Sylvester Brain Tumor Institute Brings Top Team of Experts Together
The battle against malignant brain tumors is rising to a whole new level at the Sylvester Brain Tumor Institute, led by Director Antonio Iavarone, M.D.
“This is definitely the place to be if you want to try to cure difficult tumors such as brain tumors. We will study the individual tumors one by one to identify the most appropriate therapies for each individual patient,” said Dr. Iavarone.
Alongside brain cancer specialists like Macarena de la Fuente, M.D., co-director of neurooncology, the goal is to provide precision therapies for aggressive brain tumors such as glioblastoma.
“A glioblastoma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor. Because the tumor infiltrates the normal brain, it’s almost impossible to remove the whole tumor with surgery,” Dr. de la Fuente explained.
In the lab at Sylvester’s Brain Tumor Institute, world-renowned researchers are working to find the most effective, non-toxic treatments to give patients a chance at better outcomes and quality of life.
“What we try to do here is to translate in real time our research that happens in this lab directly into the clinic to provide the most accurate opportunities to patients for precision therapy for highly personalized therapeutic opportunities. Using all the tools at our disposal that come from research in order to guide the most accurate therapy in the clinic,” said Dr. Iavarone.
The Mission: To Cure Brain Tumor Patients
“It’s the whole team that is there to support the patients and the families, from the neurosurgeons, the neuro-oncologists, the radiation oncologists, but also onco-psychiatry therapies. It’s really a multidisciplinary approach to be able to help the patient in body and soul and to get them to the best possible outcome,” Dr. De La Fuente said.
The goal: to bring hope during Brain Tumor Awareness Month and beyond.
“There is so much that can be done today to try to cure patients who normally would be considered incurable. We want to change the idea that brain tumor, malignant brain tumors are a death sentence. We can generate many more patients surviving after having received the therapies here,” Dr. Iavarone said.
Video transcript compiled by Janna Ross for ‘Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine,’ a series of health care-related stories airing regularly on WPLG Local 10. For more stories like this one, visit UHealth’s YouTube channel.
Tags: brain cancer, brain tumor, Dr. Antonio Iavarone, Dr. Macarena De La Fuente, focusing on you, glioblastoma, neurooncologist, Sylvester Brain Tumor Institute
