phase I clinical trials at the FCS Drug Development Unit in Lake Mary, Florida, at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute, which is the newest unit in the FCS that is set to open in January 2020.

Lowell L. Hart, MD, FACP, scientific director of clinical research, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, and associate professor of medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, discusses the effect of CDK4/6 inhibitor, trilaciclib on myelosuppression in patients with previously treated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer receiving topotecan. Hart presented the phase II results from the blinded, multicenter study during the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute has announced an oncology-focused initiative with Cigna as a part of the Cigna Collaborative Care. The Cigna Oncology Focus program's main goal is to provide quality care and contain costs for people with cancer. It also uses incentives to encourage healthcare professionals to improve affordability, as well as patients health and overall experience.

The American Oncology Network, LLC will be acquiring a new practice from Ohio in August.

The Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute will be welcoming Susmitha Apuri, MD, into its ranks starting July 1, 2019.

Two community oncology and hematology practices will be joining the American Oncology Network, LLC in June and July: Cancer Blood Specialists of Louisville and Hope Cancer Care of Nevada.

The American Oncology Network is helping community oncology practices to flourish. As CEO, Bradley Prechtl, MBA, was instrumental in the organizations formation in 2017 when the need for improvement in community oncology across the United States had become evident.

In the current oncology climate, the search for affordable access to cancer care is a growing concern because of the steep price of treatment advancements, inpatient, outpatient, and ED costs, and financial bankruptcy or mergers that limit the number of community cancer clinics. During the 2019 Community Oncology Alliance annual conference in Orlando, Florida, Lucio N. Gordan, MD, of Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute addressed the complex challenges faced by community oncology clinics.