"There's a need here. We're developing something special here in Peoria," says Robert McWilliams, MD, the deputy director with OSF Cancer Institute. "This helps us get recognition that we're a player in the region and serving the people of Central Illinois. It also means we're collaborating with other researchers in the region to put OSF and those we serve on the map."

HCRN is a consortium of community oncology programs and academic centers across the United States that collaborate on clinical trials, with a particular focus on investigator-initiated studies. Founded in 1984, HCRN now supports a nationwide network of more than 100 academic and community research sites. The organization has conducted more than 250 clinical trials, enrolled more than 10,000 patients and contributed to more than 350 scientific publications.

“We are delighted to welcome OSF Cancer Institute as a member of our network. We believe there is great value in bringing together academic centers and outstanding community providers like OSF Cancer Institute to advance cancer care in a real-world setting,” says Brian Stemme, CEO of HCRN. “Our team is honored to support these vital collaborations.”                

HCRN brings together leading academic cancer centers and community oncology programs, including numerous National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer centers across the U.S.

"They have an ongoing portfolio of clinical trials that we can decide whether it makes sense for us to open here in Peoria, or in some of our other OSF markets as well," Dr. McWilliams adds. "Then we can have our trials open through that network and accelerate the speed and rapidity of the research that is done."

The affiliation strengthens the growing role of OSF Cancer Institute in cancer research and positions the organization to contribute to clinical studies that could shape the future of cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. For those served, this work creates more opportunities to participate in cancer research while receiving high-quality care.

Jeanna Brouwer, an outpatient oncology dietitian with the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute, says understanding your vitamin D levels is one of the first steps in supporting your overall health during treatment. She emphasizes that vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin, helps support bone health, immune function and recovery, making it a crucial part of cancer care.

"It's a pre-hormone, or a precursor to a hormone, that is like a 'master key in our body,'" Brouwer says, adding it helps regulate many important processes inside of you.

There are two forms of vitamin D: D2 and D3. Brouwer says the body utilizes vitamin D3 more efficiently than vitamin D2. Vitamin D3 is naturally found in animal-based foods, including fatty fish, and is generally more effective than vitamin D2 at raising and maintaining vitamin D levels.

Why vitamin D is important during cancer treatment

Brouwer says vitamin D is almost always a beneficial part of a person's cancer journey. If someone hasn't had a recent vitamin D blood test, she recommends having one ordered so a baseline can be established before determining whether a supplement is needed.

"When we're deficient, our body isn't functioning to the ideal level that we need it to," Brouwer says. "We don't have the ideal immune system that can help us during cancer treatment. So, if we're deficient, we want to start there and bring it up to a healthy level."

Brouwer also says studies show an association between adequate vitamin D status and better outcomes in certain cancers.

For some people, supplementation becomes even more important depending on their diagnosis and treatment plan.

"So, for example, prostate cancer patients; if you get put on something called ADT therapy, where it's blocking testosterone, that's going to alter our bone health. So, anybody put on that medication oftentimes (recommended by their oncology team) start supplementing with vitamin D and calcium," Brouwer says.

Supplementation can also help protect against osteopenia and osteoporosis.

People with pancreatic cancer can face a different challenge. Brouwer says pancreatic insufficiency can prevent the body from properly breaking down fat, leading to malabsorption. Because vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, traditional vitamin D supplements may be less effective for some patients.

Choosing a supplement

Although sunlight helps the body produce vitamin D, Brouwer says supplements are an excellent way to get the nutrient without spending long periods of time in the sun, which can increase the risk of skin damage and skin cancer.

She also understands that choosing the right supplement can be overwhelming.

In general, Brouwer recommends choosing vitamin D3 over D2. She says products containing vitamin K2 can also help direct calcium into the bones more effectively.

People should keep in mind that the amount of vitamin D found in many calcium supplements or multivitamins is often not enough to meet their daily needs.

Most people need between 1,000 and 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D each day, Brouwer says. Reaching that amount through food alone can be difficult. For example, it would take about 10 glasses of milk a day to provide that much vitamin D, which is not recommended.

For people taking multiple medications, pill burden is a real concern. Brouwer says liquid-filled or gel capsules are often easier to swallow. Vitamin D also comes in gummies which are more palatable for some people.

Some formulations may also improve absorption. Liposomal supplements contain fat, which helps the body absorb vitamin D more effectively. For people who have difficulty absorbing vitamin D through the digestive tract, such as some pancreatic cancer patients, liquid drops may be a better option.

"Doing a sublingual bypass anything in the gut area. You hold the liquid under your tongue for 30-60 seconds, and it's going to absorb into the tissue in the oral cavity," Brouwer says. "So, if you get drops that are liposomal, best of both worlds."

Look for third-party testing

Because dietary supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Brouwer encourages people to look for products that have undergone independent, third-party testing.

She recommends looking for certifications such as USP (U.S. Pharmacopeia) or NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) on the label to help verify a supplement's quality and contents.

Before starting any vitamin D supplement, talk with your oncology care team or health care provider. There are scenarios, such as high calcium levels caused by cancer, where taking supplemental vitamin D can be problematic. A simple blood test can determine whether you're deficient and help identify the supplement and dosage that's right for you.

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Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made from three amino acids. Your liver, kidneys and pancreas produce it, and it's also found in foods like red meat.

While your body makes creatine on its own, and you can get some through your diet, those amounts typically aren't enough to provide the performance benefits seen with supplementation.

Best known for helping muscles work harder during high-intensity exercise, creatine is one of the most researched sports nutrition supplements available. The most studied form is creatine monohydrate, which has been shown to improve exercise performance and increase lean muscle mass when paired with resistance training.

"There are three different forms that creatine can come in. It can come in a pill (capsule form), it can come in gummy form, or a powder form. There are different types of creatine; the most well-studied form is creatine monohydrate," says Gabrielle Raucci, outpatient clinical oncology dietitian with OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute. "All the studies we've seen say the best form is going to be powder. It's better absorbed by your body, and you can just take a scoop of it, add it to water and shake it up really well."

Most adults who choose to supplement should aim for about three to five grams per day, Raucci says.

Emerging research also suggests creatine may have benefits beyond muscle health. Recent studies have found promising evidence that it may help support brain energy metabolism and cognitive function, although researchers say more studies are needed to understand its long-term effects in healthy adults.

For people with cancer, however, timing matters.

"The main thing we focus on is that if you're undergoing an active treatment, like chemotherapy or immunotherapy, the kidneys can sometimes take a hit with those treatments. When your body breaks down creatine, it breaks it into a byproduct called creatinine," Raucci says. "When your oncologists are closely looking at your blood levels, we wouldn't want to take a supplement that could potentially bump your creatinine. So, make sure to talk with your care team if you're on an active treatment and you want to use one of these supplements. Because it could potentially affect your kidneys."

For cancer survivors who have completed treatment, creatine may be an option to help rebuild muscle mass, particularly when combined with regular strength training.

"If you're in survivorship and are looking to build your lean body mass up, it could be a safe supplement," Raucci says. "Check with your care team, they'll double-check your medications and see if it's something to build yourself up after treatment."

As with any supplement, people undergoing cancer treatment or managing other medical conditions should talk with their health care team before starting creatine to ensure it's appropriate for their individual situation.

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The site offers search capability that allows people to learn what type of cancer the clinical trial focuses on, and what phase the trial is currently in.

With a commitment to top-tier research and cancer clinical trials, OSF HealthCare brought on Jun Zhang, MD, PhD, vice president of Oncology Research. Dr. Zhang, under the leadership of James McGee, MD, president and founding director of OSF Cancer Institute, will lead the expansion of clinical trial offerings at OSF Cancer Institute in Peoria.

As of late May 2026, nearly 10 clinical trials are accepting new patients, and more expected to launch in the coming months.

This website launch will help reduce anxiety and stress for people who are looking for cancer resources, providing them an opportunity of hope, in what can be one of the most challenging times.

To view all current clinical trials, please visit the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute clinical trials website.  

The American Cancer Society (ACS) says other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the United States.

The good news? Prostate cancer, when caught early, is also one of the easiest to treat.

Salman Syed, MD, a radiation oncologist with OSF HealthCare, describes today’s current treatment options as “exceptional,” noting that most men diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early stage are successfully treated and remain cancer-free after therapy.

The best way to detect prostate cancer early is through screening with a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test, Dr. Syed explains.

PSA is a protein produced by the prostate that can be measured with a simple blood test. Higher PSA levels may indicate prostate cancer or other prostate conditions. "It correlates with the amount of prostate tissue that you have," Dr. Syed adds.

“In general, we like to see PSA levels below four, but the interpretation depends on a patient’s age and overall risk,” Dr. Syed says. “Some men can develop prostate cancer even with a relatively low PSA, which is why screening decisions should be individualized and discussed with a physician.” 

If you have a strong family history of prostate cancer, you may need to start PSA testing at a younger age. “Current guidelines recommend discussing PSA screening as early as age 40 to 45 for men with higher-risk features, including a family history of prostate cancer, African ancestry or certain inherited genetic mutations.”

Inherited mutations such as BRCA1 or BRCA2 can increase the risk of developing prostate cancer, among other cancers, and can be passed down from parent to child. So, knowing your family history and if you or your parents have genetic mutations is helpful in assessing your cancer risk, Dr. Syed suggests. 

Doctors might also use genomic testing, which analyzes the activity of certain genes within a prostate tumor. These tests help determine how aggressive the cancer is likely to be, allowing physicians to tailor treatment to each patient.

“In some cases, genomic testing helps us safely avoid unnecessary treatments,” Dr. Syed explains. “In others, it tells us when we should treat more aggressively to give the patient the best chance of cure.” 

New and improved ways to diagnose, treat prostate cancer

The OSF HealthCare oncology program has several advanced technologies that help detect prostate cancer earlier and treat it more precisely, often with fewer side effects.

“One of the biggest advances we’ve seen in prostate cancer care is the ability to combine better imaging with more targeted treatments,” Dr. Syed says. “That allows us to detect cancer earlier and personalize treatment, so patients get exactly what they need.”

One example is the multiparametric MRI (mpMRI), an advanced imaging test that provides a highly detailed look at the prostate. This scan can identify suspicious areas that may not be visible on standard imaging, helping doctors detect prostate cancer earlier and guide more targeted biopsies and treatment.

Another breakthrough is PSMA PET/CT, an advanced scan that can detect extremely small amounts of prostate cancer throughout the body. Because it is far more sensitive than traditional imaging, it helps doctors locate recurrent or metastatic disease earlier and plan treatment more accurately. 

OSF HealthCare also offers proton therapy at OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute in Peoria. Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation that allows physicians to deliver radiation to the tumor while reducing exposure to nearby organs such as the bladder and rectum. 

