The Dr. Peter W. Blumencranz Chair
Ensuring a Legacy of Breast Health Excellence at Morton Plant Mease Health Care
Dr. Peter Blumencranz, surgical oncologist, is the Medical Director of Breast Health Services for Morton Plant Mease Health Care and Medical Director of the Moffitt Morton Plant Mease Cancer Care Partnership and has been a respected physician at Morton Plant Hospital for over 30 years.
His dedication to the care of those afflicted with breast cancer coupled with his national reputation in researching lymphatic mapping has spurred Morton Plant Mease Foundation to raise $2 million in contributions in his honor. The Foundation will seek to raise ten gifts or pledges of $100,000 which will then hopefully be matched by a single $1 million gift. This Chair will be integral to our community in overcoming the rising statistics of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the Tampa Bay area.
"My vision is to establish a nationally recognized Breast Center of Excellence at Morton Plant combining comprehensive diagnostic and clinical services under one roof. This will be combined with increased efforts in research needing more staff support. We will also establish a high risk clinic to identify and counsel those most susceptible to this disease.
All of this will need financial support through generous philanthropists like you. I have been amazed at the interest already expressed in these efforts. Clearly, our accomplishments so far have had a tremendous beneficial impact on our community, but we are on a long journey.
The need is great. The cause is good. With your gift, you will be leaving a legacy of academic level of care with the community touch - THE MORTON PLANT WAY!"
~Dr. Peter Blumencranz on the importance of the Chair named in his honor
Your contribution to this Chair will allow Dr. Blumencranz to focus additional resources and time on lymph node research and clinical excellence. This honor will also attract and retain physicians with nationally recognized experience to Morton Plant Mease Health Care. Dr. Blumencranz will direct this effort through his own clinical research, develop suitable linkages with other institutions, and champion the effort to designate Morton Plant Breast Health Program a nationally recognized Center of Excellence.
Additionally, the Dr. Peter W. Blumencranz Chair will also support his efforts in granting Morton Plant Hospital one of the first sites in the United States to offer breast cancer patients GeneSearch - an FDA approved molecular-based lab test that analyzes the patient's lymph nodes during the initial surgery. If this test indicates that the cancer has spread, Dr. Blumencranz, or another physician, can remove the nodes immediately, while the patient is still under anesthesia.
"Too often, women who have had breast cancer surgery are forced to return for a second operation to remove lymph nodes. This test has the potential to change that by more accurately guiding decisions during surgery, thereby reducing the risks, stress, emotional trauma and costs of second surgeries."
~Dr. Blumencranz on GeneSearch
Facts on the Dr. Peter W. Blumencranz Chair:
> The first gene-based test to detect the spread of breast cancer into the lymph nodes had its beginnings at Morton Plant Hospital with Dr. Peter W. Blumencranz
> GeneSearch is an FDA-approved, molecular-based lab test that analyzes the patient's lymph nodes during the initial surgery.
> The test is faster and more precise than traditional tests, allowing the patient to avoid a return to the operating room for a second surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes.
> The test identifies cancer markers in 50 percent of the node and can be done in 40 minutes. A new study reports it has a 10 percent greater sensitivity than frozen section when it comes to finding cancer.
> Morton Plant's Breast Health Program administered 11,600 diagnostic tests, resulting in 1,150 biopsies and more than 500 surgical breast procedures.
> The establishment of the Dr. Peter W. Blumencranz Chair will provide ongoing funds for clinical breast cancer research.
> When established, the Dr. Peter W. Blumencranz Chair will assure the funds and growth for clinical breast cancer research, treatment and a cure.
The Morton Plant Breast Health Program is currently one of the most comprehensive programs in the Tampa Bay Area. Today, the program is a combined effort of several Morton Plant Mease Facilities, including the Powell Cancer Center, the Susan Cheek Needler Breast Center, Lykes Radiation Pavilion, as well as the Moffitt Morton Plant Mease Cancer Care Program.
For more information on how you can support the Dr. Peter W. Blumencranz Chair, please contact Morton Plant Mease Foundation at (727) 462-7036.
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