Advancing Cancer Care in Niagara
- April 2005
- Français
Ten years have passed since breast cancer survivor Pat Hockings was driving herself to Hamilton and back every day for three weeks for radiation treatment. The Port Colborne resident will never forget the long and lonely daily trips she had to make at such an emotionally and physically challenging time in her life.
"It was so tiring," says Pat. "Fortunately, it was summertime and I didn't have to worry about the weather." Pat, now 60, says she made up her mind soon after her diagnosis that she was going to beat the cancer that was threatening to take her life.
Part of that process involved learning to cope with the daily drives to and from Hamilton for treatment. To stay positive, she would take a slightly different route each time, play motivational tapes, listen to music, and treat herself to an ice cream or a coffee along the way. "It's not that I'm ungrateful," she says. "But, of course, it just would have been so much easier to have only had to go to St. Catharines."
Unfortunately, 10 years later, cancer patients from Niagara and their loved ones must still make that gruelling trip to Hamilton to receive radiation treatment services and care. The Niagara Health System (NHS) is working hard to change that, so patients like Pat will have closer-to-home access to much-needed cancer care and services.
Future of Cancer Care in Niagara
In a proposal awaiting approval from the provincial Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the NHS plans to open the region's first comprehensive specialized cancer treatment facility in 2009-10. The cancer centre would be located in west St. Catharines at the site of the proposed new hospital complex.
"It is imperative that we support those living with cancer in our communities and prevent them from having to travel outside Niagara for critical care," says Linda Boich, Corporate Planning Officer, who is responsible for the planning of the regional cancer centre.
The Niagara Regional Cancer Centre (NRCC) will become the hub of a co-ordinated regional cancer treatment network for Niagara. The NHS will be the host hospital partnering with Cancer Care Ontario to jointly operate this comprehensive treatment centre.
Under the proposal, the NRCC will become a critical resource for all 410,000 residents of the Niagara region who require radiation therapy and chemotherapy (systemic treatment). Just one example illustrates the far-reaching benefits of this initiative: it will allow approximately 1,000 radiation patients, who must currently travel to Hamilton, to have this treatment closer to home.
The NHS will continue to operate a dedicated oncology inpatient unit and a range of hospital-based support services. The new, patient-centred facility would boast an environment that is non-clinical. Operating 12 hours a day, it would initially feature three radiation treatment rooms and 24 chemotherapy stations, growing to four radiation treatment rooms and 31 chemotherapy stations by 2015.
The NRCC's patient population would come almost entirely from the Niagara region, with the projected cancer caseload for the NRCC in 2009-10 estimated at 2,611. These patients would all be seen and followed in Niagara, with a small number of specialized cases receiving their treatment at another location.
Cancer patients, cancer survivors, their families and health-care professionals all agree that cancer care is urgently needed here in the Niagara region. That need continues to grow.
Ongoing Need
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Ontario. It is estimated that 25,000 people in the province died in 2004 from cancer. This works out to about 70 deaths each day or one death every 20 minutes.
Further, two out of three Ontario households have a family member who has been affected by cancer. The new cases of cancer are rising, due to population growth, aging and increasing cancer risk factors.
An estimated 85 per cent of new cancer cases in Ontario occur in people aged 50 and older. This population is growing at an average rate of 2.5% a year - almost double the overall population growth average - and is a significant concern for Niagara, where residents are older, sicker and poorer than the rest of Ontario.
"The survival rate for many cancers has increased over the past 20 years, and this is anticipated to continue," says Linda. "This is largely attributed to better treatment and effective early detection, which drives home even further the need for a regional cancer centre in Niagara."
The new Cancer Centre
The new cancer centre would continue to run the satellite clinics in Welland and Niagara Falls. Employing an estimated 177 full-time equivalent staff, the cancer centre will be fully integrated with a dedicated oncology inpatient unit housed within the adjoining hospital. This will allow for the care of cancer patients in a multi-disciplinary setting.
The centre will encompass ambulatory programs in chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgical oncology, preventative oncology and supportive care. It would also conduct clinical research trials (research with consenting patients on new treatment regimens).
Under the proposal, Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long Term Care would pay 65% to 70% of the cost of building the cancer centre. The remaining 30% to 35% would be raised by donations from across our region. Fundraising efforts are already under way to demonstrate Niagara's commitment to this important project. A regional NHS Foundation has been set up to raise funds for the cancer centre. Although a major fundraising campaign is in the formative planning stages, donations are being accepted by contacting Bill Hallett, NHS Foundation Executive Director, 65 Third St., Welland, L3C 4W6 or by calling 905-732-6111 ext. 2245.