"With proton therapy, we can often reduce the dose to surrounding healthy tissues compared with conventional radiation," Dr. Syed explains. "That can translate into fewer long-term side effects and better preservation of quality of life for many patients." 

Another highly advanced option available at OSF is high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, which delivers radiation from inside the prostate.

“HDR brachytherapy is one of the most precise forms of radiation therapy available for prostate cancer,” says Dr. Syed. “Because we deliver radiation from inside the prostate itself, we can sculpt the radiation dose very tightly around the tumor while minimizing exposure to nearby organs like the bladder and rectum. At OSF, this treatment is typically completed in just two sessions, which allows us to deliver a very powerful and focused treatment over a short period of time while maintaining excellent cure rates.” 

Together, these advanced tools allow the OSF oncology team to diagnose prostate cancer earlier, personalize care and deliver highly effective treatment while minimizing side effects. 

Radiation versus surgery: Is there a better option?

In terms of radiation versus surgery, Dr. Syed says they are both highly effective treatment options.

"In terms of cancer control, surgery and radiation have very similar success rates for most patients," says Dr. Syed. "The choice often comes down to differences in side effects and what best fits a patient's lifestyle and priorities."

Rectal irritation, like diarrhea and looser stools during treatment, and other side effects are possible during radiation, but that improves over time, Dr. Syed points out. 

Side effects from surgery include temporary erectile dysfunction (ED), which is regained after surgery. As well as urinary incontinence (accidental urine leakage caused by lack of bladder control), which can tend to last post-surgery as well. Men are encouraged to wear supporting underwear (Depends) to prevent urinary leakage. 

The best starting point is a conversation with your oncology team to discuss what your lifestyle looks like.

If you are actively working and can't have urinary incontinence, radiation will likely be the recommendation. If you have urinary issues already, there are certain radiation options that would be better for you. 

Exercise helps decrease your risk of cancer. Dr. Syed recommends maintaining a healthy weight and staying up to date with your health maintenance and primary care provider, as well as avoiding alcohol and smoking.

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"Anyone that has lungs has a chance of lung cancer,” says Jun Zhang, MD, PhD, vice president of oncology research with OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute.

In fact, 10-20% of lung cancer patients are people who have never even smoked, Dr. Zhang adds. 

"Lung cancer is generally referred to as a 'smoker's disease.' But it turns out now that we're seeing more lung cancer patients without a history of smoking," Dr. Zhang observes. "If we put lung cancer in patients who have never smoked in a separate category, this can be listed as the number five cancer killer in the world." 

This translates to roughly 40,000 Americans every year being diagnosed with lung cancer, despite never smoking cigarettes. 

Women of Asian descent who don't smoke tend to be impacted more by this, Dr. Zhang says, compared to the rest of the population. Research shows that 57% of Asian American women diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked. Based on this, in a recent study called FANS (Female Asian Never Smoker), researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), UC Davis and Stanford University are investigating why Asian American women who have never smoked develop lung cancer at unusually high rates compared with other populations.

Sadly, Dr. Zhang says, people who present with lung cancer but have never smoked, are presenting at a later stage. 

"Those patients present to us, at least at my clinic, and they already missed the chance of an early diagnosis. Early symptoms can be cough and shortness of breath, but quite often people are not paying attention to this because they don't smoke and they don't have a chance to get screened," Dr. Zhang says. "That's the sad story, that even though they've never smoked, at the time when they're diagnosed with lung cancer, it's almost always at late stage." 

So, why is this happening? Dr. Zhang discusses five main reasons that non-smokers are getting diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. The top two culprits will be laid out in this article, with three more to come in part two.

#1: PM2.5 (Particulate Matter)

PM2.5 is the top contributor to non-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer worldwide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) describes PM2.5 as fine inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller.

"If you inhale the particles, you cannot get them out of your body. It can get into your lungs, be trapped there, and even get into your circulation and cause problems," Dr. Zhang says. "If we're thinking about cigarette smoking as the number one reason for lung cancer, globally PM2.5 is the second most common reason for lung cancer." 

In the United States, the EPA sets and reviews national air quality standards for PM2.5.

The Upper Midwest region has been below the national average for many years, and according to the EPA, has seen an improvement in air quality since at least 2000. The EPA's national standard is set at 9.0 micrograms per cubic meter. Dr. Zhang says for every 10 microgram per cubic meter increase, it increases lung cancer mortality by 20%.

Some areas in the world can be up to 100 micrograms per cubic meter; Dr. Zhang points out. Vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions along with outdoor fires contribute to these levels. 

The American Cancer Society (ACS) reports lifetime exposure to PM2.5 might increase the risk, and even speed up the onset of various cancers, including lung cancer.

#2: Radon levels in the home

While high PM2.5 levels are the #2 cause of lung cancer worldwide, here in the United States, the second-leading cause of lung cancer (next to smoking) is due to high radon levels. 

According to the ACS, radon is a colorless and odorless radioactive gas. Radioactive elements such as uranium found in soil and rock break down, then move the radon gas from the soil and rock into the air, ground water and surface water.

When radon breaks down in the air, it gives off radiation that can damage DNA in our cells.

“Radon is released by radioactive materials underground, but then they accumulate in the house, especially if it doesn't have good ventilation," Dr. Zhang says. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) says testing for radon in your home is the only way to know if levels are high. It’s recommended to get this testing done before or as soon as you move into the home.

Dr. Zhang says findings like this argue for expansion of lung cancer screening criteria. 

He adds that if you have any concerns like lingering cough that lasts for multiple weeks, especially with shortness of breath, talk to your primary care provider (PCP). You can get a chest X-Ray to make sure you don't have pneumonia.

GERD (acid reflux) and some heart issues could also be a possibility, and these are important to check out. If none of these things exist, this is where patients should advocate for themselves and ask for a CT scan to check for lung cancer that can show if a nodule or mass is present.

To learn more about the Lung Cancer Program at OSF Cancer Institute, or to schedule an appointment, visit the OSF HealthCare website.

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Since then, more than 77,000 patients have walked through those doors – each one facing a diagnosis that changed everything.

As the OSF Cancer Institute enters its third year of providing hope and healing for patients with cancer, the time has come to expand the capability to perform this critically important work. The Ministry has received approval for a certificate of need (CON) with the state of Illinois for construction plans for the fourth floor of the facility. The target for completion is spring 2027.

This new area will occupy over 29,000 square feet and will allow OSF to further expand its integrated cancer care network to include robust medical oncology, surgical oncology, and research components. The fourth floor will also allow expansion of OSF’s theranostics (diagnostics and therapeutics) program, private rooms for infusion create space for more clinical trials to take place at OSF Cancer Institute.

As part of the expansion, Robert McWilliams, MD, an internationally recognized clinician, trialist, and leader in gastrointestinal oncology and skin cancers has joined OSF HealthCare as the Deputy Director of the OSF Cancer Institute.

Dr. McWilliams was on faculty at Mayo Clinic for 20 years, serving in numerous leadership roles. He brings that expertise to OSF where he continues clinical trial and outcomes research in addition to transforming the cancer clinical practice.

Dr. McWilliams played a key role in redesigning the medical oncology care model at Mayo Clinic and will lead the expansion of the medical oncology program at OSF. He has authored more than 180 publications, and has served numerous roles across the globe, including serving on the Pancreas Cancer Task Force and the GI Cancers Steering Committee of the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. McWilliams joins the team operating under the leadership of James McGee, MD, president of the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute that includes Jun Zhang, MD, PhD, who joined OSF last fall as vice president, Oncology Research.

Dr. Zhang is a nationally recognized leader in the research and treatment of lung cancer and has extensive expertise in bench-to-bedside translation and the development of investigator-initiated clinical trials. His work continues to shape emerging ideas at the interface of tumor immunology, microbiome science and precision medicine.

Dr. Robert McWilliams Video Interview Clips

Dr. Jun Zhang Video Interview Clips

Dr. James McGee Video Interview Clips

OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute B-Roll

"The most exciting thing that's going on right now, is that some of the most common genetic mutations we know of in pancreatic cancer, are finally having drugs that seem to work against them," says Robert McWilliams, MD, a medical oncologist and the Deputy Director of OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute. "They're in clinical trials right now, but we may see drug approvals as early as this year for these new therapies called KRAS inhibitors. Almost all pancreatic cancer tumors have those mutations. If these drugs are as promising and work as well as we hope, it should make a tremendous difference for pancreatic cancer."

Why this moment matters in pancreatic cancer treatment

Historically, treatment options for pancreatic cancer have advanced slowly compared to other cancers.

"Pancreatic cancer treatment hasn't evolved as quickly as I'd like. We've had more complex chemotherapy regimens that work incrementally better," Dr. McWilliams says. "Trying to put those together into a plan for patients using more neoadjuvant therapies (giving chemotherapy to shrink a tumor before surgery) is something we've done a lot more of in the last few years."

Even with incremental improvements, outcomes have remained challenging – largely because of how pancreatic cancer behaves.

The challenge of a “silent” disease

Pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of gastrointestinal cancer, is often diagnosed late, when treatment options are more limited. According to 2015-2021 data from the National Cancer Institute, only 13.3% of people survived five or more years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Nearly 68,000 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2025, almost 52,000 of them died from the disease.

"One of the things that's most challenging about pancreatic cancer, is that it can be there without causing specific symptoms. Even though a lot of people with advanced pancreatic cancer do have symptoms commonly, it is a very difficult cancer to detect early," Dr. McWilliams says. "Because of that, oftentimes people present with advanced or metastatic disease.”

Therapeutic cancer vaccines are also in development right now. Promising results from post-operative mRNA-based vaccines have suggested an immune response is possible, and patients may have better outcomes. More trials are in progress to evaluate this further.  

Targeting KRAS: A long-standing goal

According to the Lustgarten Foundation, the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research in the world, KRAS mutations are central to the disease.

KRAS is a gene that helps control when cells grow and divide. Normally, it works like a switch, turning growth on when the body needs it, and off when it doesn’t. But when KRAS mutates, that switch can get stuck in the “on” position, causing cells to grow nonstop and eventually form cancer.

While KRAS mutations are found in about 11% of all cancers, pancreatic cancer depends on it more than almost any other. In fact, more than 90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas – the most common type of pancreatic cancer – have a KRAS mutation. That’s why researchers see KRAS as one of the most important and promising targets in the fight against pancreatic cancer.

One of the biggest challenges right now is creating drugs that can shut down the KRAS mutations most seen in pancreatic cancer, especially KRAS-G12D, which shows up in nearly half of all cases. Another key goal is developing treatments that can target several KRAS mutations at the same time. The good news: researchers are actively working on it, with more than 60 RAS-focused drugs currently in development.

