The John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC) at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) — part of Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) — was celebrated on Tuesday (Nov. 19) for its role as a transformative cancer center in the Meadowlands and across the Garden State.
The history and legacy of JTCC was lauded Tuesday, Nov. 19 at the event “Milestones Of Excellence: Honoring The Transformative Achievements of John Theurer Cancer Center,” the state’s largest hospital network said in a statement.
Leaders in the oncology field were on hand for the event, with speakers including Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2006-09) and before that, served as the Director of the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health.
The Jersey Factor
It wasn’t long ago that a family member diagnosed with cancer in New Jersey had no choice but to seek the best treatment across the Hudson River in New York City, or, worse, had to fly or drive hours to another state. The traveling often meant excellent care, but at the expense of additional physical, emotional, and financial stressors to over-burdened patients and families.
Having a leading cancer diagnostic and treatment network available on the local level is a win-win for the entire multidisciplinary team (MDT), caregivers, family members, and friends. Whether it’s radiation, chemotherapy, or PET scans, the road to recovery is easier when patients have loved ones around to help daily and emotional support.
Bringing Advancements to Those Diagnosed
“The amazing advances in discovery and development of cancer therapies have no true value until they make a difference in a patient’s life. The John Theurer Cancer Center joins with a network of National Cancer Institute designated Cancer Centers and provides patients access to such state of art cancer care in the community where they live,” Dr. von Eschenbach said.
The JTCC at Hackensack University Medical Center offers patients access to among the best oncologists, nurses, and scientists. Although the cancer center started as a tiny space with one chair, a desk, and a handful of patients, it has since grown into one of the largest cancer care enterprises in the country.
Aligned with the National Cancer Institute
Part of the National Cancer Institute-designated Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University, JTCC is a network of more than 1,200 doctors, nurses, researchers and clinicians. The center offers cancer services in Hackensack and at 16 affiliated locations across New Jersey. More than 250,000 inpatient and outpatients are treated at JTCC annually.
Faith and Shared Vision
JTCC came about in large part due to the vision and the determination of Dr. Andrew Pecora. The Co-Division Chief of Skin Cancer and Sarcoma at JTCC, Dr. Pecora founded the institution with other like-minded professionals who saw the need for a top cancer center in New Jersey.
“We’ve become one of the largest blood and marrow stem cell medicine programs in the world. We are NJ’s only multistate NCI designated consortium. We have more myeloma patients come and stay at this site than anywhere else in the United States. And we have some of the best surgical outcomes around the globe 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,” Dr. Pecora said.
Early Days
It all came to fruition because of a group of physicians who left brand name institutions and gambled on Hackensack Meridian Health. It was their belief and leap of faith that changed its history.
Urologic Oncology Surgeon Ihor Steven Sawczuk, MD, was among the first New York City physicians in 2001 to join HMH, coming from what is now known as New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
“HMH was looking for its first Chair of Urology and kept calling me. And I kept thinking, why would I ever go to a place called Hackensack? But I had a lot of patients coming over the bridge from NJ to see me and I lived in Englewood Cliffs at the time,” said Dr. Sawczuk, who is now the President of Academics, Research & Innovation at HMH, and is the Founding Chair of the HMH Research Institute.
“So I said to my wife, I’ll take a drive, have a cup of coffee and listen. When I arrived the entire OR team was waiting for me in the lobby of the medical center and 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. And they want to grow,” he said.
It’s All About Relationships
During the next several months Dr. Sawczuk developed a relationship with Dr. Pecora, who gave him approval to establish and develop a urologic oncology program. That program became nationally ranked within 10 years.
Dr. Sawczuk continues to see patients at JTCC trusts the expertise of his colleagues and the technology at the center — he has referred his own family and friends to the institute for cancer treatment.
“I know anyone who comes here will receive excellent state of the art care for their problems with compassion and empathy. Ultimately, our entire mission is about taking care of people, improving their quality of life, their lifestyle and giving them hope. That’s what we do,” Dr. Sawczuk added.
JTCC became nationally and internationally recognized in various fields of oncology in a very short period of time.
“It’s a feeling of accomplishment. A feeling that we do not need to have our patients from our great state travel anywhere else. We offer them anything and everything you can get in other cancer centers that have been around for multiple decades — much longer than us. It’s a true testament to all of us working together and to Dr Pecora’s vision. We became quality focused, patient focused and we developed novel clinical trials to offer to our patients,” Dr. Sawczuk said.
