Cancer patients and their families often think they have to travel to large academic medical centers to get the expert care they need and access to the latest clinical trials.
That is not necessarily so.
Summit Medical Group’s specialists are on the cutting edge of cancer care from diagnosis and treatment to the at-home care patients often require as their disease progresses.
Tune into SMG radio to hear Dr. Biren Saraiya talk about best practices in oncology care, palliative medicine and clinical trials for cancer patients.
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Oncology at Summit Medical Group
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Learn more about Biren Saraiya, MD
Biren Saraiya, MD
Biren Saraiya, MD, specializes in lung cancer, leukemia, and lymphomas. Before joining Summit Medical Group, Dr. Saraiya was Medical Director of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey in Hamilton, where he started the Lung Cancer Screening Program. He was previously a consultant oncologist and hematologist at Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, New Jersey, where he started a multidisciplinary cancer clinic that included thoracic surgery and pulmonology. Dr. Saraiya is an assistant professor for Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.Learn more about Biren Saraiya, MD
Transcription:
Oncology at Summit Medical Group
Melanie Cole (Host): Summit Medical Group specialists are on the cutting edge of cancer care from diagnosis and treatment to the at home care that some patients require. My guest today is Dr. Biren Saraiya. He’s an oncologist at Summit Medical Group who specialized in lung cancer, leukemia and lymphomas. Welcome to the show, doctor. So, tell us a little bit about oncology at Summit. What type of cancers to you treat?
Dr. Biren Saraiya (Guest): So, at Summit Medical Group we provide cancer care from prevention to early diagnosis to treatment. It includes surgeons, medical oncologists and surgical oncologists. We are trying to provide comprehensive care for our patients from the beginning to the end.
Melanie: And, that’s always encouraging. So, tell us about the beginning. If somebody is worried that they have a certain type of cancer, do you only treat certain types of cancer or a broad range?
Dr. Saraiya: We treat all the patients with cancer. When we need help, we will seek care outside. We take care of all the cancer patients and we provide care close to home for patients so they don’t have to travel all across the state or out of state.
Melanie: That’s so important. So, starting at the beginning when someone fears that they have cancer or are diagnosed with a certain type, then how does it work? How do they get the care and treatment that they need?
Dr. Saraiya: Many of our patients will have had a screening test. For example, mammogram for breast cancer, colonoscopy for colon cancer and the newest screen test is a CAT scan for lung cancer. Sometimes, patients get diagnosed when they come with the symptom that prompts that doctor to an additional workup. Many of our patients, because we provide comprehensive care--not just in cancer but also outside of cancer--many of the patients are known to specialists and our colleagues in primary care who are their doctors already. Patients will get initial evaluation and treatment outside of the cancer program but then, they will be referred to when the cancer diagnosis is made. Typically, a diagnosis comes about after a screening test or evaluation for a specific symptom and, eventually, a biopsy. The biopsy can be done by a surgeon or a radiologist. Once we have that we can have the discussion about what this means for patients.
Melanie: So, if somebody is diagnosed, then how do they decide the course of treatment? Is this something they decide with the doctors or how does that work?
Dr. Saraiya: Depending on the type of cancer, they will meet with a surgeon, a medical oncologist and even a radiation oncologist. One thing we try to do here and we are very proud of this is, we have a multi-disciplinary evaluation. When necessary, all the right doctors sit down and discuss the patient together to make sure that the right treatment plan is formulated for the optimal cancer outcome and we hope that that is a cure for many of our patients.
Melanie: For an example, tell us about the comprehensive breast care center and what women can expect there.
Dr. Saraiya: The initial encounter starts with having a mammogram or sometimes when there’s an abnormal mammogram, they meet with our navigator. These are nurses who specialize in guiding patients through this amazing maze sometimes we’ve created and it’s such a difficult time for a person to go through it, for a woman to go through it not knowing what’s happening. So, what they do is they educate the patient, they guide them through the workup and evaluations. That could be a surgeon who is part of the breast center. That would be arranging in getting the biopsy done so we can have the diagnosis and then communicating with the patient about all the testing that needs to be done and, if necessary, meeting with one of the medical oncologists after the surgery has been performed. So, the navigator is the glue at the breast center that holds the patients hand throughout their journey and helps them along to make sure to demystify all the stuff that patients are afraid of and try to, as much as possible, care for their emotional wellbeing, their medical needs and truly care for the entire person.