New drugs moving through late-stage trials

According to Revolution Medicines, Inc., a late-stage clinical oncology company developing targeted therapies for patients with RAS-addicted cancers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a non-transferrable voucher for its drug daraxonrasib (RMC-6236) under the FDA’s Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher pilot program.

Daraxonrasib is being studied in two global Phase 3 clinical trials: RASolute 302 in patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and RASolve 301 in patients with previously treated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Symptoms that should not be ignored

Even with promising advances, early detection remains critical.

"One of the things is called painless jaundice. If you turn yellow (jaundice), and you're not having abdominal pain, that is a classical sign for pancreatic cancer," Dr. McWilliams points out. "The most common symptom people notice is weight loss. Most of us are trying to lose weight at any moment in time, but sometimes it's a little too easy and the weight starts dripping off. When that happens, that's something to say 'hey, that's great!' But maybe I should get that checked out."

Reducing cancer risk and improving outcomes

Dr. McWilliams says lifestyle choices can play an important role in reducing cancer risk and improving outcomes after diagnosis:

• Don’t smoke cigarettes
• Don’t vape
• Avoid drinking alcohol
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy weight and regular physical activity

Those diagnosed with cancer tend to do better when they engage in more physical exercise. Regular activity can also help protect against other health concerns, including heart disease, neurological disorders and chronic illness.

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A new hands-on tool is helping young patients feel more prepared – and less afraid – before undergoing an MRI.

MRIs can be especially intimidating for children, who must lie still in a tight space surrounded by loud, unfamiliar sounds. Until now, child life specialists, like Allison West, at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria relied on educational materials to prepare patients. But West says many young children are hands-on learners.

“They need to be able to see, touch and manipulate. We had prep books and pictures and sounds that we would play for them, but we were missing something concrete,” says Child Life Specialist Allison West. “So, this was a huge need that Savannah was able to deliver for us.”

West is referencing former Tremont, Illinois, high school student Savannah Jost of Mapleton, whose interest in health care grew after her own serious cancer diagnosis.

Inspired by a cancer journey

In January of 2022, Jost was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. She went through eight rounds of chemo and 17 radiation treatments before doctors at OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois declared her cancer free in December of 2022.

Jost then joined OSF HealthCare through a high school co-op program, where she helped design a simulated MRI with engineers from Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center. The idea was to help children role-play the experience using stuffed animals or dolls.

Sister M. Pieta Keller, F.S.G.M., an engineer with OSF Innovation Studio, part of the OSF Innovation ecosystem, explains there is a toy MRI available on the market, but it was prohibitively expensive. Instead, she and other engineers speculated that they could create something to simulate the medical imaging experience for kids, using their favorite toy as child life suggested.

“That could kind of show the child what happens and could we do it with a stuffed animal or doll or something that’s theirs – their object that’s special to them that could go through this, and they could see that everything was just fine and what would happen in that experience.”

Creating the MRI model for kids meant balancing realism with durability for young users Sister M. Pieta explains while discussing the creative process.

Design challenges

“As Savannah came to me with plans and ideas of what she wanted to do, we kind of went back through it. We let her do a first prototype of what she was thinking but then I was like we actually need to rebuild it and rebuild the inside so that it can withstand a small child climbing on top of it because,” Sister Pieta points out, “It is big enough to be a little gymnasium as well, so we wanted it to have that strength and robustness.”

West says children often have to have multiple imaging tests throughout their treatment and most of them have to be sedated. But the goal is to avoid having to put young children under anesthesia repeatedly.

“We think with additional education and preparation, that they (kids) would be able to do it successfully without that sedation,” West shares. “So, then we start prepping them. That’s where this beautiful machine comes in because we can use this to make them comfortable, to reduce that fear and really to prepare them for what to expect and kind of set them up for more success.”

The design and build process introduced Jost to the process of innovation. The biggest lesson she learned from engineers at Jump – you will most likely fail before you’re successful.

Lifelong lessons from engineers at Jump Simulation

“When I came in, they just answered all of my questions. They would help me, but they also let me try and fail and they would be like, ‘How would you do this?’ and I would go and do it and most likely fail and then they let me ask them and pick their brains about it. I just loved working with them.”

One of the biggest goals was to make the mini-MRI simulator as realistic as possible. From her own experience, Jost wanted to make sure there was no sugarcoating the experience. Combined with audio from a real MRI that can be played from a tablet, Jost thinks the team hit the mark.

The project represents more than just a design success. Jost stresses that it’s a way for her to pay it forward.

“It’s knowing that I get to give back to the community that helped me, that saved my life when I was 14 years old … just knowing that little kids here are using it and that I have the same cancer journey as some of them – It makes my 14-year-old self proud.” Jost is now a student at Bradley University, an OSF academic partner under its Innovation Academic Incubator. She eventually hopes to become a radiation oncologist.

Meanwhile, West says the simulated MRI has been used with a few patients and will be used with more in the future to help reduce fear, improve understanding and prepare children for real imaging exams – one stuffed animal at a time.

Savannah Jost

Sister Pieta 

Allison West

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James McGee, MD, MHCM, FACRO, president of the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute, says those risks can quietly build over time.

"Farmers who are out in the sun all of the time might get skin cancers across the head and neck areas. As they get older and their immune system declines, those become more numerous," Dr. McGee says. "Sometimes that's a prelude to getting a melanoma."

Sun exposure, immunity and cumulative risk

Melanoma risk is influenced by both genetics and sun exposure. That exposure doesn’t always come from a single event. Gradual, day-after-day sun exposure – common in farming and outdoor work – can be just as harmful as intense sun exposure that causes blistering sunburns or sun poisoning.

Repeated skin blistering from sunburn has been linked to the development of more aggressive melanoma later in life. As people age, natural changes in immune function can make it harder for the body to recognize and repair damaged cells, increasing cancer risk.

Occupational patterns also matter. For example, truck drivers who spend years with one arm exposed to the sun through a window may face a higher risk of melanoma on that consistently exposed side compared to the other.

New research links agriculture and melanoma risk

Recent research adds an important environmental and agricultural layer to the melanoma conversation. After analyzing five years of cancer registry data researchers identified a cluster of elevated melanoma rates across a 15-county region of south central Pennsylvania, affecting adults over the age of 50. People in that region were significantly more likely to develop melanoma than residents elsewhere in the state.

Importantly, the increased risk was not limited to strictly rural areas. The cluster included both rural and metropolitan counties, suggesting melanoma risk can extend beyond traditionally “outdoor-only” assumptions.

Even after accounting for ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels and socioeconomic factors, two strong patterns emerged: counties with higher amounts of cultivated cropland and counties with greater herbicide use had notably higher melanoma rates. Previous studies referenced by the researchers suggest certain agricultural chemicals may increase sensitivity to sunlight and interfere with immune function or cause DNA damage – all of which may contribute to melanoma development over time.

Understanding melanoma biology and treatment advances

"Melanomas are all related but can have different molecular signatures that are associated with the underlying cause of the melanoma, region of the body and demographic factors," Dr. McGee points out.

Those molecular differences can offer important clues about which treatments may be most effective. One example is BRAF-related melanoma, which involves a specific genetic change within the tumor. Identifying those changes allows care teams to personalize treatment plans.

Melanoma is also categorized by where it starts in the body. Cutaneous melanoma begins in the skin, while mucosal melanomas develop in areas like the mouth or genital tract. Each type behaves differently and may require a different treatment approach.

Imaging, staging and immune response

Diagnosis often begins with a biopsy of a suspicious skin lesion. From there, doctors may evaluate nearby lymph nodes and use advanced imaging – such as PET scans or MRI scans of the brain – to determine if the cancer has spread. This staging process provides a clearer picture of both disease extent and tumor biology.

Genetic testing of various types can be used to predict treatment response, assess the likelihood of spread, or determine increased risk for subsequent cancers, helping guide both treatment and future surveillance.

Radiation, immunotherapy and a changing treatment landscape

Radiation has traditionally been used to treat melanoma that has spread to the brain or bones. However, melanoma cells contain precursor chemicals that help create melanin pigment, which can act as a radioprotective compound. That protection can make standard radiation doses less effective.

Dr. McGee says delivering a larger dose of radiation all at once can overcome that barrier.

"More and more we're seeing that immunotherapy is coming into play for a possible treatment of melanoma. We've known for a long time that melanomas can act weirdly," Dr. McGee points out. "There have been a lot of reports that were thought to be just happenstance of patients treated with radiosurgery for brain metastases for melanoma, who then had other lesions in their body, get better as well. Those weren't radiated."

In some cases, radiation appears to trigger an immune response. Radiation can cause tumor cells to release antigens, signaling the immune system to attack melanoma cells elsewhere in the body. Combining radiation therapy with immunotherapy is an approach increasingly used for melanoma and other skin cancers.

Dr. McGee now commonly uses a single, high-dose radiosurgery approach. He recently treated a patient with 23 brain metastases in one session that lasted about 20 minutes, with strong responses seen across all lesions. Understanding the underlying biology of melanoma has helped improve these outcomes.

Immunotherapy and survival trends

Immunotherapy has become a powerful option in melanoma treatment, helping the immune system better recognize and destroy cancer cells. These advances are reflected in national survival trends.

According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma death rates in the United States declined sharply between 2013 and 2022, largely due to treatment improvements.

For 2025, the American Cancer Society estimates:

• Nearly 105,000 new melanoma diagnoses
• More than 8,400 melanoma-related deaths nationwide

Melanoma risk increases with age, with the average diagnosis occurring at 66. However, it remains one of the more common cancers in young adults, particularly young women. Lighter skin tone is a significant risk factor, though melanoma can affect people of all skin colors.

Prevention and the role of primary care

While not all melanoma risk can be eliminated, everyday choices can make a difference. Wearing sunscreen, choosing protective clothing, limiting prolonged sun exposure, moderating alcohol intake and avoiding blistering sunburns can all help reduce risk.

Primary care teams play a key role in prevention and early detection.

"One of our major projects is going to be getting our primary care offices to get equipped with tools to help motivate people to reduce their cancer risk through things that are tolerable for them to do," Dr. McGee says. "This gives them the hope that we can reduce their cancer risks."

Increasingly, computer applications and artificial intelligence (AI) are showing promise to help patients and providers sort out suspicious lesions that need to be prioritized for evaluation vs. lesions that have a lower risk of being cancerous.

For people living and working in rural and agricultural communities, understanding how sun exposure, environmental factors and immune health intersect may be the key to catching melanoma earlier or preventing it altogether.

Video Interview Clips

Designed to significantly improve diagnostic accuracy, efficiency and patient access, the Omni Legend represents a major advancement in mobile PET/CT capabilities for both rural and urban populations.  As is tradition for OSF HealthCare, the mobile unit was officially blessed during a ceremony in Pontiac, Illinois where the first patient will receive services using the new mobile platform.

