Praxair Cancer Center Recognized For Quality Care

And Support For Patients And Families

DANBURY — The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons has granted re-approval to the cancer program at Danbury Hospital’s Praxair Cancer Center. The hospital has maintained continuous approved status with the ACS Commission on Cancer for more than two decades, undergoing an on-site review every three years.

Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1932, the Approvals Program sets standards for cancer programs and reviews the programs to ensure they conform to those standards. Recognizing that cancer is a complex group of diseases, the program promotes consultation among surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists, and other cancer specialists. This multidisciplinary cooperation –– strongly evident in the work of the Praxair Cancer Center’s seven tumor boards (cancer case review committees) –– results in improved patient care.

Receiving care at a Commission on Cancer-approved cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to quality care close to home; comprehensive care offering a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment; a multispecialty team approach to coordinate the best treatment options available to cancer patients; cancer clinical trials, education and support; lifelong patient follow-up through a cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results; ongoing monitoring, and improvement of care.

According to John Borruso, MD, a board-certified surgeon and Danbury Hospital’s ACS Cancer Program Liaison for the last 14 years, approval by the Commission on Cancer is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to provide the best in diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

“We have subjected ourselves to a rigorous evaluation process and an on-site review of our performance in order to gain this status, which is achieved by only 20 to 25 percent of the country’s hospitals,” Dr Borruso said. “More than 80 percent of the 1.2 million people diagnosed with cancer this year will be treated by these facilities, and we are proud of the Danbury team that offers this advanced level of care to the people of Connecticut and nearby New York State.”

For a copy of the Danbury Hospital’s Cancer Annual Report, call 797-7247. For cancer information and support, log on to Danbury Hospital’s award-winning website at www.danburyhospital.org and click on “Cancer Services” or call 800-850-5079.