Melanie: Tell us where the family comes in and how are they involved in this course of treatment?
Dr. Saraiya: When I say “patient”, I really mean patient and family. We always try to have the patient bring a family member, someone who is going to listen for them, at our initial meetings and the major time points because it’s really important for everyone to be on the same page and understand and answer all the questions. Our navigators will ensure that when the patient comes in and sees the doctor that the family is there. I encourage my patients to make sure that they write down what I say or I will write down for them what they summary is so that when they go home, they can read back or discuss and have additional questions. So, the next visit, we start off with, “What questions do you have from what we reviewed last time?” So, having that education, I think, is so important to really take some of the fears away. Many times for patients, not knowing is much more distressing than the cancer itself or the treatment itself. We try to, as much as possible, have the patient, the family, the patient unit and the team that we take care of here to be on the same page and work together.
Melanie: Tell us about the importance of screening, doctor, and what screening recommendations do you have that are most important for catching cancers early?
Dr. Saraiya: Screening tests are looking to find something that is early in development. If I look at cancer in general, the cure rates are very high when we identify something in what we call “the early stages” or “localized to a single area”. That’s when the surgeon can go in and remove it or the radiation oncologist can radiate that particular spot or area and we hope that that cures the cancer. Screening tests are developed to find cancers early so that we can actually make the biggest impact. In my mind, if I were to have the optimal solution for cancer care, it would be to prevent cancers from happening. That’s healthy living, taking care, having evaluations and screening tests so that we can find if there is a problem as early as possible. There are several cancers that we screen for with really good guidelines and evidence. Colon cancer: doing a colonoscopy after the age of 50 is something that has very high evidence. Colonoscopy not only detects cancer but, many times, when the gastroenterologist removes the polyp, we actually cure the early cancer. For patients who have other risk factors, it may be earlier than age 50. Several cancer screenings, the Pap test, has also a high level of evidence to make a huge difference in finding the cancer early and preventing unnecessary deaths in patients. Breast cancer screening with mammograms: I know there’s a lot of controversy out there right now and the newest guidelines are different from the United States Prevention Task Force than from the American Cancer Society. All agree that having women get a mammogram at least once every other year starting at age 50 is important. I think we need to individualize screening for breast cancer and doctors, the gynecologist, the primary care doctor, need to discuss with their patients. Our specialists and primary care doctors do that with our patients to make sure that they get the right screening. One of the newest ones in the last three years is lung cancer screening. For the right patient, patients who have a more than 30 pack/year history of smoking and have smoked within the last 15 years and who are healthy enough to get screened, should get screened once a year with a low dose CAT scan for at least three year. That’s the national guideline. We have pulmonologists who run the lung cancer screening program.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes--what great information and so beautifully put, doctor--give us your best advice for prevention of cancer to begin with so maybe they don’t have to come see you.
Dr. Saraiya: This is a very important topic and I cannot stress enough how healthy living is so important. One thing we know is prevention. This not just for lung cancer but other diseases, not just cancer but other diseases as well – smoking. Lung cancer, bladder cancer, heart disease are probably three major health issues that kill Americans. We want to make sure that we can prevent that. If we were to ban smoking, in my mind, that would be the most amazing thing that we could do as a society. Barring that, making sure that a 15, 16, 17-year-old doesn’t pick up their first cigarette. Maybe even 12-year-olds. That’s probably the most we can do for our community and for our society. Helping those who are already smoking, quit smoking is important. So, smoking is, in my mind, probably one of the biggest things we can do. With emerging newer data is obesity. This is an epidemic in our country at this point and time. We are finding out that many of the gastrointestinal cancers are associated with obesity. So, healthy eating, I think, is going to be important with exercise. Those are the important things we can do to prevent cancer. I think there’s more to come as we learn more about how genetics play a role in both why people get the cancers and some people don’t with the same exposure. I think this is going to be important for us to watch for. If you can find a way to avoid smoking and eat right and exercise, I think that will be really important for all our patients.