“We’re proud to be partnering with Shared Medical Services on our new PET/CT mobile unit to increase patient capacity and reduce pressure on our in-house scanners,” said Derrick Frasier, president of OSF HealthCare Saint James – John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac. “The rapid deployment and the consistency of technology will enhance the quality of care and ultimately allow patients to receive timely scans closer to home.”

The mobile unit will be rotating among hospitals within the OSF Ministry with this current schedule:

• Monday (every other)-OSF HealthCare Saint Clare Medical Center in Princeton
• Tuesday-OSF HealthCare Saint James – John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac
• Wednesday-OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Evergreen Park
• Thursday-OSF Healthcare Holy Family Medical Center in Monmouth
• Friday-OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Medical Center in Alton
• Saturday-OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville

The GE HealthCare Omni Legend Digital PET/CT platform delivers exceptional sensitivity and resolution through its novel digital detector technology, enabling improved lesion detectability and more personalized treatment planning. The system also incorporates AI-enabled workflow tools that simplify scanner operation, reduce manual steps and help improve scan consistency. Faster scan times and lower dose capabilities support a more comfortable patient experience while maintaining high diagnostic confidence.

Kate Barth, vice president, OnDemand Services, and chief nursing officer, OSF OnCall, emphasized the value of this collaboration. “Demand for PET/CT imaging continues to grow—especially for cancer and cardiac care. SMS has been a strong partner, supporting our protocols, helping launch the mobile service, and ensuring a smooth workflow for our Mission Partners (employees) and those we serve.”

Barth continued, “Our Mission is to provide the greatest care and love to our patients, and expanding access to advanced imaging is an important part of that. This partnership with SMS helps us get patients scheduled faster while maintaining the extraordinary level of care for which OSF is known.”

President of Shared Medical Services, Maureen Kenney, added, "The efficiency of this technology from GE HealthCare creates a win-win for providers and patients. Bringing high-performance precision digital PET/CT into our mobile fleet expands access to advanced cancer and cardiac imaging.”

Video clips of Derrick Frasier and Kate Barth

B-roll-Mobile CT-PET Imaging Facility Blessing

Leading the charge for cancer care across the region, OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute in Peoria, Illinois, will be offering two ovarian cancer clinical trials for patients.

Clinical trial #1 | GOG 3115

The first trial, which launched in early September 2025, gives select ovarian cancer patients the option to receive an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) that targets specific cancer cells. OSF Cancer Institute will be a part of a cooperative group trial with the GOG Partners program, including multiple sites across the United States.

Michelle Rowland, MD, a gynecologic oncologist with OSF HealthCare, says it will allow for lower dosing, which is an improvement from traditional chemotherapy. This creates fewer side effects, while still being more effective.

"Recently in patients who have had their ovarian cancer recur, we've noted that we have a new drug called mirvetuximab soravtansine with Carboplatin, which works really well in those patients. This is now a trial looking at using this drug in cancer patients with a new diagnosis," Dr. Rowland explains. “This changes what the standard of care is and hopefully improves the responses we're getting and lessening the side effects of their treatment. This will be for patients who are newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer and require chemotherapy."

Common side effects for chemotherapy patients with ovarian cancer:

• Nausea 
• Fatigue 
• Neuropathy (numbness and tingling in hands and feet)
• Bone pain 

Dr. Rowland says OSF Cancer Institute is currently looking for patients with a new ovarian cancer diagnosis for the upcoming trial.

Any new ovarian cancer patient who has not received chemotherapy before would be eligible to try this new drug. 

Clinical trial #2

A second study, which is a national cooperative group trial, is set to offer new treatments for patients who have already undergone ovarian cancer treatment. This is for patients who did well during the treatment, but their cancer came back. 

"These treatments typically involve some of the antibody drug conjugates, but also immunotherapy and combinations of those medications. This gives patients new options they might not see," Dr. Rowland says. "So, for someone who is seen in our system, or seen elsewhere and wants a different treatment option, that will be open here." 

The second trial is expected to launch in late 2025, as OSF HealthCare plans to open additional trials for patients.

Ovarian cancer common facts

For a long time, ovarian cancer has been called the "silent killer." Dr. Rowland wants to dispel that myth, because there are signs and symptoms to look out for, she says. 

Ovarian cancer symptoms:

• Abdominal bloating
• Changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
• Pelvic or abdominal pain
• Lack of appetite
• Feeling full after a few bites of food
• Constantly feeling the need to urinate

"Those are the most common and can be related to a lot of different things. So, if you're having these symptoms, we encourage patients to reach out to their doctor,” Dr. Rowland says.

For breast cancer patients, to be eligible for genetic testing, there are a few guidelines people need to meet. For ovarian cancer, all it takes to receive genetic testing is to have the disease. This is because a larger number of ovarian cancer patients will have a genetic mutation, roughly 15-20%, Dr. Rowland says. 

Robotic-assisted surgeries are an option for select surgeries at OSF HealthCare. Surgeons can use the brand-new da Vinci 5 robotic system by Intuitive. Dr. Rowland says she has seen a benefit for ovarian cancer patients since using the new technology. 

An ovarian cancer survivor group is having a walk at the OSF Cancer Institute on Saturday, September 20. This gives a way for people to support ovarian cancer survivors and learn more about the disease. More information about the 2025 Teal Butterfly Blessings Ovarian Cancer Awareness Walk can be found here.

For more information about gynecologic cancer services and resources at OSF, visit the OSF HealthCare website.

Video Interview Clips

“My world was turned upside down.”

These are the words of 36-year-old Amanda Wlezen, from Poplar Grove, Illinois, who just found out she has a Stage 1 breast cancer known as invasive ductal carcinoma.

"Being so young, it was something I was not expecting. I honestly went in and thought I would get a full clean bill of health, like 'you're good to go,' but that was not the case," Wlezen says.

Aside from battling the disease, Wlezen is now also faced with another challenge. The potential of hair loss.

"(Your hair is) your identity. It's how you approach people and feel confident,” Wlezen adds.

Thanks to a generous donation by breast cancer survivor Patricia Cutilletta, chemotherapy patients now have an extra tool to help keep their hair during treatment. It’s known as scalp cooling and is offered across the OSF HealthCare Ministry at all six OSF cancer centers.

“The cooling cap can give you your confidence back, so I feel like that's going to help others," Wlezen says.

Scalp cooling allows the patient’s temperature to be brought down to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, which then reduces the amount of chemo that is absorbed by hair follicles. This, in turn, helps decrease the amount of hair loss. A cooling cap is used and personalized for the individual patient. It’s fitted to their head and is not reused.

While scalp cooling has been around for some time, the new equipment is much more user-friendly and accessible.

"The old machines are very large and cumbersome. You had to have someone bring dry ice. You almost had to have another person with you to make that successful," says Leah Goforth, manager of gynecological oncology at OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute in Peoria, Illinois. "This company we've partnered with, and the new designs, have made it more accessible and portable.”

Wlezen says this opportunity has given her a lot of reassurance during a difficult time.

"I honestly thought I was going to lose all my hair and that I didn't have an option. So, I am very grateful for this innovative product, and for giving it a shot and helping me to maintain these beautiful locks," Wlezen laughs.

This is a real challenge seen in many patients, says Julie Cline, manager of oncology services at OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois.

"We have had some patients in the past ask if we were able to offer this, and we, at that time, were not. We have had some patients bring in their own supplies, which is way more costly for them to do,” Cline says. “So, this provides them with a tool to help lessen their anxiety and protect their self-image."

Michelle Rowland, MD, is a gynecologic oncologist at OSF Cancer Institute. She says scalp cooling can offer several benefits for the patient.

"It is important for the patient in terms of self-esteem and being able to continue doing things like their job, that they don't have to explain to everyone why their hair is falling out," Dr. Rowland says. "For some people, it's a level of comfort and confidence that they can carry through chemotherapy. That overall, I think, helps them tolerate it better."

Dr. Rowland says not all chemotherapy treatments cause hair loss, so it’s important for the patient and doctor to discuss if scalp cooling is the right option.

"For some of our treatments, it might only be effective for 30% of patients. For others, it might be much higher at 80%," Dr. Rowland says.

Aside from the emotional and mental benefit scalp cooling can provide, there can also be a physical benefit, Dr. Rowland adds.

"Losing your hair, oftentimes, is irritating to the scalp. We do have patients that have complications of losing their hair. It's not as simple as 'my hair fell out,' but you may have folliculitis (infection) across the scalp," Dr. Rowland says. "Keeping the scalp healthy and doing things for the scalp can help them avoid some of those complications."

Goforth says during a time when you feel like you don’t have much control, this technology changes that.

"It's that sense of empowerment,” Goforth agrees. “That was one of the big things that Pat (Cutilletta) has been very vocal about. It's not about vanity; it's about empowerment back to the patient during a very powerless-feeling time in their journey.”

Cline says her greatest satisfaction is giving the patients some power over their cancer.

"Patients come in here all the time, very teary eyed, very sad, because they have no control. They feel like cancer is controlling their life, so this just gives them that hope of having something that I can control. It helps lessen that anxiety, sometimes even helps them stay on their treatment plan and stay compliant with it,” Cline says.

Cline explains that the scalp cooling process starts 30 minutes before chemotherapy infusions. It then continues through the end of the treatment, and then depending on the treatment regimen, continues another two to three hours post treatment cooling.

Oftentimes the scalp cooling service is covered by insurance. The patient’s care team should submit the treatment to insurance before the scalp cooling service starts to get an idea of how much insurance will cover. The patient would then find out what if there is going to be any out of pocket costs.

If you’re in need of cancer support services and need help finding an appointment or a provider, visit the OSF HealthCare website.

Amanda Wlezen Video Interview Clips

Dr. Michelle Rowland Video Interview Clips

Julie Cline Video Interview Clips

Leah Goforth Video Interview Clips

Amaneigh (pronounced uh-MAHN-ee) Stevenson of Bloomington, Illinois, is a sassy 7-year-old girl who until January had never undergone surgery or even had a broken bone. But that month she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma following a biopsy the previous month. Amaneigh is currently undergoing IV chemotherapy treatment at OSF HealthCare Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria. Her treatment is expected to last six months.

Having cancer has been a difficult challenge for the girl who embraces challenges, her mom, Karisma Morris-Bush, says. This was not a challenge her daughter was prepared for as Amaneigh has always been full of energy.

“Ever since she was a little girl, she’s been very active. She’s in gymnastics, she’s done cheerleading, she likes to play outside, run around, cartwheels, flips, you name it. Since she was a baby, she’s been climbing on everything.”

