Notes from last Friday’s meeting:

            Rob Cripe provided our opening prayer, and Doug Wogoman led our singing of “The Star Spangled Banner,” “R-O-T-A-R-Y,” “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” and “Smile.”

            Rob Cripe also introduced guests and visiting Rotarians.  There were no visiting Rotarians.  Guests included Judith Davis and Fred Hamm. 

            Todd Eby presented the June birthdays.  Rotarians celebrating birthdays in June included Rod Diller, Tammy Friesen, Mark Lindemood, Bill Davis, John Liechty, Don Phillips, Paul Koepke, Glenn Stutzman, and John Fidler. 

            President and CEO of Goshen Health Systems, Randy Christophel, introduced our program presented by Dr. Von Holzen of the Goshen Cancer Center.  Randy noted that the medical team that has come together in Goshen is a unique combination of skills, training, and capabilities that match any in the region for cancer treatment.  This integrated team has come together because of the opportunities they have in working together at the Goshen Cancer Center.  Dr. Von Holzen attended medical school and had residencies in Zurich, Switzerland.  He had fellowships at a number of distinguished medical facilities in the United States in a number of cities including Philadelphia and Boston. 

            Dr. Von Holzen noted that the Goshen Cancer Center is the first comprehensive cancer center in the region.  It features a multi-disciplinary approach provided by a team offering multiple specialties. 

            From a statistical standpoint, 1.7 million people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer in 2017.  Six hundred thousand will die of cancer.  The lifetime risk of developing cancer is at 40%.  Approximately 20% of the population will end up dying from cancer.  The current survival rate overall for cancer treatment is 67% and increasing.  The most common cancer for women is breast cancer, and the most common cancer for men is prostate cancer.  Other leading cancers include lung cancer and skin cancer.

            Besides increasing the medical technology and treatment options, the best method of protecting oneself against cancer is prevention.  Avoiding risky behaviors including smoking and other uses of tobacco is important.  Diet and lifestyle in avoiding obesity is another important factor.  Finding and eliminating precancerous lesions, chemo prevention techniques, and risk reducing surgeries are also utilized to prevent cancer. 

            After prevention, the next best tool is screening to identify cancer early.  Screening techniques included colonoscopies, MRIs, mammography, Pap smears, and skin tests.  Dr. Von Holzen noted that if diagnosed with cancer, don’t panic.  Many cancers are highly curable.  If not highly curable, he recommended seeing specialty treatment centers and always obtaining second opinions. 

            Risk factors for lung cancer include smoking, radon, and occupational exposure.  Risk factors for colon cancer include family history, smoking and obesity.  The primary risk factor noted for esophageal cancer was obesity.  For these cancers which are not caught early, they create greater risks. The favored treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.  The multidisciplinary approach is used for these types of situations. 

            Dr. Von Holzen also noted that there are 39 trials ongoing at the Goshen Cancer Center for cancer research.  A tissue bank is also being developed which will be used for research purposes as well.  For future developments, improvements, and new treatments for cancer, Dr. Von Holzen predicted they would come from research.  From the presentation, it was clear that we have an outstanding asset in our community for cancer treatment at the Goshen Cancer Center.  Thank you to Dr. Von Holzen and Randy Christophel for the program highlighting the advanced services at the Goshen Cancer Center. 

            Quote for the week:

            “Cancer is a word, not a sentence.”  -- John Diamon