Melanie: Thank you so much, doctor. It’s great information. You’re listening to SMG Radio. For more information, you go to summitmedicalgroup.com. That’s summitmedicalgroup.com. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.
Oncology at Summit Medical Group
Melanie Cole (Host): Summit Medical Group specialists are on the cutting edge of cancer care from diagnosis and treatment to the at home care that some patients require. My guest today is Dr. Biren Saraiya. He’s an oncologist at Summit Medical Group who specialized in lung cancer, leukemia and lymphomas. Welcome to the show, doctor. So, tell us a little bit about oncology at Summit. What type of cancers to you treat?
Dr. Biren Saraiya (Guest): So, at Summit Medical Group we provide cancer care from prevention to early diagnosis to treatment. It includes surgeons, medical oncologists and surgical oncologists. We are trying to provide comprehensive care for our patients from the beginning to the end.
Melanie: And, that’s always encouraging. So, tell us about the beginning. If somebody is worried that they have a certain type of cancer, do you only treat certain types of cancer or a broad range?
Dr. Saraiya: We treat all the patients with cancer. When we need help, we will seek care outside. We take care of all the cancer patients and we provide care close to home for patients so they don’t have to travel all across the state or out of state.
Melanie: That’s so important. So, starting at the beginning when someone fears that they have cancer or are diagnosed with a certain type, then how does it work? How do they get the care and treatment that they need?
Dr. Saraiya: Many of our patients will have had a screening test. For example, mammogram for breast cancer, colonoscopy for colon cancer and the newest screen test is a CAT scan for lung cancer. Sometimes, patients get diagnosed when they come with the symptom that prompts that doctor to an additional workup. Many of our patients, because we provide comprehensive care--not just in cancer but also outside of cancer--many of the patients are known to specialists and our colleagues in primary care who are their doctors already. Patients will get initial evaluation and treatment outside of the cancer program but then, they will be referred to when the cancer diagnosis is made. Typically, a diagnosis comes about after a screening test or evaluation for a specific symptom and, eventually, a biopsy. The biopsy can be done by a surgeon or a radiologist. Once we have that we can have the discussion about what this means for patients.
Melanie: So, if somebody is diagnosed, then how do they decide the course of treatment? Is this something they decide with the doctors or how does that work?
Dr. Saraiya: Depending on the type of cancer, they will meet with a surgeon, a medical oncologist and even a radiation oncologist. One thing we try to do here and we are very proud of this is, we have a multi-disciplinary evaluation. When necessary, all the right doctors sit down and discuss the patient together to make sure that the right treatment plan is formulated for the optimal cancer outcome and we hope that that is a cure for many of our patients.
Melanie: For an example, tell us about the comprehensive breast care center and what women can expect there.
Dr. Saraiya: The initial encounter starts with having a mammogram or sometimes when there’s an abnormal mammogram, they meet with our navigator. These are nurses who specialize in guiding patients through this amazing maze sometimes we’ve created and it’s such a difficult time for a person to go through it, for a woman to go through it not knowing what’s happening. So, what they do is they educate the patient, they guide them through the workup and evaluations. That could be a surgeon who is part of the breast center. That would be arranging in getting the biopsy done so we can have the diagnosis and then communicating with the patient about all the testing that needs to be done and, if necessary, meeting with one of the medical oncologists after the surgery has been performed. So, the navigator is the glue at the breast center that holds the patients hand throughout their journey and helps them along to make sure to demystify all the stuff that patients are afraid of and try to, as much as possible, care for their emotional wellbeing, their medical needs and truly care for the entire person.
Melanie: Tell us where the family comes in and how are they involved in this course of treatment?