Before January, Amaneigh had never missed a gymnastics practice. But the middle child with three brothers was sidelined from that activity for her safety after having a central venous port implanted to deliver chemotherapy and other medications directly to the bloodstream. The port makes treatment safer and more comfortable for frequent infusions or blood draws.

Concerned about protecting the port, Morris-Bush worried about her daughter riding a bike or playing with friends. That’s when Nick Kemp, an exercise physiologist with OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois, told her about PortGuard, a device he was working on designing with OSF Innovation Studio engineers that prevents damage to a port during contact activities.

“She has lots of friends who are also very active, and there were incidents in which she was bumped into. I was concerned about maybe it [the port] might be dislodged or put her at some type of risk, and he [Nick Kemp] told me that he was creating this PortGuard. He gave me the entire plan. This is when it was in the beginning stages, and I told him I thought it sounds wonderful.”

Kemp says he outlined his ideas to the Innovation engineers and told them his solution needed to be durable and comfortable.

“It needed to be lightweight, kind of mobile, something that wouldn’t get in the way during sports – that they could wear it and not have any type of disadvantage during their sport, so I really wanted it to be as comfortable as possible.”

Bracing for impact

OSF Innovation Studio engineer Reid Jockisch says they needed to create a divot in the design so that upon impact, the molded plastic would not contact the port that it was designed to protect. Jockisch explains engineers used a meter device to measure the force against the PortGuard as they hurled various size balls at high impact.

“We used balls from different sports – basketballs, baseballs. We threw them at the port to see and try to measure what kind of impact the port would have. That’s where the force gauge was. So, we measured what those numbers would be as compared to what it would be with no device, and we were able to get them to almost zero.”

That means the force on the port would be nearly zero with a high impact hit. Jockisch says they also tested the port’s durability and after pummeling it full force with a baseball bat, two-by-four and even a hammer, it was nearly indestructible.

The challenge, says Jockisch, was finding a balance between weight and comfort.

“We had to find lighter materials to encase the device such that when it gets attached with the supports, it’s able to stay in place. So, what’s been most helpful; there is patient feedback and their experiences wearing the device and what kind of activities were causing the device to shift around so we could design the straps in a way that supports the weight of the device.”

Morris-Bush was part of the prototype testing and says the design works, as she turns to Amaneigh and explains it.

“There is a spot right here. It’s kind of a circular spot, Amaneigh chimes in and says, “It goes over my port,” while mom adds, “Right, and that actually hugs the port and, in that spot, – and I can even put my hand over it – there’s space.” Amaneigh adds, “It’s like my port has gone into a mold.”

Morris-Bush says the hand washable PortGuard can even be used while her daughter is swimming. With lightweight straps connecting the guard in two places, it can be adjusted depending on the child’s size and what they’re wearing. Most of the time, Amaneigh puts it on by herself. She’s a big fan of the Port Guard because it put her back in action. Amaneigh even showed off a few of her gymnastics moves while wearing it.

“It makes me feel protected. It makes me feel safe. I don’t wear it often, but I wear it when I’m doing stuff I’m not supposed to do right now in this situation.” She adds, “It helps me, and I get to play with all the other kids. I love it a lot.”

For Kemp, that’s what his invention is all about. He’s excited that his idea to help pediatric cancer patients is doing just that.

“That’s the best part. It’s seeing the reactions and seeing them able to do activities and sports that they may not have felt as comfortable doing. So that’s the ultimate goal – to get them comfortable and bring them back to the normalcy that they were used to before treatment.”

The protective device is currently in use by 10 pediatric cancer patients. Kemp and OSF will be looking to collaborate with other children’s hospitals across the country to collect patient feedback. Once OSF Innovation Studio has collected additional feedback and has a final product, the goal is to make PortGuard available for as many kids as possible and ultimately scale production for wider use.

Karisma Morris-Bush

Nick Kemp, Reid Jockisch and Amaneigh Stevenson

B-roll-PortGuard and Amaneigh Stevenson playing

While this seems straightforward, this isn’t a quantity vs. quality scenario. It’s a mix of both, personalized to everyone in different ways.

A late-phase trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine finds people who follow an exercise program after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy can reduce the risk of cancer recurrence, a new cancer diagnosis or death by 28%. The findings were presented on June 1 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), focusing on those who had Stage 3 or high-risk Stage 2 colon cancer.

Nathaniel Leman is an exercise physiologist with OSF HealthCare. He works alongside patients with cancer, mapping out plans to keep them exercising, despite a cancer diagnosis.

Exercise is helpful to patients with cancer

During a cancer journey, exercise helps deliver medication through the body as it's intended, because a person's blood vessels are opening, allowing the drugs to get to the areas impacted by cancer better. 

"We know exercise is so beneficial for our bodies. Specifically for patients with cancer who deal with a lot of fatigue, tiredness and low energy," Leman says. "They also deal with a lot of joint and muscle pain, maybe even bone pain. Most of the time they have weakened immune systems as well. There's a lot of things through their treatment journey they'll deal with; weight loss is another one."

How exercise is beneficial for patients with cancer

"Exercising with cardio and strength training is really good for our hearts, lungs, muscles and joints. The benefits also include our mental health, and it helps keep our weight consistent," Leman adds. "It also helps to boost our immune system and keep us healthy for a long time."

Leman and his colleagues rely on recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) to put together plans for patients with cancer. That includes 150 minutes of moderate, cardiovascular or aerobic (using body’s main muscle groups in repeated motions) exercise per week. This can break down into 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week.

If 30 minutes at one time is too much for a person, feel free to break it down into two 15-minute exercise periods, sprinkled throughout your day. Even three 10-minute periods are beneficial.

The main goal is to just get people to start moving. 

How to start moving

"That includes anything from walking to an aerobic bike on a moderate setting," Leman says. "Walking in a pool and doing light jogs inside the pool is something where we can take that pressure of gravity off."

If people want to achieve vigorous exercise, Lehman recommends 75 minutes a week because of the added pressure that's put on muscles and bones. 

If strength training is more your speed, Lehman recommends two to three days a week. This can include light squats, shoulder press, bicep curls, triceps extensions and rows as a few examples. Make sure to have a day of rest in between. 

Avoid powerlifting during cancer

Power lifting (power clean, heavy squats, deadlift) or exerting too much energy during a cancer journey is something to avoid, Lehman recommends. 

"We don't want to do that type of workout where we're over stressing our body to a point we can't move the next day," Lehman says. "Those athletes train for years and years and years, and they put a lot of fatigue on their body that our patients with cancer just can't handle." 

Marathons, triathlons, Iron Mans and Spartan races should be avoided as well. These extremely tough exercise events would cause too much stress on the bodies of patients with cancer. 

Lehman says exercise is good at lowering the risk of cancer, but it doesn't outright prevent cancer. 

Lehman says there is a difference between an active lifestyle and exercising. A basic active lifestyle can include things like daily chores around the house, but he wants patients to take things a step further and add committed time to exercise specifically. However, if a person is working outside in the yard all day, that can be a great amount of physical activity which could supplement exercise on that specific day.

The European Society of Cardiology reports a sedentary lifestyle for two decades is linked to being two times at risk of premature death, compared to being physically active. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 8,000 steps a day and says that for every 1,000 added steps per day in people with a sedentary lifestyle, reduces the risk of heart disease and death by 15 percent.

OSF HealthCare exercise physiologists offer a free exercise consultation to get started. Contact your oncology care team here to learn more about exercise plans during cancer.

Video Interview Clips

The Peoria, Illinois-based hospital system has brought surgical oncologist Tamara Floyd, MD, to the care team at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Dr. Floyd performs cytoreductive and HIPEC (hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy) surgeries in Peoria, while also seeing patients in Bloomington and Galesburg.

HIPEC procedures are mostly for patients who have tumors or cancer spread in the abdominal cavity. 

Cancerous tumors are removed through cytoreductive surgery where the surgeon initially attempts to remove as much of the cancer as possible. Surgery is then followed by HIPEC, which is when a heated chemotherapy – at just over 106 degrees Fahrenheit – is administered into the abdomen. The heated chemo is then circulated around the area inside the abdomen to treat any remaining microscopic tumor cells.

HIPEC can be beneficial for several types of cancer patients. The one it benefits the most is LAMN, or low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm. HIPEC is considered a standard of care for patients who have seen their cancer spread into the space in the abdomen that contains the abdominal organs.

These can be appendix, colorectal, and now more data indicates stomach cancer patients may benefit from HIPEC, Dr. Floyd says.

"Additionally with more data, pancreatic cancer is being looked at as well. Even patients with breast cancer. Another cancer that benefits from HIPEC is peritoneal mesothelioma." 

HIPEC can be a viable treatment option at any stage, Dr. Floyd says. But as some people are diagnosed with later stage disease, it can feel like no options are possible. HIPEC changes that.

"It's beneficial to have the option of doing HIPEC, or cytoreductive surgeries, for patients who have peritoneal spread of disease, which for most cancers means it is a stage 4 disease," Dr. Floyd says. "In a lot of instances, if you're talking about stage 4 disease, there aren't a lot of other options."

While HIPEC is a viable option for low-grade cancers, it's also a helpful option for later stage, more aggressive cancers. Patients with signet ring or goblet cell features, which are more aggressive subtypes, can also be treated with HIPEC. 

"Signet ring is one of the subtypes of appendiceal, colon or rectal that can be treated. There are even some subtypes of gastric or stomach cancer that are considered a signet ring or have signet ring features," Dr. Floyd says. "Cytoreductive and HIPEC can be considered for those patients."

Throughout a cancer journey, combining traditional chemotherapy that is administered through IV with HIPEC provides a "synergistic effect" Dr. Floyd says. HIPEC allows the chemotherapy to be administered directly to the cancer cells and kill them that way. 

Dr. Floyd has done one HIPEC at OSF Saint Francis so far and has another planned soon. It's anticipated that within the next year, Dr. Floyd and her team will start to do three to four HIPEC surgeries a month as OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute continues to grow as a destination center.

Patient recovery times can be one to two weeks in the hospital after HIPEC surgery, which is why having this option for Central Illinois patients is so important. It allows the patient and their families to stay close to home, instead of having to travel hours away. Dr. Floyd says the longer travel times can turn patients and their families away from pursuing care. 

Heated chemotherapy can also be used in thoracic cavities. This would then be called HITEC or HITOC, Heated IntraThoracic Chemotherapy. This is for patients who have disease spreading in the pulmonary area. 

Types of cancers that can be treated by HIPEC: 

-          LAMN (Low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm)

-          Appendiceal

-          Colon

-          Rectal

-          Gastric

-          Stomach

-          Pancreatic

-          Breast

-          Mesothelioma

-          Ovarian

For more information on cancer treatment options at OSF, visit the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute website.

