MedStar Health News

Leonardtown, MD — MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital has joined MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute as its eighth location across the Baltimore/Washington region. As part of the Institute, MedStar St. Mary’s offers outstanding care to patients treated for a wide variety of cancers as well as advanced access to the latest therapies, research, and clinical trials through a diverse group of nationally and internationally renowned specialists.

"Collaboration is key when treating cancer,” said Christine R. Wray, FACHE, president of MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital and senior vice president, MedStar Health. “Through this partnership, MedStar St. Mary’s becomes part of a prominent cancer consortium that brings our community the very best cancer care. We are excited to work with oncology experts throughout the MedStar Health system to deliver cutting-edge treatments to individuals right here in St. Mary’s County.”

Benefits of this collaboration focus on access to Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Institute’s research engine and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. This partnership brings patients access to groundbreaking clinical trials, the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, and emerging immunotherapy treatments.

“Through the MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute, our world-renowned experts and scientists work together with a central mission of conquering cancer. MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital’s dedicated team is an asset to the Institute so, whenever possible, our patients can be treated close to home,” said Louis M. Weiner, MD, director of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute. “The St. Mary’s team exemplifies the Institute’s core strengths: cutting-edge research; expertise with physicians who are not just following protocols, but designing them; and a comprehensive continuum of care in a convenient location. This expansion of the Institute will also allow patients in and around Leonardtown access to unique offerings such as personalized rehabilitation and cancer survivorship programs.”

“Joining the MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute strengthens our ability to provide the latest treatments and best care we can to our patients,” said Stephen Michaels, MD, FACHE, chief operating officer and chief medical officer, MedStar St. Mary’s. “This effort demonstrates the dedication of our team to continue providing hope and healing to our community.”

“This regional expansion brings us direct access to specialties and oncology services available in more urban areas,” said Amir M. Khan, MD, board certified oncologist and hematologist, and medical director of MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital. “While I have worked with these specialists on behalf of patients for many years, this alliance—with our hospital’s transition to MedConnect, MedStar Health’s electronic medical record—links us more easily so we can follow a patient’s care plan in real time.”

Formerly known as Cancer Care & Infusion Services at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute is located on the first floor of the Outpatient Pavilion in Leonardtown. Watch an introductory video or visit MedStarGeorgetownCancer.org to learn more. To reach the infusion center at MedStar St. Mary’s, please call 301-475-6070.

Clinton, MD – MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center has recently launched a new lung cancer screening program. The program aims to reduce lung cancer deaths by screening high-risk patients before they exhibit any symptoms. The 2011 National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) concluded that early detection of lung cancer by low-dose CT scans can cut the lung cancer death rate by 20 percent. The hope is that people with lung cancer can have their disease caught while it’s still at an early stage, when there are more treatment options available and cure rates are better.

“Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer mortality in both men and women, and most long-term lung cancer survivors are individuals who were diagnosed when the cancer was at an early stage,” said Stephen “Eric” Rubenstein, MD, medical director of MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center. “Our new lung cancer screening program will help identify people while their cancer is at an earlier stage, increasing the possibility that their cancer will be treatable.”

Physicians will refer patients to the program who fit the high-risk profile for lung cancer: people between the ages of 55 and 80 who are current smokers or have quit within the last 15 years. In addition to fulfilling those criteria, patients must have had a 30 pack-year smoking history – equivalent to a pack a day for 30 years, or two packs a day for 15 years.

“One out of 100 people who fit these criteria and get screened will have lung cancer, and one in 300 will avoid dying from lung cancer,” said Sheil Shah, DO, diagnostic radiologist who will be leading the screening program at MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center. “Identifying it in the early stages, where it could potentially have a cure, is the program’s goal.”

Screenings will take place at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center using sophisticated low-dose CT technology that uses much less radiation than a traditional CT scan does. A diagnostic radiologist will review the scan and provide a report of findings, along with recommendations for follow-up care or future screening. If the radiologist identifies a suspicious area on the scan, the patient may be referred to MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center for additional scans or biopsies. The cancer center, opened in late 2019, combines unmatched medical expertise, leading-edge therapies, and robust clinical research, all under one roof.

“The test was easy. I had no discomfort,” said Temple Hills resident Orville Fogle, 65, who was the lung cancer screening program’s first participant. “I’ve had a couple of scans in the past, but MedStar Southern Maryland was the first hospital that actually gave me a clear diagnosis about what was going on with my lung, which was scar tissue.” Mr. Fogle is now in the process of quitting smoking and is pursuing follow-up care for the scar tissue in his lung.

Nationally, approximately 60 percent of low-dose CT scans uncover lung nodules and incidental findings that require additional care. Patients who are found to have other, noncancerous disease in their lungs or nearby organs will benefit from the coordinated, multidisciplinary expertise – from pulmonology to cardiothoracic surgery – available throughout MedStar Health. The program will also incorporate smoking cessation counseling and follow-up communication with the patient’s primary care provider.

MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute at Medstar Southern Maryland Hospital Center, which is fully accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, offers 25,000 square feet of treatment space with a state-of-the-art infusion center, women’s imaging suite, and robust radiation therapy capabilities that include Zap-X®, the first radiosurgery system of its kind on the East Coast, and Halcyon™, a new kind of radiotherapy offering faster, more accurate treatment.

For more information about our program, please call 301-877-5588.

About MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center:
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center, located in Clinton, Maryland, is a 182-bed acute care hospital serving the Washington, D.C., metro and Southern Maryland area. The hospital is focused on caring for patients and their loved ones utilizing advanced technology under the guidance of expert clinicians. Quality, Safety, Wellness, and Patient Satisfaction are achieved.