Benson Cancer Center Survival Rates in Four Malignancies Surpass National Averages

The Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center at Ochsner Medical Center - Jefferson Highway (Benson Cancer Center) has released overall five-year survival rates* for the four most common types of cancer. The Benson Cancer Center surpassed national averages in each of the malignancies: breast, 95.8 percent; colon, 73.4 percent; lung, 27.3 percent; and prostate, approaching 100 percent. National survival rates** are as follows: breast, 90 percent; colon, 64 percent; lung, 18 percent; and prostate, 98 percent.

The five-year survival rate is the percentage of people in a treatment group who are alive at least five years after being diagnosed with or started treatment for cancer. It is based on population averages and is not a predictor of how long any one individual diagnosed with cancer will live. The disease may or may not be present after the five-year mark.

The Benson Cancer Center of the Ochsner Cancer Institute is led by Brian Moore, MD, FACS, a board-certified otolaryngologist who specializes in head and neck cancer surgery. He is also the chairman of Otorhinolaryngology and Communication Sciences for Ochsner Health System.

According to the American Cancer Society’s recently released “Cancer Statistics, 2019,” the death rate from cancer declined 27 percent nationwide between 1991 and 2016. This national decline has been attributed to efforts focusing on smoking cessation, improved early detection, and evolving treatment approaches.

“The improved outcomes for cancer patients treated at Ochsner reflect the impact of our world-class team of cancer professionals, our multidisciplinary approach to each patient, and our organizational commitment to improving the health of not only all Louisianans, but all citizens of the Gulf South,” said Moore.

An Ochsner Health System-wide plan to aid in cancer prevention across the Gulf South is underway, aimed at improving outcomes for cancer patients in Louisiana. The plan focuses on increasing education and prevention efforts, screenings, and early detection across Louisiana and the region. The year-one goal was to increase cancer screenings in 2018 by 40,000, and by 2022, increase additional screenings to a total of 141,000. By the end of 2018, Ochsner had reached more than 53,000 new cancer screenings for that year, surpassing the first-year goal with an 18 percent increase over 2017 numbers. 

The Benson Cancer Center is currently undergoing a $48 million addition, that will double its size.. This includes a $20 million gift from the Bensons. The expansion is scheduled to be complete in early 2020.

Ochsner’s specialists treat more than 32,000 cancer patients annually, from all 50 states and 28 countries. 

*The reported data is of all stages (localized, regional and distant) at diagnosis combined and not divided by race, 2008-2014.

**Source: Cancer.Net

 

02/18/2019