FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jacqueline Trost May 17, 2006 313-576-8629 International Collaboration to Benefit Cancer Patients in Turkey The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Metropolitan Florence Nightingale Hospital and Cancer Center in Istanbul Enter One-of-a-Kind Agreement DETROIT, MI - Today, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and the Metropolitan Florence Nightingale Hospital and Cancer Center in Istanbul, Turkey signed a historic affiliation agreement. John C. Ruckdeschel, MD, president and chief executive officer, Karmanos Cancer Institute, met with Bilger Duruman, president and CEO, Metropolitan Florence Nightingale Hospital and Cancer Center, and Cemsid Demiroglu, MD, president and CEO, Group Florence Nightingale Hospitals, to formally announce an international collaboration to further medical education and benefit cancer patients. The affiliation agreement will allow the Institute to provide clinical services to the physicians, staff and patients of the Center in Turkey. This unique relationship will advance the cancer-related scientific, clinical research and treatment activities for the Turkish Cancer Center. In addition, the affiliation will create an international referral system for cancer patients in Turkey, and in some cases, offer a second opinion through the Institute in Detroit. "Through our affiliation with the Metropolitan Florence Nightingale Hospital and Cancer Center, we plan to offer our colleagues in Turkey access to advanced clinical trials and a multidisciplinary approach to cancer patient care," said Dr. Ruckdeschel. He continued, "A major factor in the success of this agreement, and many international referral systems, is the degree of interaction and respect between the medical staffs. Not only is it important for us, here at Karmanos and at the Center in Turkey, to have frequent and constant interaction and information exchange with one another, but we all need to be cognizant and supportive of cultural expectations and differences." The Institute and the Center in Turkey will also collaborate on cancer research. Patients in Turkey will have access to Phase II and Phase III clinical trials offered by the Institute. In the future, Karmanos researchers may utilize Turkish patient data for inclusion in important cancer research studies. The Karmanos Cancer Institute and the Metropolitan Florence Nightingale Hospital and Cancer Center in Turkey both have strong clinical research programs that are internationally attractive. In addition, physicians from the Institute have been visiting and lecturing Turkey for several years. Metro Detroit's diverse population and strong Middle Eastern presence makes the Institute a comfortable environment for patients from predominantly Muslin countries.
(Photo of Dr. Ruckdeschel) The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, based in midtown Detroit, is committed to a future free of cancer. Researchers at the Karmanos Cancer Institute are bridging the gap between basic science and clinical studies. Translational research being conducted at the Institute is looking at classifying cancer based on the "molecular fingerprint" of the disease, treating each patient with a regimen specifically tailored to their form of cancer. The Karmanos Cancer Institute, is one of 39 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Caring for more than 7,000 new patients this year at Michigan's only independent cancer hospital and conducting more than 500 scientific investigation programs and clinical trials, the Institute is among the nation's best cancer centers. The Karmanos Cancer Institute operates the only Phase I Clinical Trial Program in Michigan, which recently received a $2.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute. Through the Phase I Program, the Institute tests groundbreaking cancer drugs that become tomorrow's standard treatments. The Karmanos Cancer Institute's Phase I Program has been directly involved in the development of several revolutionary cancer-fighting drugs, including: Zometa, Xeloda, Iressa and Oxaliplatin The Institute was named in 1995 in memory of Barbara Ann Karmanos, wife of Compuware cofounder Peter Karmanos, Jr. John C. Ruckdeschel, M.D. is the Institute's president and CEO. Jacqueline Trost Public Relations Specialist Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute 313.576.8629 313.576.8630 Fax www.KARMANOS.org
REFERENCES .plosjournals.org/archive/1549-1676/5/3/supinfo/10.1371_journal.pmed.0050067.sd001.pdf. 1. Food and Drug Administration. Developing guidance on conducting scientifi- 9. Joffe HV, Parks M, Meyer R, Jenkins J, Temple R. Rosiglitazone and the FDA. cally sound pharmacoepidemiologic safety studies using large electronic health- N Engl J Med . 2007;357(17):1775-1776. care data set
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