Fighting for Life
Medical centers take steps forward in the war against cancers of every sort.
Cancer never takes a day off. That’s why, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, locally based medical centers continued to treat individuals grappling with a cancer diagnosis. It’s the same reason most of these facilities promptly resumed preventative screenings after a brief hiatus in March, when most of us first realized the pandemic would dramatically alter our way of life.
“There are risks associated with delayed screening,” says Mark S. Morginstin, D.O., a medical oncologist and hematologist with Einstein Healthcare Network who splits his time between campuses in Philadelphia and East Norriton. “There was recently an article in the Inquirer about the incidence of cancer going down because people are not getting screened. If you have cancer and go without screening, it might cause the disease to progress to more advanced stages. As a result, you might require chemotherapy instead of just getting treated with [medication].”
Some cancers, on the other hand, may not change in the course of a year. It all depends on the cancer and the patient, according to Dr. Morginstin.
“Everyone has different cancers, and they all act differently,” he says. “The way we treat cancer is all based on what’s driving the cancer’s growth, down to genetics. We’re sending tissue off for genetic studies as a guide, and this is being done routinely.”
Locally based medical centers, including those that specialize solely in cancer, continue to make forward strides in treating the disease. This stems in part from the fact that multidisciplinary teams from radiology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, breast surgery, counseling, nutrition, nurse navigation, and other allied departments collaborate to discuss patient care and then deliver targeted treatment.
Screening and prevention measures continue to improve as well. In Bucks County, the Breast Center at Doylestown Hospital utilizes the latest imaging technology, such as digital breast tomosynthesis (3D mammography), to enhance disease detection; this technology is particularly helpful for women with denser breast tissue. At Holy Redeemer in Meadowbrook, patients at risk of breast cancer benefit from a noninvasive procedure that employs 3D stereotactic biopsy equipment, allowing for an expedited diagnosis.
Dr. Morginstin believes further steps forward in technology, treatment, and understanding may lead to the increased use of more forgiving modalities to treat the disease. It’s already starting to happen. While chemotherapy is not going away anytime soon, Dr. Morginstin does believe it may be used less often in the future—or, as he says, “maybe not as the first line.”
“The world has changed quite a bit since 2004, when I did my fellowship [in hematology and oncology],” he says. “Because of the changes we’ve seen, we’re now giving less chemotherapy, which means we’re introducing less toxicity into the body. We’re using immunotherapy to treat lung cancer and breast cancer. Going forward, I think those kinds of changes are going to affect how we treat almost every cancer you can think of.”
Leaders in Cancer Care
The physicians featured on the following list, which were culled from sources including our 2020 Top Physicians report, represent a “who’s who” of cancer care in the Philadelphia area. These men and women can help patients with everything from radiation oncology to reconstructive breast surgery, among other needs related to their care.
The physicians featured on the following list, which were culled from sources including our 2020 Top Physicians report, represent a “who’s who” of cancer care in the Philadelphia area. These men and women can help patients with everything from radiation oncology to reconstructive breast surgery, among other needs related to their care.
BREAST SURGERY
Dr. Lisa K. Jablon
Dr. Archit A. Naik
Einstein Healthcare Network
Multiple area locations
einstein.edu
Dr. Lisa K. Jablon
Dr. Archit A. Naik
Einstein Healthcare Network
Multiple area locations
einstein.edu
Dr. Stacy L. Krisher
Comprehensive Breast Care Surgeons of Holy Redeemer
Southampton
comprehensivebreastcare.com
Comprehensive Breast Care Surgeons of Holy Redeemer
Southampton
comprehensivebreastcare.com
Dr. Russell Mark Reisner
St. Mary Medical Center
Langhorne
stmaryhealthcare.org
St. Mary Medical Center
Langhorne
stmaryhealthcare.org
Dr. Jennifer L. Sabol
Main Line Health
Multiple area locations
mainlinehealth.org
Main Line Health
Multiple area locations
mainlinehealth.org
Dr. William Scarlett
Holy Redeemer Health System
Multiple area locations
holyredeemer.com/breastcare
Holy Redeemer Health System
Multiple area locations
holyredeemer.com/breastcare
GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY
Dr. Robert A. Burger
Dr. Robert L. Giuntoli II
Dr. Sarah H. Kim
Dr. Emily M. Ko
Penn Medicine
Multiple area locations
pennmedicine.org
HEMATOLOGY/MEDICAL ONCOLOGY
Dr. Angela R. Bradbury
Dr. Adam D. Cohen
Dr. Roger B. Cohen
Dr. Angela DeMichele
Dr. Susan M. Domchek
Dr. Kevin R. Fox
Dr. John H. Glick
Dr. Naomi B. Haas
Dr. Lee Hartner
Dr. Corey J. Langer
Dr. Gerald P. Linette
Dr. Lynn M. Schuchter
Dr. Mindy G. Schuster
Dr. Jakub Svoboda
Penn Medicine
Multiple area locations
pennmedicine.org
Dr. Matthew Carabasi
Dr. Neal Flomenberg
Dr. William J. Tester
Jefferson Health
Philadelphia
jefferson.edu
Dr. Neal Flomenberg
Dr. William J. Tester
Jefferson Health
Philadelphia
jefferson.edu
Dr. Jason A. Damsker
Dr. Peter V. Pickens
Dr. Joseph L. Potz
Abington Hematology Oncology Associates/Holy Redeemer
Horsham, Meadowbrook
cancerpa.net | holyredeemer.com
Dr. Peter V. Pickens
Dr. Joseph L. Potz
Abington Hematology Oncology Associates/Holy Redeemer
Horsham, Meadowbrook
cancerpa.net | holyredeemer.com
Dr. Minal Dhamankar
Dr. Madiha Gilani
Dr. Mitchell Goldstein
Dr. John Leighton
Dr. Mark S. Morginstin
Einstein Healthcare Network
Multiple area locations
einstein.edu
Dr. Madiha Gilani
Dr. Mitchell Goldstein
Dr. John Leighton
Dr. Mark S. Morginstin
Einstein Healthcare Network
Multiple area locations
einstein.edu
Dr. Cataldo Doria
Capital Health Cancer Center
Pennington, N.J.
