Research

Clinical trials using cutting-edge therapies.

At Ingalls Cancer Care, our clinical trial patients are among the first to benefit from new therapies. Clinical trials are carefully regulated studies that meet or exceed the current approved standard of care and create opportunities for patients to receive new, potentially more effective therapies, including medications not yet approved by the FDA.

Ingalls collaborates with the National Cancer Institute, the nation's leading cancer treatment centers, and locally with Chicago's major university hospitals to design and implement a wide array of clinical trials for nearly every cancer site in the body. And best of all, it's close to home.

The Ingalls Cancer Care Research Team includes a unique group of doctors who are credentialed in cancer research. Our doctors are publishing, teaching and leading others in the field. What's more, our doctors are applying what they learn to improve care and outcomes for Ingalls' cancer patients. More options. More cutting-edge therapies. More opportunities to win the battle against cancer. To learn more about how Ingalls is finding more answers to beat cancer, read the Clinical Trials brochure.

Awards and Recognition

Ingalls Cancer Care has received numerous national awards and distinctions for its superior cancer program, including:

• Outstanding Achievement Award

  In 2009, Ingalls was named a recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer (CoC). Ingalls is one of only 80 institutions nationwide to earn the award, along with the CoC’s three-year re-accreditation with commendation. Fewer than 20 percent of cancer programs in the United States attain this superior recognition. The CoC assesses cancer programs in six different areas, including cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach and quality improvement. Commission approval is given only to institutions like Ingalls that voluntarily commit to excellent cancer care and a rigorous review of their performance.

• National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers

  Ingalls Memorial Hospital’s Richard K. Desser, M.D., Comprehensive Breast Center earned a perfect score and a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) in 2009. Accreditation by the NAPBC is only given to those centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the highest level of quality breast care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance. Currently, Ingalls is one of only five accredited breast centers in Illinois, and the only accredited center in the south suburbs. The NAPBC is dedicated to improving the quality of care for patients with breast cancer and other diseases of the breast. It defines 27 breast program standards and 17 care components – from medical oncology consultation/treatment and surgical care to research, a survivorship program and more – that collectively provide the most coordinated, comprehensive care for patients diagnosed with diseases of the breast. The NAPBC application and on-site survey process is rigorous, and NAPBC-accredited centers like Ingalls Richard K. Desser Breast Center must be recertified every three years.

• Breast Imaging Center of Excellence

  Ingalls Memorial Hospital and the Richard K. Desser, M.D., Comprehensive Breast Center in Tinley Park were designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology (ACR) in 2010. The designation signifies that Ingalls meets the highest standards of the radiology profession for breast imaging and diagnosis, and has demonstrated excellence and achieved full accreditation in mammography, breast ultrasound, breast ultrasound-guided biopsy and stereotactic breast biopsy. Ingalls is the first and only hospital in the south suburbs to achieve the designation.

  The ACR, a national membership organization serving radiologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists and medical physicists, is recognized as a leader in accreditation of medical imaging and radiation oncology. Ingalls voluntarily underwent the ACR’s rigorous review process and was certified as meeting nationally accepted standards.

Leading the Way in the South Suburbs

Ingalls has been treating cancer longer than any hospital in south suburban Chicago. In fact, we built the first freestanding cancer center in Tinley Park and today, the center offers the most advanced diagnostic and treatment capabilities in the region, including the latest digital mammography. What’s more, Ingalls is one of only two hospitals in Illinois whose radiation oncology program is accredited by the American College of Radiology. We are a nationally accredited breast center, and a recipient of the Outstanding Achievement award by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. These prestigious accreditations are granted to only a few cancer centers in the state of Illinois.

Read more about:

• The Area's Only Freestanding Cancer Center - Right in Tinley Park

  Ingalls is home to the first freestanding cancer care center in Illinois - the Ingalls Cancer Care Center in Tinley Park. Equipped with the most advanced diagnostic and treatment capabilities available anywhere, the center offers a comfortable, convenient setting close to where many of our patients live and work. On-site technologies include all of those available at our main campus in Harvey, plus intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, high-field MRI, a 16-slice PET/CT scanner, and nuclear scanners. Patients also have access to minimally invasive interventional cancer treatments; multidisciplinary teams for consultation and treatment; dedicated outpatient and in-home rehabilitation and therapy services; and hospice care available at home or in the hospital.

  The Ingalls Cancer Care Center in Tinley Park also offers the nationally acclaimed Richard K. Desser, M.D., Comprehensive Breast Center, for the most complete breast care in the South Suburbs.

• The Richard K. Desser, M.D., Comprehensive Breast Center

  Our nationally accredited Richard K. Desser, M.D., Comprehensive Breast Center offers the most complete breast care anywhere in the South Suburbs. Our team of caring medical professionals provides private, state-of-the-art, individualized care for women with breast health issues – in one convenient location. When needed, patients can receive the professional opinion of a surgeon, radiologist, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist and a plastic surgeon. What’s more, every patient receives the expert guidance of our specially trained breast health nurse navigator who answers questions, educates and assists patients in every aspect of their care - from diagnosis through treatment.

  Ingalls Desser Center features some of the most sophisticated equipment available for the diagnosis of breast problems. Further, the center has been certified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American College of Radiology (ACR), passing stringent guidelines for expertise, accuracy and reliability. The center offers the following tools for effective breast care:

  • Stereotactic Breast Biopsy. The Desser Center provides stereotactic breast biopsy and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy – outpatient, non-surgical procedures that in some cases replace surgical biopsies for those breast lumps that require further evaluation. You only need local anesthesia; you’re home the same day, and there is no scar.
  • Digital Mammography. Ingalls now offers the area’s most sophisticated digital mammograms at several convenient locations, including the main hospital in Harvey; the Desser Center in Tinley Park; and the Ingalls Family Care Centers in Flossmoor and Calumet City.
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The Desser Center uses MRI (performed at the hospital) in very select cases, including the detection of silicone breast implant leakage.
  • PET/CT Scan. Doctors now have the capability to more precisely detect and localize tumors while offering patients faster turnaround times thanks to a dedicated PET/CT (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) scanner at the Ingalls Family Care Center in Tinley Park.

  With breast care, education is as important as regular examinations. At the Desser Center, we’ll take the time to discuss what you need to know to maintain breast health. We also have an extensive library of books, pamphlets and computer-access videos. Depending on your needs, we may teach you how to perform an effective breast self-examination; refer you to a support group in your area; or provide information on newly recommended treatments. Through education, you can do a lot to help yourself and those around you receive the best care possible.