Markey Cancer Center Fact Sheet

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The Lucille P. Markey Cancer Center is a premier cancer research and patient care facility established in 1985 that utilizes the resources of 28 departments, eight colleges and 150 faculty throughout UK HealthCare to further the prevention, treatment and cure of cancer.

In May 2009, B. Mark Evers, MD, was appointed as the new director of the Markey Cancer Center. Dr. Evers has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for the past 17 years and one of his top goals at UK HealthCare is to have the Markey Cancer Center designated a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center. He plans to achieve this by bringing together teams of investigators – including clinical, surgical and basic science researchers – to collaborate in major areas to not only enhance the center’s research program, but the care of patients as well.

Patient care

Markey Cancer Center provides specialized care for people with cancer and related diseases as well as comprehensive cancer screening and diagnostic services.

• 1,800+ new patients each year
• 60,000+ patient visits annually

Professional staff

Markey Cancer Center is frequently rated among the nation’s best. Our care and our physicians have been featured in publications such as U.S. News & World Report, Best Doctors in America® and America’s Top Doctors®. More importantly, our patients and their family members have tremendous praise for the personalized, high-quality care they receive from Markey Cancer Center specialists and staff.

Clinical cancer care

Markey Cancer Center physicians and staff work together in multidisciplinary clinics – the best approach to delivering state-of-the-art cancer care.

• Blood and marrow transplantation
• Brain/neurologic cancer
• Breast cancer
• Endocrine (thyroid, pancreas, adrenal) cancer
• Gastrointestinal (colon, pancreas, stomach, esophagus, liver) cancer
• Genitourinary (prostate, bladder, kidney) cancer
• Gynecologic (ovary, cervix, uterus) oncology
• Head and neck cancer
• Hematologic (blood) cancer
• Lung cancer
• Melanoma and sarcoma
• Pediatric (children’s) cancer
• Multidisciplinary teams of specialists: each patient is assessed by a team of oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, nurses and other specialists who collaborate to develop an individualized treatment plan – ensuring optimal patient care.
• Radiation oncology treatment at Markey and three radiation medicine treatment facilities provide care close to home in Morehead, Maysville and Georgetown.
• The Genetic Counseling Program offers family history analysis, risk assessment, genetic testing and counseling, and prevention recommendations.
• The Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program is FACT (Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy) accredited.

Research

As part of UK HealthCare, Markey Cancer Center features advanced diagnostic and treatment options, as well as state-of- the-art technology. Patients treated at academic medical centers have access to protocols developed for leading-edge scientific research and carefully controlled clinical trials. In fact, Markey Cancer Center is part of ONCORE, a national consortium of 18 cancer centers that use technology to make clinical trials safer and more successful for patients.

One of Markey’s leading research projects is the GI cancer SPORE (specialized program of research excellence). Gastrointestinal cancers include tumors of the liver, colon, rectum, esophagus, stomach and pancreas, among others, and represent the second leading cause of cancer death nationwide. Only one of six in the nation, Markey Cancer Center’s SPORE grant is led by B. Mark Evers, MD, director of the Markey Cancer Center.

Another research endeavor is the ovarian cancer screening program. The UK Markey Cancer Center Ovarian Screening Program provides free cancer screenings by transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) to postmenopausal women who are over the age of 50 or who are over the age of 25 with a documented family history of ovarian cancer. The program provides ovarian screenings throughout Kentucky in Lexington, Elizabethtown, Somerset, Prestonsburg, Maysville and Paducah.

Markey Cancer Center is involved in more than 175 groundbreaking clinical trials each year. Clinical trials offer patients access to innovative therapies that might represent the best hope for effective treatment. For more information or to see if you qualify for a Markey Cancer Center clinical trial, visit the Markey Cancer Center clinical trials web site or call 859-257-8213.

Facilities

The Whitney-Hendrickson Building provides outpatient treatment services for major cancers, including gynecologic, breast, lung, gastrointestinal/colorectal and urologic cancer.

The Ben F. Roach Patient Care Facility is dedicated to the care of cancer patients. Outpatient treatment services for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, other blood disorders, and blood and marrow transplantation are provided on the first floor by the Markey Hematology Program. The second and third floors house inpatient care in 56 private rooms.

The Dorothy Enslow Combs Cancer Research Building has research laboratories, offices and conference space used to advance cancer research.

The Margrite Davis-Ralph Mills Building houses research laboratories. This building is joined with the Whitney-Hendrickson Cancer Building and houses two new chemotherapy infusion suites open seven days a week.

Regional and national role

• Markey Cancer Center’s role as part of an academic medical center includes working with community physicians to keep patients closer to home for most of their health care. Markey Cancer Center programs,resources and services extend beyond the UK HealthCare medical campus in Lexington to communities throughout Central and Eastern Kentucky. Affiliate hospitals offer Markey’s advanced treatments and support services combined with compassionate care.
• The Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network provides prevention and early detection services and programs, community education programs about cancer issues, and continuing education for doctors and staff. Markey specialists work with the patient’s local doctors, nurses and pharmacists to ensure coordinated care during and after treatment.
• Markey Cancer Prevention and Control Program fosters collaboration, encourages sharing of resources and promotes quality research. The program receives funding from a variety of sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, state funds, voluntary health agencies, and private organizations. The nationally recognized statewide Kentucky Cancer Registry is part of this program.
• Participation in national clinical trials.
• Collaboration with the Kentucky Cancer Program, a statewide cancer outreach initiative with dual bases at UK and the University of Louisville to coordinate programs that reduce the cancer burden in Kentucky.
  The UK Prevention Research Center is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and conducts community-based cancer research in Appalachian Kentucky.

For more information on Markey Cancer Center, call 859-257-4488 or toll free at 1-866-340-4488 or visit the Markey Cancer Center Web site.

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To make an appointment or find a physician, please call UK HealthCare at 859-257-1000 or toll free 1-800-333-8874.
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Page last updated Friday, October 9, 2009 4:27 PM