Another tool in the fight against cancer at War Memorial Hospital

March 20, 2017

Sault Ste. Marie — The challenges of healthcare in rural America was something Dr. Belisario Arango, WMH oncologist, was very much aware of when he made the decision to move to Sault Ste. Marie.  Today, he is even more determined to use technology to bring state of the art cancer care to War Memorial Hospital with a company called Massive Bio, which will utilize some of the top oncologist in the United States, for patients’ right here in Northern Michigan.

 

“Massive Bio has a world-class, multidisciplinary team of experts from the most prominent academic cancer centers, including: disease-specific specialty oncologists, molecular biologists, computer scientists and reimbursement experts — all focused on your specific case,” according to the company’s website.  “By utilizing the services of Massive Bio,” Dr. Arango explains, “we get direct consultation with oncologists at renowned institutions who sometimes only specialize in a very specific cancer, but because of that focus, they know everything about it.”  Arango, who is experienced in cancer research with a focus on genitourinary malignancies and sarcomas, said he believes technology is what will level the playing field for rural hospitals. “I believe that technology will be the great equalizer and will play an instrumental role in bringing state of the art cancer care to patients that may not have been able to receive it prior.”

 

Access to this new tool could provide hope to those who may have run out of options.  However, Arango is quick to explain, even with the services of Massive Bio, there is no silver bullet where cancer is concerned.  It is only for patients with advanced cancers who have exhausted standard treatment protocols.  But by using Massive Bio, Arango can locate any clinical trials appropriate for the patient and assistance facilitating that process.