Video Interview Clips

Introducing the Intuitive Ion Robot, a minimally invasive way to biopsy a patient’s lungs and get them answers more efficiently.

"Robotic bronchoscopy has really become the way of the future in terms of lung nodule diagnosis. It allows us to biopsy very small nodules (dense areas of tissue, or spots)," says Rachael Davis, MD, a pulmonologist with OSF HealthCare. "We can biopsy lung nodules that were not able to be biopsied previously because they were so small. It also allows us to biopsy nodules that are far out on the edge of the lungs that were unreachable before."

The goal of the Ion technology is primarily to diagnose lung cancer early. However, it also gives patients with non-cancerous lung nodules peace of mind. The Ion Robot can stage lung cancer as well. 

"We are hoping to diagnose lung cancer while it is very small, at a very early stage, and provide people the opportunity for either surgical or radiation cure of their cancer. That's our number one goal," Dr. Davis says. "But we do have quite a few patients who have lung nodules, and we don't know what they are. So, we're able to provide them with an answer that says, 'this is what your lung nodule is, and it's not cancer.’”

If a person has a history of smoking or one of their family members has received a lung cancer diagnosis, Dr. Davis says it’s important to get screened.

"Early-stage lung cancer often is asymptomatic. They have no cough, no shortness of breath or anything else. The most important thing we can do about lung cancer is to encourage people to get screened," Dr. Davis says. "Anyone who has a smoking history should talk with their primary care provider or lung doctor about whether they qualify for lung cancer screening. With that, we can find very small lung nodules and diagnose them early."

Screening remains the greatest tool to cure lung cancer. Some nodules used to be biopsied using a needle from outside the body. The robotic bronchoscopy allows the team to biopsy it from the inside in a much safer way, preventing possible complications. When a lung nodule is diagnosed at an earlier stage, it's much more likely to cure the patient. 

"A lung cancer screening is very simple. It's a low-dose CAT scan of the lungs. Most lung cancer screenings are covered by insurance. It's a two-minute procedure," Dr. Davis says. "You get scheduled for a CAT scan. You come in and there's no contrast or IV required. You come in, get your CAT scan, and it's read within 24 hours." 

The OSF Lung & Pulmonology team has doubled the number of patients they see each week since launching the technology one year ago at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. While the team currently does six biopsies a week, the plan is to perform three to four biopsies five days a week by mid-2025. 

Initially, most patients are cared for at the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute. The medical team will then refer patients for the Ion Robot biopsy, keeping the patient on one hospital campus. 

If cancerous nodules are found in the patient's lungs, they will be referred to the OSF multi-disciplinary team for further treatment. This includes a surgeon who decides if the lung nodule can be surgically removed and cured. There is also a medical oncologist who can advise if chemotherapy or immunotherapy is needed. Lastly, a radiation oncologist is part of the team. They can provide radiation treatment if necessary. 

Dr. Davis says as the OSF Cancer Institute impact grows across the OSF Ministry, the Ion Robot technology will spread to other markets. According to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, OSF HealthCare ranks in the 99.2 percentile in quality outcomes after lung cancer surgery for all lung surgery programs in the United States.

OSF Cancer Institute offers lung cancer screening events throughout the year. To learn more about lung cancer prevention, and how to get connected with OSF Lung & Pulmonology, visit the OSF HealthCare website.

Video Interview Clips

B-roll

A colonoscopy at age 15

But why? Those at an average risk of colorectal cancer are recommended to start getting colonoscopies once every ten years, starting at 45 years of age.

"My dad was diagnosed after just turning 26. Because it was colon cancer, they recommended I be seen ten years before. The doctors said when I turned 15 to get a colonoscopy," Jaxson says. He was just a baby when his father passed away.

Jaxson’s father, Michael, was an avid runner in great shape. Angie Brown, Michael’s wife and Jaxson’s mother, says Michael had no family history of colon cancer, and never drank or smoked. At the age of 26, Michael was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. He underwent six months of chemotherapy and was in remission for almost four years. In 2013, Michael was diagnosed with a rare form of stage 4 colon cancer called signet ring cell adenocarcinoma.

“If he can do it, I can do it!”

Angie says for years, she has helped prepare her sons to know the importance of cancer screening, and that they’d have to undergo a colonoscopy from a young age.

“He figured that if he could go out there and show people that a 15-year-old boy is willing to go through a colonoscopy, without having any symptoms, then anybody can do it,” Angie says. “We had a good amount of people who sent messages and said, ‘if he can do it, I can do it!’”

Jaxson says it helped to know from a young age that the day was coming. Afterwards, he said it “wasn’t that bad.”

"They have you roll over on your side, then they inject the stuff in, and it works like a charm. You're out and don't remember a thing. Best sleep you'll ever get," Jaxson laughs. 

Jaxson’s bravery can inspire others

Daniel Martin, MD, a gastroenterologist with OSF HealthCare, oversaw Jaxson’s treatment. He says Jaxson’s bravery to undergo something uncomfortable, yet potentially lifesaving, should be inspiration for everyone.

"Colon cancer, if caught early (even if not caught at a polyp stage), is a very treatable condition. Where in the early stages of disease, greater than 90% of those patients are going to be disease free at five years," Dr. Martin says. "One of the advantages of colorectal cancer screening is that we can prevent the disease. With colorectal cancer, in a colonoscopy, you can identify the precursor lesions called polyps and remove them during the exam."

Colon cancer is the third-most diagnosed form of cancer in both men and women.

“Lung is first for both, breast cancer is second for women, then colorectal cancer is third. For men, prostate is second, colorectal cancer is third. Colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer mortality in this country,” Dr. Martin explains.

The prevalence of colon cancer, along with the rareness of Michael’s signet ring colon cancer, led Angie and Michael to launch the Michael P. Brown Colon Cancer Foundation which lives by the motto “Get Busy Living.”

“A lot of people think you’re guaranteed a long life, especially if they’ve had parents who lived into their 80s and 90s,” Angie says. “You just never know what’s going to happen. If you have a bucket list, start doing those things. Don’t wait until you’re retired.”

The Foundation hosts Michael’s 5K Run for Life each year, raising money for signet ring research

“We try to be an outlet for people to get information about signet ring colon cancer. My husband used to field most of those calls, but now I do. My boys are getting involved too,” Angie says. “If there’s a parent who has cancer, they’re willing to talk to kids about that.”

Signs and symptoms of colon cancer

"The most common concern would be bleeding in your stool. But that would also include abdominal pain that's new or different," Dr. Martin says. "Or changes in the frequency or caliber of your stools."

This was mainly the case with Michael, Angie says.

“Initially, my husband’s symptom was belly pain. He was put on a couple of different medications because it was thought to be a stomach ulcer,” Angie says. “It didn’t work. He started having constipation, diarrhea and vomiting. We went into the emergency department, and he got the diagnosis of colon cancer.”

Traditionally, colon cancer is seen in people in their 60s and 70s. However, more younger people are starting to be diagnosed with colon cancer, Dr. Martin says.

"Specific to colorectal cancer, there are various options available now for screening. We recommend procedural screening with colonoscopy whenever possible. But with the advent of stool studies that are readily available and have been covered by insurance, that has helped increase the pool of patients who are receiving appropriate screening," Dr. Martin says. These readily available options are so important, Dr. Martin says, because most colon cancer patients are getting diagnosed at a later stage in the disease.

In the past, things like smoking, obesity and unhealthy lifestyle choices have been thought to cause colon cancer. Dr. Martin says in addition to that, more recent studies have shown processed foods to be a concern as well, adding that our gut's microbiome may show early indicators of cancer. A study done by Harvard Medical School investigators found that certain types of gut bacteria could lead to the development of precancerous colon polyps. 

Dr. Martin credits the OSF HealthCare cancer tumor boards and medical teams for creating a more organized process over the last five to 10 years that takes care of patients from diagnosis to treatment. 

Jaxson says now that it’s all said and done, the colonoscopy process was not as bad as most people think. This is on par with what most patients say, Dr. Martin adds. His word of caution? Many of his patients undergoing a colon cancer diagnosis wish they would have gotten colonoscopies earlier on.

To schedule a screening, speak with your primary care provider first and get a referral. You can find more information about colonoscopies on the OSF HealthCare website.

Jaxson Brown Video Interview Clips

Angie Brown Video Interview Clips

Dr. Daniel Martin Video Interview Clips

As Saturday Night Live celebrates its 50^th anniversary, one thing it has been known for over the decades is the use of comedy to make a commentary on what’s happening in the world. Recently, 
it was a skit about how the only way to get a young man to an annual physical is to pretend it’s a podcast appearance.

OSF HealthCare primary care physician, Mfowethu Langeni, DO, said he heard about the skit and then watched it with appreciation.

“So hopefully this can help encourage people to change that mindset and change the framing and letting them know that we will see you even if you have no symptoms, no issues. Preventive health is equally as important as any other aspect of health care.”

Nearly 40% of Generation Z men (age 20-29) don’t have a primary care provider and millennial men (age 29-43) make up the second-highest number of men without regular primary care according to one study.

Using comedy to tell hard truths can be an effective tool so Dr. Langeni hopes the skit breaks through the perception of many young men – a feeling they are invincible and therefore don’t need medical attention unless they experience serious symptoms.

Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reveals young men have a misperception they are healthier than they are.

“A good portion of men between the age of 18 and 35 are actually in probably fair to poor condition as far as health is concerned. So, I think the first thing we do when you walk in the door in a primary doctor's office, we check your weight, we check your vitals, and we check blood pressure. Those are some really quick things that we can get, but it can tell a lot of information.”

For example, Dr. Langeni says Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure don’t always have prominent symptoms right away and without an annual exam, they can go undetected for years. That poses the risk of irreversible harm. During an initial primary care visit, Dr. Langeni says he’ll also go over family history because there are some diseases, including cancer, that can be genetically linked.

“And so, if your father or mother or grandmother, uncle had a condition, you could also be predisposed to that condition as well. So, we address these things, we talk about these things, and then we come up with shared decision making and figure out what to do next.”

Research also shows men are increasingly turning to social media platforms such as Instagram and Tik Tok for their health information, often relying on influencers. That’s not all bad, says Dr. Langeni, but he says having a primary care provider as a trusted source is a great way to verify information from social media.

“I promote people getting information, but the big thing is just then take the information and then ask, ‘Hey, what's true? What's not true, or if it is, is this right for me?’ If it's not right for me, because everyone is individually different, having a primary doctor really will help to cater to your individual plan.”

With OSF MyChart, you can also easily access your primary care provider with questions about a variety of concerns, including medications, supplements, or issues that might arise between appointments. If it requires a referral to a specialist, your primary care provider can make that happen. Dr. Langeni suggests thinking of a primary care provider as someone who is a care coordinator and your advocate.

