In the heart of Bay County, cancer patients have access to the Karmanos Cancer Network, anchored by one of the nation’s premier cancer care and research centers. With a commitment to expanding services in Bay County, patients now have top-notch care right in their community. This includes specialized treatment from experts such as surgical oncologists, breast surgeons, and gynecologic oncologists at the Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Bay Region. Receiving exceptional cancer care close to home has never been more accessible.
Karmanos is the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in metro Detroit. It has 16 locations across Michigan and Northern Ohio. More than 14,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed and treated at a Karmanos location annually.
The NCI Designation That Karmanos Upholds
Having the prestigious honor of an NCI designation means the Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit must qualify and maintain specific requirements. Karmanos must conduct and initiate the following to keep its designation:
- Discover more ways to treat cancer through laboratory and clinical research.
- Offer early-phase clinical trials and promising treatments to patients.
- Provide outreach and education for the community and health care professionals.
- Provide access to clinical trials throughout the Karmanos Cancer Network, including at McLaren Bay Region.
Why should you choose Karmanos and McLaren?
More cancer treatment and therapy options = treatments often not available elsewhere.
The NCI designation means Karmanos provides the best care possible and treatments that will be tomorrow's standard of care. When walking into Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Bay Region, you can choose multiple treatment options that best support you and your loved ones’ wishes. Your choices include access to therapies that are unavailable at non-designated centers.
“At Karmanos Cancer Institute Bay Region, we are proud to offer our patients access to groundbreaking treatments that are unique to our center. Our commitment to advancing cancer care means that patients in the Bay Region can benefit from therapies that may not be available anywhere else,” said Nancy King, regional director of cancer services at Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Bay Region.
Many patients find favorable outcomes through the Clinical Trials Program at Karmanos, which provides drug therapies often unavailable at cancer centers and hospitals without the NCI designation. Karmanos has one of the most robust Clinical Trials Programs in the nation. Innovative treatments that the FDA has just approved are also available to Karmanos patients.
“Almost 70 percent of all new drugs and immunotherapies used for cancer are tested at Karmanos before being approved by the FDA. This means Karmanos is often able to give our patients access to these new therapies earlier in their disease course before they are commercially available,” continued King.
“Karmanos has held the NCI designation since 1978 and is at the forefront of developing promising cancer therapies that other hospitals and health organizations can use in the future for their patients.”
You have access to these treatment options at Karmanos Cancer Institute in McLaren Bay Region.
The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute's NCI designation is granted to the center in Detroit, but as a patient at the center in Bay City, you will receive the same high standard of care through the commitment of Karmanos and McLaren.
“Karmanos stands out in the field of cancer research and treatment, as well as cancer screening and prevention programs, and we’re able to provide these opportunities to our patients in Bay County through the Karmanos Cancer Network,” said King. “McLaren widens the door for more patients to experience the Karmanos advantage and receive the best care no matter where they live.”
Patients at McLaren Bay Region also have access to genetic counseling and multidisciplinary teams of cancer specialists that are available through their headquarters in Detroit. Should a patient’s cancer diagnosis require more complex treatment, their physician will collaborate with specialists at the main campus to coordinate the care needed.
Visit karmanos.org/baycancer to learn more about the Karmanos advantage in your home town.