Centennial Medical Center and Tennessee Oncology Launch Blood and Marrow Transplant Program

NASHVILLE, TN-March 14th, 2007- Centennial Medical Center and Tennessee Oncology have joined forces to offer a new program at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center that will provide blood and bone marrow transplant (BMT) services for patients who been diagnosed with certain types of cancers. 

BMT can be a lifesaving or life-extending procedure for patients who have cancer, such as leukemia and lymphomas as well as diseases of the immune system, other bone marrow disorders and some metabolic diseases. Since bone marrow transplantation was pioneered in the late 1950s, it has rapidly evolved from an experimental therapy to an essential component of many cancer treatment regimens.

High doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy that are needed to effectively treat some types of cancer also damage or destroy other cells. These include the stem cells that reside within the bone marrow, which the body uses to make the various types of blood cells that carry oxygen, defend against infection, and prevent bleeding. By replacing stem cells destroyed during cancer treatments, bone marrow transplantation restores the body’s ability to produce blood cells and regain the vital functions they perform. Patients can therefore receive more aggressive treatments, and recover more fully and easily, than would otherwise be possible.

“The synergy created by joining two nationally recognized health care leaders will allow us to provide the highest level of care for patients in Tennessee and throughout the Southeast by enabling us to provide tomorrow’s therapies today,” said Ian Flinn, M.D. who was recently recruited from Johns Hopkins to lead the program.  He says the new BMT program builds upon other recent cancer initiatives at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center including the development of the Sarah Cannon Research Institute and Sarah Cannon Cancer Network which provide access to new therapies for cancer patients through clinical trials.

“The addition of a blood and marrow transplant program to its arsenal of cancer-fighting tools will place Centennial Medical Center, Tennessee Oncology, and the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center within an elite group of cancer treatment centers across the United States,” says Tom Herron, CEO at Centennial Medical Center.

Since 1991, The Sarah Cannon Cancer Centers have provided tens of thousands of patients in the Southeast with life-saving treatments.  The Sarah Cannon Blood and Marrow Transplant Program is one of six BMT Programs throughout Hospital Corporation of American (HCA) including; Texas Transplant Institute, Rocky Mountain Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Oklahoma University Medical Center, Tulane University and the Stem Cell Transplantation and Research Program at Medical City of Dallas. For more information, call the Sarah Cannon Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at (615) 986-4311 or (615) 342-3391.