National statistics reveal other health realities men might consider. For example, men die by suicide at twice the rate of women and 40.5% of men over 20 have obesity. A primary care provider can help with lifestyle changes and medication, if necessary, to address obesity. Some mental health challenges can be managed at the primary care level, but Dr. Langeni says having a professional you trust to discuss stress, anxiety, depression or other concerns is crucial. Then, he says, your provider can recommend whether seeing a behavioral health specialist might be the best approach.

Just as you take your car in for a regular oil change, Dr. Langeni strongly suggests regular health maintenance with a primary care provider. Putting it another way, he emphasizes, “primary care is preventive care” and that’s nothing to laugh at. 

Dr. Mfowethu Langeni

Related story

Are you treating your care better than your body?

Innovative Technologies at the Forefront

Leading-edge cancer treatments like proton beam therapy, brachytherapy, genetic counseling and dietetics are all offered within the OSF Cancer Institute, providing patients with a one-stop-shop during their cancer journey.  

Proton therapy

Proton therapy was first offered on April 1, 2024.

"Proton therapy lets us offer radiation therapy to patients that maybe wouldn't have been able to tolerate side effects due to tumor location, or factors such as prior radiation treatment to the same area," says Tom Cox, the vice president of operations at OSF Cancer Institute. " This is possible because protons stop after passing through a tumor, eliminating the radiation effects on tissue often treated incidentally to photon (X-ray) therapy. The OSF Cancer Institute is on track to have treated 180 patients by April 1, 2025 – which far exceeded the original first-year target of 130 patients.

Brachytherapy

The brachytherapy suite offers a more patient-friendly way for mostly prostate and gynecological (cervical, endometrial) cancer patients to receive treatment. This option involves placement of applicators or needles directly into tumors so that very controlled, effective radiation can be delivered in discrete volumes. Since the radiation is delivered from within the tumor, there is a dramatic reduction of the dose to normal tissue, even those near the tumor itself. The dose is delivered with high-dose rate techniques so the therapy is delivered in just a few minutes time.

"Being able to bring the introduction of the applicators into the body, the treatment planning CT and the treatment all in one room, has created a much better experience. We're having some really good outcomes there, and we think we can expand what we're able to do there,” Cox says.

Intuitive Ion robot 

The OSF Cancer Institute’s pulmonology team offers state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and treatments, including minimally invasive, robotic surgeries and robotic assistive bronchoscopy. This includes the Intuitive Ion Robot, which allows care teams to get early answers and advance care for lung cancer patients.

"We're going to leverage the ability of an ion robot in the interventional pulmonary lab to really upend how we do the front end of lung cancer care," Cox says. "That robot is going to enable us to biopsy smaller lesions. It has fewer side effects than when you're getting a lung biopsy that's CT-guided. You can also do a staged EBUS (endobronchial ultrasound) exam, so you can diagnosis and stage at the same time."

Rachael Davis, MD, a pulmonologist at OSF Cancer Institute, and her team have been using the ion robot weekly. Dr. Davis and her team are training more providers, and by this summer they’re expecting to quadruple – or more – how often it’s used. 

HIPEC procedures

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) surgeries are now offered at the OSF Cancer Institute. Tamara Floyd, MD, a surgical oncologist with OSF performs the open surgery and removes tumors from the abdomen. In the HIPEC procedure, heated chemotherapy is circulated through the body for a period of time. The first case went extremely well, and Dr. Floyd is planning her second case for mid-March. 

In addition to treatment options, the OSF Cancer Institute is increasing cancer supportive services in the Peoria region as well.

• Cancer navigation - 13% increase (Specially trained OSF Mission Partners walking you through the process of cancer care) 
• Dietetics - 64% increase
• Palliative medicine - 213% increase (Helps control symptoms, augments treatment from physicians) 
• Genetic counseling - 20% increase

Nutrition journey during cancer

Part of the dietary benefits OSF Cancer Institute offers is in the CEFCU Teaching Kitchen. Oncology dietitians work with patients on recipes to cook and are there with them step-by-step during their cancer journeys. Cox says 50% of people who come in for cancer treatment have dietary risks, while 80% of those people suffer malnutrition during treatment. Having a trained, professional dietary team walking alongside you helps fight those negative complications.

OSF Cancer Institute Culture

Cox credits the Institute’s first-year success to the culture of those who work there. The goal, he says, is to offer cancer support services across the entire spectrum of life. 

"The Mission Partners that work in this building have completely bought in to the idea that we all are advocates for cancer patients. We're always asking patients what they need, to see if we can help them," Cox says. "If we hear there's an issue with travel, or they're having trouble keeping food down, or if their children are not coping very well (with a loved one's cancer diagnosis), we know there are resources in the building, and we try very hard to line up those resources. You can feel it when you walk through the building."

Support services after cancer treatment 

"We can get you with a nurse, an exercise specialist and a dietitian to get back to your best life after cancer. Maybe you like to run a lot and ran half marathons, and you think you'll never be able to do it again. We have rehab and exercise specialists here and nutritionists. Who says you can't do that again? We're going to work with you to see you can get to the life after cancer you want to get to,” Cox says.

Services and medical professionals continue to grow

Building off the first year of OSF Cancer Institute, the administrative team continues to hire world-class medical professionals to offer cancer care in Peoria. A breast surgeon was recently brought onto the team, and a colorectal surgeon will be starting soon.

Additionally, the fourth floor of the building will be built out soon. Cox says this will give much-needed space for the surgical oncology and medical research teams. Research-focused medical oncologists are currently being recruited as well.

Leaving OSF Cancer Institute healthier, and more aware

Patients who leave OSF Cancer Institute don't just leave the building as healthier people; their awareness continues and will benefit other people. Cox admits a cancer diagnosis is not an easy thing to go through, and that the support from the OSF care team doesn’t stop when you walk out the door.

Grateful for community support

Cox says he’s been humbled throughout the years of working in oncology by the incredible commitment of the community and region to the OSF Cancer Institute.

"It is overwhelming to me, the philanthropic spirit of our community and extended community," Cox says. "I take that as, they've made a big commitment to us, and we're making a big commitment back. We're going to bring things to central Illinois that have not been here before. We are going to support you and your family members throughout your life and keep you as healthy, relative to cancer, as we possibly can."

Looking to the future

Cox says the OSF Cancer Institute is looking to bring more pediatric cancer support services to the building, the work collaboratively alongside the adult services.

The team is creating both a lung lesion clinic and a lung multidisciplinary clinic, which aims to reduce the time from finding a cancerous lesion to treatment. The lesion clinic is expected to open in late spring.

The OSF Cancer Institute intake team has been created with oncology nurses who will answer patients’ questions on the very same day, to see if services are right for you.

Cox adds that OSF is planning to put together an early detection hotline as a resource for the community to know if or when they should be screened for cancer.

To learn more about the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute, visit its website to view the services offered and find contact information to get connected.

Video Interview Clips

When the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute in Peoria, Illinois was being developed, plans included an enhanced brachytherapy suite. Since welcoming its first patients in early 2024, the OSF Cancer Institute has provided nearly 100 fractions (treatments) to 29 patients and continues to look for ways to bring the best treatment options to patients.

“Brachytherapy is a radiation treatment that we can use to get radiation right up into a tumor without having to go through a lot of extra normal tissues,” explains Mackenzie McGee, MD, radiation oncologist with OSF HealthCare. “(With) external radiation we're going to radiate somebody from the outside in so we're going through a lot of different normal tissues. The advantage of brachytherapy is we can get an applicator right up into the tumor to deliver radiation right where it needs to be and help really spare a lot of the normal surrounding tissues.”

Currently, prostate and gynecologic cancers, such as endometrial and cervical cancer, are what are primarily treated with brachytherapy.

“For patients with cervical cancer, brachytherapy is the gold standard. It does have superior control and survival rates as compared to other techniques that have been tried. When you look at good brachytherapy - so that's image guided brachytherapy, exactly what we're doing here - the control rates of the cervix are extremely high, well over 90% in most cases,” says Dr. McGee.

“The brachytherapy device - the bravos - has a single Iridium 192 source and what we can do is program the source to come out through cables that we attach to our applicator so it's all a closed system to the patient and we will tell it where to go and where to stop at different points along the applicator. What we can do then is it delivers almost like a little cloud of radiation just around the area and the dose getting further out from that source is really very low.”

Before treatment can begin, patients requiring advanced brachytherapy, such as cervix and prostate cancer patients, are taken to the brachytherapy suite in the OSF Cancer Institute to put the applicator in place while they are under mild anesthesia, which helps ease getting it in place and on target correctly. Because of the new set-up, the time between putting the applicator in place and treatment has been reduced by hours and the overall span of the two-dose treatment shortened to less than 24 hours in many cases. Since patients have to stay in the hospital with limited mobility while the applicator is in place, the goal is to continue to work to shorten that time.

The OSF Cancer Institute is in an elite group of the top brachytherapy treatment centers in the United States, and the only one in central Illinois to offer complex brachytherapy treatments. It is the first-ever cancer treatment center to offer GE’s CT Scan technology on tracks, which increases the precision of the treatment.

“This CT is really unique because it can actually come in and move over the patient while they're still under anesthesia and we can see if our applicator is in the exact right position. If we need to adjust that applicator or the needles, we can do that while the patient is still under sedation and very comfortable,” Dr. McGee explains.

 “The CT on rails is really a huge win because… what it’ll let us do down the road is actually introduce more applications for brachytherapy. There are studies out there about…being able to give a single dose of brachytherapy to a lung tumor to obliterate it. You can do that potentially with sarcomas as well so there's going to be other tumor types that we right now aren't able to offer but with the CT on rails we can work with our interventional radiology colleagues to help bring novel treatments to our patients that really aren't available widely across the country. This is a really unique opportunity for us to expand the brachytherapy that we offer.”

In addition to the state-of-the-art technology, the OSF Cancer Institute offers a multidisciplinary approach to care which includes nurse navigators to guide patients through their treatments, supportive services like a dietitian and a financial navigator, and even a pelvic floor therapist who can help with any needs patients have down the road.

For Dr. McGee, it’s all about doing what’s best for her patients.

“Having the opportunity to think through what my patients go through when they're having these brachytherapy techniques. It's a scary time, there's a lot of unknowns, there is sometimes some discomfort with it. Being able to really push our team to offer the best possible patient experience that also offers them the same opportunity for cure and reduced toxicities is really exciting. I always want my patients to feel that we are doing everything we can to help them feel loved and cared for and one way we can do that is really respecting how much time they have to have some discomfort and so every opportunity we can take to improve that, I think this really allows us to do that.”

Learn more about all of the treatments and services offered at the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute.

