The Buffalo Niagara Prostate Cancer Consortium (BNPCC), located at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), is recognized as a national model for patient care by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the Oncology Roundtable of the Advisory Board Company.
This innovative collaboration, a first in the nation, includes community urologists, academic institutions, patient support groups, insurance carriers and RPCI. Prostate cancer patients are offered a team approach to their care by experts who follow recommended NCCN treatment guidelines for prostate cancer. In addition, data on short- and long-term patient outcomes are gathered and compared to similar data from prostate cancer Centers of Excellence throughout the country.
Since its inception, the BNPCC has provided peer review for almost 300 patients. Ten percent of the pathology cases reviewed have resulted in either a "major" change in Gleason Score or reversal of diagnosis. Seventy percent of all eligible patients have been entered on National Cancer Institute-sponsored clinical trials. Case rate agreements with Western New York insurers have defined a new economic model for healthcare providers.
The Oncology Roundtable is currently profiling the BNPCC for its national meeting series. The BNPCC also was a featured presentation during the Seventh Annual NCCN Conference in February.
Men with newly-diagnosed prostate cancer have many available treatment options, including surgery, observation ("watchful waiting"), three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, brachytherapy (a temporary or permanent radiation implant), hormone therapy, chemotherapy, biological therapies or a combination of any of these therapies. Through routine patient screening, early diagnosis and treatment, the odds of men surviving prostate cancer have greatly improved. However, treatment recommendations, techniques and laboratory testing vary widely. The BNPCC was created to standardize regional prostate cancer care.
BNPCC members follow NCCN guidelines to review the details of diagnosis and make recommendations on the treatment options available to the patient. Recommendations are then forwarded to the patient and his primary care physician. This unique collaborate approach affords patients with prostate cancer a second opinion from team of a highly-qualified experts representing multiple sub-specialities.
"This initiative represents one of the first prostate cancer consortias in the nation based on NCCN treatment guidelines," said Michael R. Kuettel, MD, PhD, MBA, Chairman, Department of Radiation Oncology, RPCI. "In essence, the consortium standardized prostate cancer treatments while following nationally recognized guidelines."
"We have set up a model that follows the pathway to treat prostate cancer patients with the gold standard of care," said John J. Griswold, MD, Urologist, Buffalo Medical Group. "The BNPCC simplifies and clarifies what might be confusing treatment options."
The Advisory Board Company is a membership of 2,000 of the country's largest and most progressive health systems and medical centers. The ABC published 50 major studies and more than 3,000 customer research briefs each year on progressive management and clinical practices in health care. The Oncology Roundtable serves the clinical and administrative cancer programs throughout the United States. The Roundtable's research focuses on identifying and assessing the most important clinical and management practices in cancer care.
Founded in 1995, the NCCN is dedicated to advancing the missions of its member institutions in education, research and patient care. As part of its mission, the NCCN serves as the most authoritative source of cancer care information for health professionals based upon the expertise and input of its world-renowned clinicians.
Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation's first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Western New York.
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