Download MBCCC Genomic Release FINAL

Media Contact:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2014
Dan Snyders
Armada Medical Marketing
303-623-1190 x230
[email protected]
Mountain Blue Cancer Care Center
Changing Cancer Treatment with Genomic Tumor Profiling
Cancer center’s pioneering physician
developing new and better ways to treat cancer
GOLDEN, Colo. — Samir Witta, M.D., PhD, at Mountain Blue Cancer Care Center is changing
how cancer is treated – one patient at a time. And that, he says, is the key to better treatment for
millions of patients. The first thing that newly diagnosed cancer patients visiting Witta’s
suburban Denver center discover, is that he isn’t treating a body part.
“I don’t treat lung cancer, breast cancer or colon cancer,” states Witta. “I treat the tumor, not the
body part. Cancer is dynamic – always changing and adapting – so our treatments have to adapt
as well. We’re treating the individual patient’s tumor and the factors driving its growth at the
molecular level, and that’s as personal as it gets.”
A clinical researcher, oncologist and pioneer in the emerging field of cancer genomics, Witta’s
center was the first in Colorado to treat patients based on genomic tumor profiling. Genomics
uses advanced testing to identify and track genetic mutations in an individual’s tumor and targets
those mutations at the molecular level with the most effective treatments.
Witta’s research background and hands-on clinical experience has resulted in major
improvements in how his patients respond to cancer treatment. He says advances in care made at
his center are already impacting cancer treatment protocols in the Colorado region and have the
potential to impact care nationwide.
In addition to genomics, Witta’s center is also the first and only in the state to use a “lowest
effective dose” approach, treating patients with the lowest dose of chemotherapy that’s effective
in treating cancer – not the maximum dose tolerated, which is the conventional approach.
“Compared to national cancer survival averages, our patients live significantly longer with a
better quality of life,” claims Witta, who closely tracks patient survival and quality-of-life data.
“Our center’s data demonstrate that our stage IV lung, colon, breast and pancreatic cancer
patients have a 92 percent chance of surviving two to three times longer than the national
average.”
Witta is board certified in medical oncology and internal medicine and a clinical assistant
professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He earned his Ph.D. in genetics
from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and his M.D. from Charles University in
the Czech Republic.
Witta is a principal investigator for national clinical trials, the president of Global Cancer
Research Group, a member of the Colorado Cancer Research Program, and immediate past
president of the Rocky Mountain Oncology Society. His work has been published in multiple
peer-reviewed medical journals, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology. In addition, he has
been voted one of 5280 Magazine’s “Top Doctors” for three years in a row.
About Mountain Blue Cancer Care Center
Founded by Medical Director Dr. Samir Witta, Mountain Blue Cancer Care Center is a private oncology practice that
delivers personalized cancer treatment through advanced genomic testing. With doctorates in both Genetics and
Medicine, Dr. Witta is one of the region’s leading pioneers in developing tumor-specific treatments based on
genomic testing, which enables our center to target, track and treat tumors based on their unique genetic makeup.
These advanced treatments combined with a philosophy of treating the whole person have resulted in better
outcomes, fewer side effects and longer quality survival for our patients compared to the national average. Our
center is located on the second floor of the Red Rocks Medical Center at 400 Indiana Street, Suite 270, in Golden,
Colorado. For more information, call 303.953.7400, visit www.mountainbluecare.org or connect with us on
Facebook and Pinterest.
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