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By Jorge Casuso
May 25 -- A new cancer treatment center that offers
patients a chance to die comfortably, or, perhaps, even beat
the longshot odds and live celebrated its grand opening in
Santa Monica this week.
Premiere Oncology’s 28,000-square-foot flagship cancer
research and treatment center uses cutting-edge treatments,
novel therapies and the latest drugs to bring new hope and
comfort to the dying, the center’s officials said.
Considered a new model for cancer patient care, the center
at 20th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard features sweeping
city, mountain and ocean views; original works of art, and
personal touches that add a sense of dignity and privacy rare
for a medical facility.
“We’re making the journey of a person with cancer
that much easier, if not with success, at least with comfort,”
Dr. Lee S. Rosen, the center’s president and founder,
told the crowd gathered at the grand opening Tuesday evening.
The center joins a growing number of private clinics expanding
cancer treatment options by pushing research faster than traditional
medical institutions, while adhering to the same international
standards, Rosen said.
“In order to bring a broader range of treatment to
patients faster, the most innovative and cutting-edge therapies
are now offered outside the large traditional medical institutions
and universities,” Rosen said.
Clinical trials that can take as long as six months at traditional
institutions can take just four to six weeks at Premiere Oncology,
in effect giving cancer patients five extra months of treatment,
Rosen said.
In addition to offering the latest medical advances, the
center provides yoga and exercises, as well as acupuncture
in collaboration with Yo San University, said Melissa Dinolfo,
the center’s pharmacologist.
It also offers counseling sessions with family members “to
help them in what will hopefully be a long journey,”
Dinolfo said. “We don’t just treat the patient,
we treat the patient and the family.”
Civic and political leaders greeted the opening of what is
one of the nation’s largest clinical trial centers.
“We are delighted to have Premiere Oncology in our
community,” Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom wrote in
a commendation. “Programs like yours can make not just
a difference, but also a difference in people’s lives.”
“For those who will one day face these formidable foes,”
LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigose wrote in his commendation, “the
importance of the cancer center and the advanced expertise
and technology within its walls cannot be overstated.”
With more than 75 clinical trials currently in progress at
Premiere Oncology’s centers in California and Arizona,
terminal patents are getting a final chance at life, Dinolfo
said.
“The road doesn’t stop here when you’ve
exhausted what’s available,” Dinolfo said. “Tt’s
not uncommon to have a patient live for years.”
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