Michele Blackwood, MD, FACS
“In the future, we want breast cancer to not be ‘hopefully’ cured, we want it to be definitely cured,” says Michele Blackwood, MD, FACS, Chief, Section of Breast Surgery at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and Medical Director, Northern Regional Director of Breast Services at RWJBarnabas Health. By putting patients at the center, treating them in a team approach, personalizing treatment and leveraging the latest scientific advances, we believe we will be able to accomplish that.
At Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health, we support the most complicated breast cancer cases that require careful treatment planning by a team of medical experts. In fact, for every breast cancer patient, up to 20 health care providers and ancillary clinical staff become involved in the overall care process in some way – from surgeons, oncologists, geneticists and plastic surgeons to physician assistants, nurses and social services. “We coordinate everything in order to make it seamless for patients. This is a group of experts who are dedicated to breast cancer and committed to delivering excellent patient care,” Dr. Blackwood, also Medical Director at The Center for Breast Health and Disease Management at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, adds.
Being on the “top of the curve”
Medicine is a constantly evolving field. “Our goal is to ensure patients with breast cancer have access to the cutting-edge scientific advances and technologies across our campuses,” says Dr. Blackwood.
This includes the ability to participate in groundbreaking clinical trials, which are continually conducted at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health. One such trial, I-SPY2, is evaluating a more personalized treatment approach in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (stage 2 or 3), providing a unique platform to evaluate multiple treatments in the same study. Following a mammoprint taken of the tumor to determine its genomic profile, each study participant starts on the treatment regimen ideal for the tumor, including experimental agents. After several weeks of treatment, the participant undergoes a repeat scan to measure the level of disease left in the breast; if the clinical response is not evident, another medicine is used and assessed.
“We’re excited our patients have access to this incredible trial,” says Dr. Blackwood. “It’s really going to be a template for how we treat breast cancer now and in the future.”
Our team is also championing and implementing new and clinically meaningful treatment options, such as lymphovenous anastomosis bypass to prevent lymphedema (a complication from lymph node surgery), a technique only a few surgeons across the U.S. are trained to perform, as well as preoperative radiation boost therapy, a treatment strategy allowing patients to begin radiation sessions pre-surgery, rather than completing all sessions post-surgery.
Personalizing treatments for patients
An important part of our process at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health is discussing treatment options with each patient so they understand the options available, which in turn gives the individuals some form of control, explains Dr. Blackwood. She adds, “It’s not just about curing breast cancer; it’s about helping each patient feel as whole as they can and having a full life afterward.”
This individualized approach is further supported by a multidisciplinary, in-house panel of breast cancer experts that carefully reviews every breast cancer case. “After a patient’s case is individually and anonymously presented, we have a vigorous discussion about what’s the best treatment strategy,” notes Dr. Blackwood. “This also helps ensure that the patient gets the best care that’s currently available.”
Treating people from New Jersey – and across the country
Thanks to our combined expertise, excellence in care and commitment to implementing the latest scientific advances, RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, are now taking care of one-third of breast cancer patients in New Jersey – along with patients from neighboring states who are interested in this innovative approach.
“To get the best care for women and men with breast cancer, you have to be at the top of the curve and I firmly believe we are,” says Dr. Blackwood.
RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, provide close-to-home access to the latest treatment options. For more information, call 844.CANCERNJ or visit our Cancer page.
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