Carle Illinois College of Medicine Dean Mark Cohen is co-leader of a multidisciplinary team at Carle Health created to make a significant impact on care for thyroid cancer patients in Central Illinois. A new thyroid cancer tumor board is helping to chart the best course of action for and expedite the care for patients with newly diagnosed thyroid cancers.
Providers from clinical specialties at Carle in Champaign-Urbana, Bloomington-Normal as well as Christie Clinic ear, nose, and throat and endocrinology make up the 12th tumor board for the Carle Health system. Because thyroid cancers are usually slow-growing and highly treatable, the board members hope to make a significant impact. Their first monthly meeting was in April.
“Management of complex endocrine tumors of the thyroid and parathyroid glands requires a multi-disciplinary approach. The thyroid tumor board allows physicians from across the central Illinois region to share complex thyroid and endocrine cases and learn from each other through sharing of expertise, best practices, and national guidelines for cancer care,” Cohen said. In addition to his role at CI MED, he is a surgical oncologist, and the senior vice president and chief academic officer at Carle Health.
Cohen co-chairs the thyroid cancer tumor board with Dr. Kelly Cunningham, a head and neck surgeon in Otolaryngology and chair of Carle’s head and neck tumor board.
“This approach will allow us to coordinate their treatment plan in a more cohesive manner, giving them the best treatment outcome possible. It is a great honor to be a part of a group of providers motivated to bring the highest level of care to their patients,” Dr. Cunningham said.
“As an endocrine surgeon, I learn a great deal from my colleagues in endocrinology, radiology, pathology, and oncology that help me determine what are best options for my patients as well as coordinating care through other specialties for their treatment,” Cohen said.
Across the state, there are few thyroid cancer tumor boards, as other cancers are generally more aggressive, according to Dr. Sinisa Stanic, medical director of the Carle Cancer Institute, Department of Radiation Oncology. “This new tumor board at Carle will elevate the level of care. I deeply appreciate these busy clinicians in Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana taking time out of their busy schedules to meet at a tumor board.”
The board will review six to eight cases a week in a system that has more than 100 thyroid cancer patients annually.
Gastrointestinal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, gynecological, and prostate are just a few of the other tumor boards at Carle where individuals bring their specialty to the table and work as a team in the best interest of the patient.
Editor's note: The original version of this article by Carle Health can be found here. Drs. Kelly Cunningham and Sinisa Stanic are both clinical faculty members at CI MED.