Dr. Saraiya: When I say “patient”, I really mean patient and family. We always try to have the patient bring a family member, someone who is going to listen for them, at our initial meetings and the major time points because it’s really important for everyone to be on the same page and understand and answer all the questions. Our navigators will ensure that when the patient comes in and sees the doctor that the family is there. I encourage my patients to make sure that they write down what I say or I will write down for them what they summary is so that when they go home, they can read back or discuss and have additional questions. So, the next visit, we start off with, “What questions do you have from what we reviewed last time?” So, having that education, I think, is so important to really take some of the fears away. Many times for patients, not knowing is much more distressing than the cancer itself or the treatment itself. We try to, as much as possible, have the patient, the family, the patient unit and the team that we take care of here to be on the same page and work together.
Melanie: Tell us about the importance of screening, doctor, and what screening recommendations do you have that are most important for catching cancers early?
Dr. Saraiya: Screening tests are looking to find something that is early in development. If I look at cancer in general, the cure rates are very high when we identify something in what we call “the early stages” or “localized to a single area”. That’s when the surgeon can go in and remove it or the radiation oncologist can radiate that particular spot or area and we hope that that cures the cancer. Screening tests are developed to find cancers early so that we can actually make the biggest impact. In my mind, if I were to have the optimal solution for cancer care, it would be to prevent cancers from happening. That’s healthy living, taking care, having evaluations and screening tests so that we can find if there is a problem as early as possible. There are several cancers that we screen for with really good guidelines and evidence. Colon cancer: doing a colonoscopy after the age of 50 is something that has very high evidence. Colonoscopy not only detects cancer but, many times, when the gastroenterologist removes the polyp, we actually cure the early cancer. For patients who have other risk factors, it may be earlier than age 50. Several cancer screenings, the Pap test, has also a high level of evidence to make a huge difference in finding the cancer early and preventing unnecessary deaths in patients. Breast cancer screening with mammograms: I know there’s a lot of controversy out there right now and the newest guidelines are different from the United States Prevention Task Force than from the American Cancer Society. All agree that having women get a mammogram at least once every other year starting at age 50 is important. I think we need to individualize screening for breast cancer and doctors, the gynecologist, the primary care doctor, need to discuss with their patients. Our specialists and primary care doctors do that with our patients to make sure that they get the right screening. One of the newest ones in the last three years is lung cancer screening. For the right patient, patients who have a more than 30 pack/year history of smoking and have smoked within the last 15 years and who are healthy enough to get screened, should get screened once a year with a low dose CAT scan for at least three year. That’s the national guideline. We have pulmonologists who run the lung cancer screening program.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes--what great information and so beautifully put, doctor--give us your best advice for prevention of cancer to begin with so maybe they don’t have to come see you.
Dr. Saraiya: This is a very important topic and I cannot stress enough how healthy living is so important. One thing we know is prevention. This not just for lung cancer but other diseases, not just cancer but other diseases as well – smoking. Lung cancer, bladder cancer, heart disease are probably three major health issues that kill Americans. We want to make sure that we can prevent that. If we were to ban smoking, in my mind, that would be the most amazing thing that we could do as a society. Barring that, making sure that a 15, 16, 17-year-old doesn’t pick up their first cigarette. Maybe even 12-year-olds. That’s probably the most we can do for our community and for our society. Helping those who are already smoking, quit smoking is important. So, smoking is, in my mind, probably one of the biggest things we can do. With emerging newer data is obesity. This is an epidemic in our country at this point and time. We are finding out that many of the gastrointestinal cancers are associated with obesity. So, healthy eating, I think, is going to be important with exercise. Those are the important things we can do to prevent cancer. I think there’s more to come as we learn more about how genetics play a role in both why people get the cancers and some people don’t with the same exposure. I think this is going to be important for us to watch for. If you can find a way to avoid smoking and eat right and exercise, I think that will be really important for all our patients.
Melanie: Thank you so much, doctor. It’s great information. You’re listening to SMG Radio. For more information, you go to summitmedicalgroup.com. That’s summitmedicalgroup.com. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.