Overlook Medical Center named National Pancreas Foundation Center of Excellence for pancreatic cancer care
SUMMIT, N.J. (Union County) — Atlantic Health System’s Overlook Medical Center has been recognized by the National Pancreas Foundation (NPF) as an approved NPF Center of Excellence for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, the hospital announced.
The NPF Center designation is awarded to hospitals and healthcare facilities that provide multidisciplinary treatment for pancreas disease, focusing on treating the “whole patient” to achieve the best possible outcomes and improved quality of life. Overlook Medical Center is among only 170 Centers of Excellence nationwide to earn the distinction.
The pancreatic program at Overlook offers a comprehensive approach to care, including early detection for high-risk individuals, active treatment, surveillance and survivorship programs, and palliative and end-of-life care.
“Treatment for pancreatic cancer – also known as exocrine cancer or pancreas cancer – may vary by patient and requires a wide array of breakthrough therapies,” said Usman Shah, MD, Medical Director of GI Oncology at Overlook Medical Center. “We are extremely proud that Overlook Medical Center has been designated a NPF Center for treatment of pancreatic cancer, which underscores our clinical team’s focus on providing the highest quality and innovative care possible, to patients with this challenging disease.”
“We are thrilled to expand our NPF Centers of Excellence Program to better serve the needs of patients suffering from pancreas disease,” said Jenny Pagel-Guile, Executive Director of the National Pancreas Foundation. “The NPF Centers of Excellence Program is one of the pillars of NPF, and we are looking forward to working with our current and new Centers.”
To earn NPF approval, hospitals must meet criteria developed by a task force of medical experts and patient advocates. The requirements include specialized physician teams — such as gastroenterologists, pancreas surgeons, and interventional radiologists — along with patient-centered services including pain management and psychosocial support.
Atlantic Health has developed high-risk pancreatic cancer programs at Overlook Medical Center, Morristown Medical Center (also an NPF Center of Excellence), and CentraState Medical Center, where at-risk patients are monitored according to national guidelines.
Through its collaboration with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGEN), Atlantic Health Cancer Care offers a broad portfolio of phase 1 and 2 clinical trials through the Breakthrough Oncology Treatment Center, providing patients access to novel therapies close to home.
Atlantic Health is also a National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) site, one of just 32 Community Sites nationwide and the only one in New Jersey. Its Atlantic Health Cancer Consortium Community Oncology Research Program (AHCC-CORP) includes six of the state’s leading healthcare systems.
Over the past five years, Atlantic Health Cancer Care has participated in 17 pancreatic cancer-specific clinical trials and enrolled approximately 86 patients in studies involving new treatment methods such as intratumoral injections, subcutaneous therapies, metabolic interventions, and medical food trials.
“Atlantic Health’s multidisciplinary team of oncology physicians and surgeons, including those who are highly skilled and specially trained in pancreatic and complex hepatobiliary surgery, provide exceptional and personalized care to patients,” said Eric D. Whitman, MD, System Medical Director of Atlantic Health Cancer Care. “Congratulations to all the dedicated clinicians for this recognition as an NPF Center of Excellence.”
For more information about the National Pancreas Foundation, visit www.pancreasfoundation.org. To learn more about Atlantic Health’s cancer research, visit www.atlantichealth.org.