Largest U.S. Phase 1 Cancer Research Center
JTCC is home to the largest Phase 1 Cancer Research Center in the country. Under the direction of Dr. Martin Gutierrez, JTCC conducts more clinical trials than any other cancer center in NJ, giving patients access to hundreds of clinical trials at every stage of development across every specialty of cancer.
“Phase 1 programs have historically been run at large universities. So the fact that we have been able to become one of the largest programs in the country is amazing. The type of studies we run are quite complex. We are the largest research enterprise for this network and our NCI Consortium, so we are unique in that way. It differentiates us from other places,” said Dr. Gutierrez, who left the National Cancer Institute to join the growing team at JTCC in 2012.
Dr. Gutierrez explains his Phase 1 Program — which added nearly 20 new studies this year — functions as an extra level of care in medical oncology as patients are referred from all over the largest metropolitan area in the country. In 2024, more patients living in New York City travel across the bridge to come to NJ for care than ever before.
JTCC: A Destination Cancer Program
“To become a destination cancer program in less than 30 years, in a region where several of the top world cancer programs have reigned for over 100 years, is nothing less than extraordinary and certainly bodes well for the future of JTCC,” said Andre Goy, MD, Chair of JTCC and Physician in Chief for Oncology HMH.
After spending over 10 years at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and five years at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Goy joined JTCC in 2005 with hopes of helping to shape an institution and becoming more entrepreneurial.
“When I left those two large institutions for Hackensack, people told me this was a crazy move. But I wanted to be in a place I could help shape. I feel grateful to have built, together with my colleagues, a truly special place where its impact on cancer will continue to grow exponentially,” Dr. Goy said.
He went on to help create a new lymphoma division at JTCC.
“It’s been an exciting journey. Dr. Pecora had built a team that already had great momentum. We now have the largest lymphoma division in NJ by far. To have helped move the needle in building a clinical science program that was once 10 people to a staff now of 170 is truly special,” Dr. Goy said.
Dr. Goy stresses it’s taken team members at every level and in every oncology department to transform JTCC into the medical marvel it is today.
“It’s all about collective innovation and motivation. What continues to drive me is getting to be a leader here, trying to make every team member a better version of themselves. Without our junior colleagues, our nurses, our support staff and our partners, this legacy wouldn’t have been built,” Dr. Goy said.
“It’s a celebration of the physicians who came from all over the country and the world to join us to change the trajectory and the capability of cancer care in the state of New Jersey,” Dr. Goy added..
And it has culminated in this night to recognize these people who could have stayed at places like MD Anderson, Dana Farber, Memorial Sloan Kettering, the National Cancer Institute, but they chose to come here and change and make a difference. It’s also a celebration of what this means to the residents of the state of NJ,” Dr. Pecora said.
Looking to the Future
Still, for Dr. Pecora and the rest of the medical masterminds at JTCC, the focus is on the future. And that means remaining at the top in treating cancer when it comes to continuing to meet “the new healthcare.”
“We must continue to transform to meet the new realities and requirements for efficient, effective, equitable and affordable care. That means the integration of genomic medicine, information technology, AI, immunology, all in an applied way so everyone can continue to have the access to the kind of care they deserve,” Dr. Pecora said.
A promise not only to current cancer patients, but for the patients of the future. Because we really never know if we may be next to get that daunting diagnosis and be faced with choosing a doctor and an institution who will help save our lives.
It is those current patients and the patients of tomorrow who are at the heart of the daily mission for Dr. Pecora and all of his top tier colleagues, who worked so hard to make JTCC a reality.
“No matter who you are, a cancer diagnosis stops everything you’re doing and your sole focus is cancer and surviving it. And if you can stay close to home, be around the people who love you and get the same if not better care with the convenience of not having to travel to a large city, it’s transformative. And for all of us – it’s a privilege and honor to do it,” Dr. Pecora said.
About the John Theurer Cancer Center
John Theurer Cancer Center was renewed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) on May 1, 2024 as the research consortium partner of Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The institutions, which began their collaboration in 2015, share passion and expertise in research which help to develop new therapies and understand cancer at the population level. The goal of this research collaboration is to improve outcomes for patients with cancer.