ATLANTA — Piedmont Oncology is hosting its first gala and fundraiser this weekend to gather support for cancer care, research and wellness centers.
Channel 2’s Wendy Corona talked with the doctor leading the charge who said oncology affects everyone.
The event aims to bolster community support for Piedmont Oncology’s initiatives, which include hiring new specialists and developing programs for early cancer detection.
“No great cancer program can succeed without community support,” said Dr. Wally Curran, chief of Piedmont Oncology.
In the past 18 months, Piedmont Oncology has hired 41 new cancer physicians and developed a program for women at high risk for breast cancer.
“We’re putting incredible specialists all across the system,” Curran said.
They have also launched a plan for the study of lung nodules and will institute a plan to support early detection of pancreatic cancer this month.
Curran emphasized the importance of early detection, stating, “All those are ways to drive the staging of cancer patients to an earlier stage because the earlier a patient’s cancer is detected, the greater likelihood of cure.”
Curran says “timing” is the greatest challenge he and Piedmont’s hundreds of oncologists are facing.
“Cancer is a disease of aging, and fortunately many of us are aging, so the risks are there for all of us,” he said.
“How do we shorten the time to execution of clinical trials, new programs in the community, screening programs, new therapies, new build outs,” Curran said.
Piedmont Oncology operates across 27 hospitals in Georgia and sees nearly 15,000 new cancer patients annually.
“Every day we see patients living wonderful lives after the diagnosis of a tough malignancy because of advances in clinical trials,” Curran said.
He noted an increase in aggressive colorectal cancer in people in their late 30s and early 40s, prompting a move to earlier screening.
And while they can’t eliminate the risk for cancer, he says you can reduce your risk through healthy living and wellness.
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