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Scot
Ackerman, M.D. to Speak on Breast Cancer
Treatment
(Jacksonville -
October 1, 2001) Scot Ackerman,
M.D., Medical Director of First Coast Oncology and Chief of
Radiation Oncology and Chief of Hospital Based Services
at St. Vincent's Medical Center, will speak to Club 55 on
Thursday, October 4 from 5 to 7 pm. His topic, "Breast
Cancer Early Diagnosis and Treatment," will bring the
audience through real-life cases from the initial
diagnosis for the meeting of St. Vincent's Cancer
Treatment Panel and finally, through the treatment
process.
The program is open to the public and
will be held in the Schultz Auditorium in St. Vincent's
Medical Center on Riverside Avenue and Barrs St. To
register, call Club 55 at 308-7357.
First Coast Oncology's mission: to
provide patients with the most advanced radiation
oncology treatment available, in a compassionate and
respectful environment, reflects Dr. Ackerman's
commitment to his field and his patients. Dr. Ackerman,
board-certified in Radiation Oncology, is also the Chief
of Radiation Oncology and Chief of Hospital Based
Services at St. Vincent's Medical Center. He has
recently been named to the Board of Trustees of St.
Vincent's Health System.
Dr. Ackerman is currently serving as
president of the Board for the Florida Division of the
American Cancer Society. He also serves on the Executive
Committee of the Duval County Unit of the American
Cancer Society.
Dr. Ackerman is dedicated to advancing
the treatment of cancer through his research,
professional affiliations and commitment to
state-of-the-art equipment and technology. He is a
recognized national expert on high-dose-rate
brachytherapy, has presented several papers on clinical
research, and has been published in many medical
journals.
Dr. Ackerman's desire to make a
difference in his profession and community is
underscored by the number of organizations he supports
through membership and involvement. Among his
professional memberships are the the American Society of
Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology and the Radiological
Society of North America. Committed to the community, he
is the past- president of the Jacksonville Jewish
Federation and is a member of St. Vincent's Medical
Center's Foundation Board.
Dr. Ackerman earned a BS in Biomedical
Engineering from Tulane University, and completed his
residency in radiation oncology at
Columbia University in New York
City.
First Coast
Oncology Radiation Oncologists Become Only St. Vincent's
Physicians to Treat Patients with State-of-the-Art Heart
Technique
(Jacksonville, FL, November
5, 2001)
St. Vincent's Medical Center is offering a brand-new
treatment for coronary artery disease. IVRT, or
IntraVascular Radiation Therapy, is a technique that
uses the same radiation expertise the physicians at
First Coast Oncology have specialized in for so many
years. But IVRT treats heart disease, not cancer.
"We
will be working with the department of cardiology to
treat heart patients with radiation therapy,"
explained Scot N. Ackerman M.D., Medical Director
of First Coast Oncology and Chief of Hospital Based
Services/Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at St.
Vincent's Medical Center. "The Novoste Beta-Cath System
is the name of the new technology."
The
Beta-Cath TM IVRT System is a device designed
to prevent an artery from re-narrowing when angioplasty
or stent placement occurs. It delivers a small amount of
Beta radiation locally to the treated area. Radiation
treatment is intended to discourage the overgrowth of
normal tissue as the healing process occurs following
angioplasty or after stent placement. Overgrowth of
normal tissue is thought to be a major factor
responsible for re-narrowing of the artery after
treatment. This re narrowing is called restenosis.
"Put
simply, when a patient is treated with stent placement
to open an artery, sometimes, the area where the stent
was placed gets narrow again due to tissue overgrowth.
Without IVRT, a patient would need additional
angioplasty procedures or bypass surgery. With IVRT,
many patients can be treated successfully for
re-narrowing with this out-patient radiation procedure,"
said Dr. Ackerman.
The
Beta-CathTM System has been used on patients
at centers around the world in clinical trials. Early
studies suggest a greater than 65% decrease in the
restenosis rates compared with patients not treated with
Beta radiation.
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