Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven held a ribbon cutting ceremony today, officially opening the new Phase I Clinical Trial Infusion Center. The Phase 1 clinic is the only one of its kind in Connecticut.
“I am incredibly proud to have the opportunity to care for my patients in this beautiful, dedicated space at Smilow Cancer Hospital,” said Patricia LoRusso, MD, professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and associate director of Innovative medicine at Yale Cancer Center. “Phase I clinical trials require a specialized team of clinicians to provide access to the most advanced cancer therapies to patients. This outstanding new facility gives our team the physical resources they need to continually focus on our patients.”
The new Phase I Clinical Trial Infusion Center will provide essential options for patients with advanced cancers seeking new therapies when standard treatments are no longer an option. Many phase I trials are offered with new targeted therapies that have been proved effective in research, others test new combinations of approved therapies and new applications. In collaboration with Yale Cancer Center, Smilow Cancer Hospital currently has over 40 phase I clinical trials available to patients.
“With this new center, we are seeing the true integration of science and clinical research,” said Rogerio Lilenbaum, chief medical officer, Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven. “This is a true clinical research unit where innovation and cutting-edge research meet to offer patients new hope and new treatment strategies that otherwise might not be available to them. This is a great day for cancer patients in the state of Connecticut bringing new hope for everybody.”
Clinical trials are research studies that test how well new medical approaches work in people. Each study answers scientific questions and tries to find better ways to prevent, screen for, diagnose or treat a disease. People who take part in cancer clinical trials have an opportunity to contribute to knowledge of, and progress against, cancer. They also receive up-to-date care from experts.
I am incredibly proud to have the opportunity to care for my patients in this beautiful, dedicated space at Smilow Cancer Hospital.
Patricia LoRusso, DO
Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven is part of the nationally recognized Yale-New Haven Hospital, and is affiliated with Yale Cancer Center (YCC), one of only 47 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the nation and the only such center in Connecticut. Smilow Cancer Hospital, the most comprehensive cancer facility in New England, is a 14-story, 500,000-square-foot cancer hospital, which includes 168 private inpatient rooms, multidisciplinary outpatient treatment centers, 12 operating rooms, infusion suites, diagnostic imaging services, and specialized women's and children’s services. YCC and Smilow Cancer Hospital are members of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), an alliance of 27 cancer centers in the U.S., whose mission is to improve the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of oncology care so that patients can live better lives. www.ynhh.org/smilow.
Yale New Haven Health System, the largest and most comprehensive healthcare system in Connecticut, is recognized for advanced clinical care, quality, service, cost effectiveness and commitment to improving the health status of the communities it serves. YNHHS includes three hospitals – Bridgeport, Greenwich and Yale New Haven hospitals, several specialty networks and Northeast Medical Group, a non-profit medical foundation with several hundred community-based and hospital-employed physicians. www.ynhhs.org