capitalhealth.org/cancer
Capital Health Cancer Center
Pennington, N.J.
capitalhealth.org/cancer
Dr. Lorraine Dougherty
Dr. Anthony J. Magdalinski
Dr. Alexander Ostrovsky
Dr. James L. Spears
Alliance Cancer Specialists
Doylestown
alliancecancer.com
Dr. Anthony J. Magdalinski
Dr. Alexander Ostrovsky
Dr. James L. Spears
Alliance Cancer Specialists
Doylestown
alliancecancer.com
Dr. Maureen R. Hewitt
Dr. Cheryl A. Johnson
Dr. Calvin Lu
Chester County Hospital | Penn Medicine
West Chester
chestercountyhospital.org
Dr. Cheryl A. Johnson
Dr. Calvin Lu
Chester County Hospital | Penn Medicine
West Chester
chestercountyhospital.org
Dr. Jason Incorvati
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia
foxchase.org
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia
foxchase.org
Dr. Carlin J. McLaughlin
St. Mary Medical Center
Langhorne
stmaryhealthcare.org
St. Mary Medical Center
Langhorne
stmaryhealthcare.org
Dr. Sheel A. Patel
Dr. Mark S. Shahin
Abington – Jefferson Health
Multiple area locations
jeffersonhealth.org
Dr. Mark S. Shahin
Abington – Jefferson Health
Multiple area locations
jeffersonhealth.org
Dr. Rene Rothstein-Rubin
Drexel University College of Medicine
Philadelphia
drexel.edu
Drexel University College of Medicine
Philadelphia
drexel.edu
Dr. Molly S. Stumacher
Main Line Health
Multiple area locations
mainlinehealth.org
Main Line Health
Multiple area locations
mainlinehealth.org
Dr. Jennifer S. Winn
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia
foxchase.org
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia
foxchase.org
RADIATION ONCOLOGY
Dr. Pramila Rani Anne
Dr. Voichita Bar-Ad
Dr. Jessie W. DiNome
Dr. Mark D. Hurwitz
Jefferson Health
jeffersonhealth.org
Dr. Randi Cohen
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia
foxchase.org
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia
foxchase.org
Dr. James Metz
Penn Medicine
Multiple area locations
pennmedicine.org
Penn Medicine
Multiple area locations
pennmedicine.org
Dr. Priya Mitra
Dr. Angelica Montesano
Dr. Adam Reese
Dr. Kenneth Zeitzer
Einstein Healthcare Network
Multiple area locations
einstein.edu
Dr. Angelica Montesano
Dr. Adam Reese
Dr. Kenneth Zeitzer
Einstein Healthcare Network
Multiple area locations
einstein.edu
Dr. Nicos Nicolaou
Urologic Consultants of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Multiple area locations
urologicconsultsepa.com
Urologic Consultants of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Multiple area locations
urologicconsultsepa.com
Dr. Ann Marie Siegal
Chester County Hospital | Penn Medicine
West Chester
chestercountyhospital.org
Chester County Hospital | Penn Medicine
West Chester
chestercountyhospital.org
SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
Dr. Allison Aggon
Dr. David Y.T. Chen
Dr. Gina M. Mantia-Smaldone
Dr. Stephen C. Rubin
Dr. Elin R. Sigurdson
Dr. Marc Smaldone
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Philadelphia
foxchase.org
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, September 2020.