Mackenzie McGee, MD - OSF HealthCare Radiation Oncologist interview clips

OSF Cancer Institute Brachytherapy suite Broll

As we begin a new year at OSF HealthCare, we’re reflecting on 2024 and the major strides in digital transformation to make access to care and health information seamless for our patients. At OSF, we continue to collaborate with our academic and business partners to leverage collective expertise and to responsibly use the power of artificial intelligence, always taking care to use guiding principles of what is fair, appropriate, valid, effective and safe (FAVES).

The efforts are highlighted here in our Top 10 Digital Health and Innovation stories of 2024 in no particular order.

1. OSF Unveils new 55+ primary care service in south suburban Chicago: Called OSF Complete Care 55+, this is a unique collaboration between OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center and OSF OnCall, the digital arm of the health care Ministry. When launched in early 2025, this primary care program will incorporate in-person visits, plus a mix of virtual care, digital health monitoring tools and 24/7 access to a care team focusing on those with chronic conditions.

2. Building an AI prepared workforce: OSF HealthCare leaders took just six weeks to develop mandatory training about generative AI for all 24,000 OSF Mission Partners (employees) because tools were already publicly available. Melissa Knuth, Vice President of Planning, outlines that to rise to the challenge, she worked with OSF Innovation to use mixed media to keep the content interesting and tapped generative AI tools to assist with the content creation.

3. OSF Digital Hospital patients in Rockford area say it’s the best medicine: OSF OnCall expands its digital hospital program to Rockford and receives rave reviews from some of its first patients. In addition, a well-known farm broadcaster shares her story about receiving acute-level care from the comfort of her own home and urges others who are eligible to consider the option.

4. OSF Innovation sets the table for solution to prevent cancelled surgeries: Two OSF HealthCare nurses turned to the OSF Innovation Studio team to help improve their Device Table software that serves as a database for implanted medical devices – offering information needed for surgical teams to reference for safety in surgery planning. We also reported on the creation of a spin-off company, OpenSurg, which will license and promote widespread sales of Device Table and related support features.

5. OSF HealthCare experts: ‘Establish guiding principles when developing digital care strategy’: OSF OnCall was a spotlight vendor and presenter at this year’s American Telemedicine Association’s annual Nexus conference in Phoenix, Arizona. OSF OnCall Senior Vice President Jennifer Junis advised during her presentation that health systems use guiding principles when developing their approach to digital health and to involve clinicians and patients when piloting new programs and digital tools. OSF HealthCare has also become a founding member of an ATA Digital Center of Excellence.

6. Mapping the future for early diagnosis of rare diseases: A Jump ARCHES grant-funded project with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is using generative AI and knowledge graphs that map symptoms to detect rare diseases. Adam Cross, MD, who leads the OSF Children's Innovation Lab in Peoria, Illinois, wants to create a point-of-care tool for primary care providers to help patients get an early diagnosis of a rare disease.

7. Health economist: Connectivity and trust can expand telehealth: OSF OnCall hosted its first-ever digital health symposium which drew nearly 150 clinicians and vendors. Keynote speaker health economist and advisor Jane Sarasohn-Kahn stressed evidence-based digital technologies can improve health outcomes, but health systems need to build trust and expand community partnerships to increase engagements.

8. Fast-Tracking Hope: Rapid Intake at the OSF Cancer Institute: OSF HealthCare began 2024 with the opening of its new comprehensive Cancer Institute, offering advanced radiation therapy such as brachytherapy and proton beam therapy.  It also launched a new rapid intake system, developed by OSF OnCall and OSF Innovation to offer a single point of contact through OSF-HOPE (844- 673-4467) so cancer patients can be immediately connected to treatment and support services.

9. Piloting a smarter colonoscopy: OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center piloted artificial intelligence-backed colonoscopies, using a company called GI Genius, to improve detection of precancerous polyps. During the pilot, the adenoma detection rate (ADR) averages increased among all patients involved to as high as 12%, while individual physician ADR increased as high as 32.8%. The technology is now being implemented across the OSF Ministry.

10. Testing the path to better concussion diagnosis: An OSF Innovation lab-designed FlightPath app is now being tested by athletes at Illinois State, Bradley and Illinois Wesleyan Universities. The app only takes about two minutes to collect more than a million data points as a person tries to catch a hummingbird within a 3D space on a screen. The clinical trial could last two years. 

The President’s Cancer Panel is a federal advisory committee that reports on barriers to progress in reducing the burden of cancer. This year, the panel is conducting a series of public meetings to discuss the current landscape of patient navigation.

Dr. Handler specializes in digital solutions to optimize care. Along with researchers from OSF HealthCare and the University of Illinois, Dr. Handler published research demonstrating a doubling of cancer screening rates after technology-assisted interventions were implemented for economically disadvantaged women who were late (often two years or more) in their breast cancer screening. Together with another set of researchers from those same institutions, Dr. Handler developed AI to better balance the workload of nurse navigators for cancer patients to avoid burnout and provide the best care.

Dr. Handler believes AI should be developed which can effectively, ethically and equitably support cancer care, regardless of a person’s race, ethnicity or where they live. OSF HealthCare recently joined a national collaborative to provide input on new AI guidelines. 

OSF HealthCare will soon expand cancer services across its Ministry when the OSF Cancer Institute opens on the campus of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria in February 2024. It will offer the second proton-beam therapy location in Illinois as well as serve as a site for clinical trials, advanced treatment, therapy and a wide range of support services.  

Of all cancers, oral cancer is not often talked about. But medical experts say it’s crucial to pay attention to early warning signs.

According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, oral cancer includes cancers of the mouth and the back of the throat. That includes cancers that develop on the tongue, on the tissue lining the mouth and gums, under the tongue, at the base of the tongue, and the area of the throat at the back of the mouth.

Oral cancer makes up about 3% of all cancers diagnosed each year in the United States; there were approximately 54,000 new cases in 2022.

“It can be a little mouth sore, “ says Deborah Oyelowo, a family nurse practitioner who specializes in hematology/oncology for OSF HealthCare. ”Oh, maybe I bit my tongue or have a little bump on my lip or a bump on the back of my throat. Or I can feel this bump under my tongue. There could be bumps or there could be something else brewing that we have no idea.”

Oral cancer is seen most often in people 40 and older. Most cancers in the mouth are related to tobacco use, drinking alcohol, or both, and most throat cancers are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). The number of HPV-related cancers has spiked in the past few years.

Some studies show twice as many men as women develop oral cancer.

I believe it’s due to the fact that men tend to smoke more, drink more and lack follow up appointments with providers," says Oyelowo. "Men tend to procrastinate; they tend to be like, ‘Oh, we're good.’ I believe that's the reason why the increase in this population is on the rise.”

While there are many causes of oral cancer including genetics, poor nutrition and age, tobacco and alcohol use continue to play a significant role. That includes tobacco of any kind, such as cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes and chewing tobacco. Using both tobacco and alcohol increases the risk even more.

Oyelowo says it’s never too late to stop smoking and curb your alcohol consumption.

“Smoking is one of the worst things you can invest in," she adds. "I tell people who smoke to ‘try and stop.’ Because smoking is attributed to many forms of cancer and oral cancer is one of them.”

Oyelowo says it’s important to pay attention to changes within your body because when it comes to cancer, prevention is just as important as a cure.

She adds that if you have any of the following symptoms for more than a couple of weeks, call your doctor or dentist.

·         Pain or bleeding in the mouth

·         Numbness in your tongue or other areas of your mouth

·         A lump in the neck

·         A white or red patch in the mouth

·         Problems chewing, swallowing, or talking

·         A sore or lump in your mouth, lip or throat

“Know when something is not right,” says Oyelowo. "Have a regular routine checkup with your dentist. And follow up with your doctor when something is not right. I need patients to have an established relationship with a doctor.”

For more information, visit OSF HealthCare. 

 

Interview Clips 

Cancer care doesn’t make anyone’s list of “things I want to do.”

But for patients at the OSF Bobette Steely Hegeler Cancer Care Center in Danville, Illinois, visits will soon be more comfortable and streamlined thanks to $750,000 worth of interior renovations.

Phase two of the cancer center expansion project started in December and will continue for around five months. Patient care will continue while work is underway.

“Everybody’s excited,” said Judi Miles, patient care manager of medical oncology and radiation oncology at the center.

“We’ve been planning this for quite some time. It brings some hope to everything here. It shows we’re here to stay, and we’re going to take care of our patients,” Miles added.

Phase two expansion upgrades include:

• Increasing the number of exam rooms from two to five. One room will be larger to accommodate bariatric patients and people who have trouble getting around. Each room will have new furniture and equipment, sliding doors and touch screen wall monitors.

“The monitors will be an interactive tool that we can use to show patients 3D anatomy. We can resource information from the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute,” said Miles. “It’s as simple as putting in their email, then we can send information to them. A lot of companies don’t print booklets anymore.”

“The digital board makes the process more comprehensive. It makes it more easily understandable to patients,” said JoMel Labayog, MD, oncologist and medical director at the cancer center. “You can just tell patients. But it’s different when you see where your cancer is, how it’s responding to treatment and what the plan is. Visual stimulation is always the best.”

• The patient discharge room will also be renovated and moved from the back of the building to the front to allow for better flow and more privacy.
• Cancer center Mission Partners (employees) will have new and improved workstations.
• Three private bays for infusion therapy will be walled off by doors instead of curtains for increased privacy.

“Some people like to be around others and share stories during treatment,” said Dr. Labayog. “But we have the private bays for people who are more confined and want their loved ones to be with them.”

The cancer center is also aggressively recruiting another physician to get the most out of these phase two improvements, which are funded by community donations.

Phase one of the cancer center expansion saw installation of a state-of-the-art linear accelerator for radiation treatment in March 2022. Phase three is planned for three to four years down the road. OSF HealthCare leaders hope to expand the cancer center’s physical footprint to offer new services and amenities, such as visiting oncologists, an education room, pastoral care and physical therapy. People interested in contributing to the phase three improvements should contact the OSF HealthCare Foundation.

“When people come here, they know we’re comprehensive. We’re compassionate. We’re professional. We have the facilities that can accommodate care for most diseases,” said Dr. Labayog. “So, not only do the patients feel comfortable, but the family feels confident that their loved ones are taken care of.”

The OSF Bobette Steely Hegeler Cancer Care Center is on the campus of OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville. It sees 40 to 50 patients daily, providing critical care close to home. The cancer center is named for Bobette Steely Hegeler, the wife of Danville philanthropist Julius W. Hegeler II. Bobette Hegeler battled cancer before passing away in 1976. Julius Hegeler died in 2019, and his foundation continue to support local causes, including OSF HealthCare.

Interview clips - Judi Miles

Interview clips - Dr. JoMel Labayog

B-roll - OSF Hegeler Cancer Center and OSF Sacred Heart Medical Center