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Masonic Cancer Alliance

Tammy Walker Cancer Center in Partnership with the University of Kansas Cancer Center

A new partnership with the University of Kansas Cancer Center as a member of the Masonic Cancer Alliance is giving patients at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center access to some of the latest clinical trials and research for cancer care.

The Masonic Cancer Alliance (MCA) was founded in January 2008 as an effort by the university of Kansas Cancer Center to improve access to cancer care in the region and with the goal of one day earning a National Cancer Institute designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. A network of hospitals and research programs across Kansas and western Missouri makes up the MCA to provide a collaborative environment to enhance cancer care in the region and allow KU to roll out its latest clinical trials and research efforts to community-based clinics.

The overall goal of this alliance is to make the best in treatment and the best in research available to patients in this region. We know that cancer patients benefit from teamwork. That's why we've joined the Masonic Cancer Alliance. Our ultimate goal is to provide our cancer patients with more options, closer to home.

Too often, cancer patients have had to travel far from their homes to gain access to leading-edge clinical trials. Through our partnership, we're working to bring the best cancer clinical trials the region has to offer into our community and directly to our patients.

More Than Clinical Trials
Patients at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center will have access not only to the latest clinical trials originated by KU, but also to consultation services with KU oncologists and staff members through a video conference system at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center. The MCA also allows the opportunity for staff at Tammy Walker to collaborate with their peers on many of the latest trends to enhance cancer prevention, detection and treatment.

"The alliance is like a two-way street," says oncologist Bill Cathcart-Rake, M.D. "Our patients will get access to new drugs and have the opportunity to participate in clinical trials more quickly, and we'll give back information we collect to further KU's research. It's really another step we've taken to validate our commitment to providing leading-edge cancer care here in north central Kansas."

Patients can get second opinion services through The University of Kansas Cancer Center, and multidisciplinary care for every diagnosis. As a member, we have the opportunity to enroll patients in MCA-sponsored prevention, screening and early detection trials at our hospital. Patients for whom standard therapies have failed can receive access to state-of-the-art clinical trials, thanks to this collaboration.

Advantages to Our Community
The benefits of our membership extend well beyond our patient population, offering numerous advantages to our entire community. Advances in cancer care and therapies close to home help us to attract and retain top physicians, nurses and staff to our area.

To learn more, visit masoniccanceralliance.org.