April 14--Almost as soon as a doctor diagnoses breast cancer, a patient is asked to start making big decisions.
Should she have surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, or a combination of the three? If she has a mastectomy, does she want to have reconstructive surgery at the same time?
And then there are other things to consider -- post-surgery physical therapy, genetic testing and counseling.
Getting all of these services can mean making lots of appointments on different days at different locations.
But at Ohio State University Medical Center's new JamesCare Comprehensive Breast Center, patients can get all of these services under one roof.
"There's not another building like this in the Midwest where all health disciplines taking care of breast-cancer patients can be seen in one visit," said Dr. William Farrar, a surgical oncologist and director of the center.
The four-story building opened in January at Olentangy River Road and W. 3rd Avenue. An open house is scheduled for Saturday.
The new center is almost four times larger than the center it replaces in Dublin and offers more services, officials there say.
Ohio State spent $18 million on the equipment and design of the building, which is being leased from the Daimler Group.
"We did the research and the data are clear -- we needed to create an environment that reduces stress," said Dr. Michael A. Caligiuri, director of the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The facility has chemotherapy and mammography units, a laboratory, pharmacy, physical-therapy center, research library and will open a radiation unit this summer.
Surgeries will continue to be performed on campus at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital.
The new center also houses surgical and medical oncologists, radiologists, plastic surgeons, a psychologist, dietitian and genetic counselor, all of whom work only with breast-cancer patients.
"It gives us the opportunity to have daily multidisciplinary conferences to discuss patients we see that day, give them an evaluation and maybe have them see three doctors in one day," Farrar said.
"It cuts down on the time and anxiety a breast-cancer patient has waiting to learn about their options."
About 200 patients a day come to the center now for mammography, chemotherapy or to meet with physicians, said Kris Kipp, chief clinical officer of the James Cancer Hospital.
He expects the number to climb.
Holly Sharp, 52, had breast cancer diagnosed in 2003 and within five years had metastatic breast disease. Doctors at another hospital told her she had two years to live; she felt they had given up on her.
She switched to an Ohio State physician and now is a regular patient at the new JamesCare center.
"You can tell everything is designed around comfort ... around hope and life," said Sharp, of Gahanna.
"What I really like is knowing there is a staff of people who allow me to be part of the team in my own care."
An open house at the center, 1145 Olentangy River Rd. in Columbus, is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
shoholik@dispatch.com
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