World-Class Cancer Care Has Never Been Closer to Home
December 09, 2024
A cancer diagnosis is a frightening experience that can have devastating impacts on a patient and their family. Not long ago, that hardship forced sick New Jersey residents to travel out of state for reliable and compassionate care. But those days are over, thanks to the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center and its world-class oncologists, nurses and scientists.
Now one of the largest cancer care centers in the country, John Theurer Cancer Center is part of the National Cancer Institute-designated Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University. With a network of more than 1,200 doctors, nurses, researchers and clinicians spanning Hackensack and 16 affiliated locations across New Jersey, the center treats more than 250,000 patients each year.
A Vision Come to Life
The center began with the vision and determination of founder Andrew Pecora, M.D., medical oncologist and co-division chief of Skin Cancer and Sarcoma at John Theurer Cancer Center.
“We’ve become one of the largest blood and marrow stem cell medicine programs in the world,” Dr. Pecora says. “We have more myeloma patients at this site than anywhere else in the United States. We have some of the best surgical outcomes in the world because of our commitment to robotics—and it happened in just over two decades. That shouldn’t have been possible. Nobody would have bet on us.”
The feat was made possible by a group of physicians who left brand-name institutions because they believed in Hackensack Meridian Health. Among the first to join in 2001 was urologic oncology surgeon Ihor Sawczuk, M.D.
At the time, Hackensack was looking for the right person to be the first chair of Urology, and Dr. Sawczuk was seeing many New Jersey patients in Manhattan, New York. He visited Hackensack to learn more about the opportunity and left knowing he wanted to make a move that would not only change his life but allow him to change the lives and the lifespan of countless others.
“When I arrived, it felt like a family. I had these gut feelings like this is a great place, and these people are genuine and truly concerned about the patients and quality of care they deliver,” Dr. Sawczuk says.
The urologic oncology program that Dr. Sawczuk went on to establish at Hackensack became nationally ranked within 10 years.
Now the president of Academics, Research & Innovation at Hackensack Meridian Health and founding chair of the Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute, Dr. Sawczuk continues to see patients at John Theurer Cancer Center. He’s so confident in the expertise of his colleagues and the technology at the center that he has sent his own family and friends there for cancer care.
“I know anyone who comes here will receive excellent, state-of-the-art care with compassion and empathy. Ultimately, our entire mission is about taking care of people, improving their quality of life and giving them hope,” Dr. Sawczuk says.
A Beacon of Cutting-Edge Care for the World
John Theurer Cancer Center is home to the country’s largest phase 1 cancer research center—a distinction usually reserved for large universities. Under the direction of medical oncologist Martin Gutierrez, M.D., John Theurer Cancer Center conducts more clinical trials than any other cancer center in the state, giving patients access to hundreds of trials at every stage of development across every cancer specialty.
The research program, which added nearly 20 new studies this year, functions as an extra level of medical oncology care as patients are referred from all over the New York metropolitan area.
“To become a destination cancer program in less than 30 years, in a region where several of the world’s top cancer programs have reigned for over 100 years, is nothing less than extraordinary and certainly bodes well for the future of John Theurer Cancer Center,” adds Andre Goy, M.D., John Theurer Cancer Center chair and physician in chief for Oncology.
Dr. Goy joined John Theurer Cancer Center in 2005 and led the creation of a new lymphoma division, now the largest in New Jersey.
“It’s all about collective innovation and motivation,” Dr. Goy says. “Without our junior colleagues, our nurses, our support staff and our partners, this legacy wouldn’t have been built.”
For Dr. Pecora and the rest of the team at John Theurer Cancer Center, the focus is on the future. “We must continue to transform to meet the new realities and requirements for efficient, effective, equitable and affordable care,” Dr. Pecora says. “That means integrating genomic medicine, information technology, AI and immunology, all in an applied way so everyone can continue to have access to the kind of care they deserve.”
“No matter who you are, a cancer diagnosis stops everything you’re doing, and your sole focus is surviving it. If you can be around the people who love you and get the same—if not better—care as you would traveling to a large city, it’s transformative. And for all of us, it’s a privilege and honor to provide that.”
Next Steps & Resources
- Meet our source: Andrew Pecora, M.D. & Ihor Sawczuk, M.D.
- To make an appointment with an oncologist near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
- Learn more about cancer care at Hackensack Meridian Health.
The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.
