Collaboration.
It’s the calling card for a growing legion of cancer experts intent on bringing the highest-quality treatment and care to patients from the South Bay to the San Gabriel Valley. And it’s happening through Cedars-Sinai Health System affiliations that are expanding the reach of cancer care across the region.
Torrance Memorial Medical Center, a Cedars-Sinai affiliate since 2017, and Huntington Health, a Cedars-Sinai affiliate since 2021, are delivering preeminent cancer care by offering advanced oncology services, innovative clinical trials and integrated physician communication where it’s most convenient for patients—right in their local communities.
This expanding cancer care footprint is anchored by a strong infrastructure and a culture of transparency and mutual respect.
Patients now enjoy a streamlined referral process for getting specialized care and expanded support services, from nutrition to genetic counseling, across the care continuum. They also have access to more clinical trials. Physicians systemwide, meanwhile, are collaborating through a clinical integration council and at web conferences, retreats and “grand rounds” meetings to discuss state-of-the-art clinical care. Running through all of this collaboration is an emphasis on patient-centered, outcomes-driven care.
Excitement is growing among all Cedars-Sinai Cancer affiliates and care locations (13 total—including the Medical Network, clinics and infusion centers —treating more than 60 types of cancer).
“Through our affiliations, we’re partnering with likeminded people to deliver geographically dispersed expert care directly to patients where they live, supported by the backbone of Cedars-Sinai,” said Robert Figlin, MD, deputy director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology.
“The goal is to have each of our partners be the premier cancer care delivery program in their community.”
Partners in the South Bay
Torrance Memorial and Cedars-Sinai Cancer specialists have worked together on projects for years—well before the institutions developed their formal affiliation—bolstering local cancer care and coordinating complex specialty surgeries, transplants and oncology clinical trials.
“It’s always been a healthy, organic partnership,” said Heidi Assigal, senior vice president of Torrance Memorial Physician Network.
And the collaboration has strengthened.
Today, subspecialists from Cedars-Sinai come to Torrance Memorial Hunt Cancer Institute to help fill gaps—for example, by providing postsurgical rehabilitation for breast cancer patients.
“This helps round out our cancer program and sends a message that we have everything here that our patients need,” Assigal said.
Hugo Hool, MD, medical director of the Hunt Cancer Institute, said that Torrance Memorial remains focused on building seamless interactions between the two partner organizations and their physicians, while offering multiple Cedars-Sinai clinical trials locally.
“We’ve always had a strong clinical research focus and we’re excited to now give our patients a direct pathway to evolving, novel therapies like CAR-T cell and CAR-NK cell therapies,” Hool said. “We look forward to expanding the repertoire of clinical trials to a variety of new cancers.”
Teams from the two organizations are now planning to expand their collaboration to specialized areas of expertise, such as head and neck cancers. Another aim is to create a multispecialty clinic where patients can have their diagnoses reviewed, receive surgical and oncology opinions, and get treatment recommendations—all on the same day.
Joan August, vice president of Cedars-Sinai Cancer, commended Torrance Memorial on its cancer program.
“Our job is to support them in every way,” she said. “We take a lot of time getting to know our affiliates. We’re attentive, asking, ‘What do you need, and how can we help?’”
That approach is grounded in the understanding that each community has different needs, a unique culture and its own competitive profile. The strategy worked well for Torrance Memorial, August said, and now it’s being implemented at Huntington Health.
Partners in the San Gabriel Valley
Howard Kaufman, MD, regional medical director of the Huntington Cancer Center, describes the new partnership in one word: exciting.
“Within that excitement, there are aspects of the program that have evolved quickly, and there are others that will need ongoing planning,” he said.
The cancer program has ramped up quickly, Kaufman said, and has affiliate surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, hematologists and more. Many of the San Gabriel Valley’s top cancer physicians have been recruited to join the team, including nine highly regarded oncology specialists this past fall.
A new patient and family support program is thriving, patients at Huntington Health are benefiting from the convenience of My CS-Link, and at both hospitals, patients are participating in Cedars-Sinai clinical trials.
Raj Takhar, senior vice president of Strategy and Provider Integration at Huntington Health, said patients have noticed the expanded access and integrated comprehensive care.
“Having coordinated care makes a huge difference,” he said. “Our patients know that Cedars-Sinai Cancer is among the best in the country and that they can get that nationally ranked level of care at Huntington.”
One of the goals at Huntington Cancer Center is developing thoracic oncology, genitourinary oncology, GI oncology, gynecologic oncology and hepatology oncology programs, all with the backing of Cedars-Sinai.
“With these kinds of partnerships, there’s usually a honeymoon period and then reality sets in,” Takhar said. “Not so, here. There is a respect for our leadership, engagement, transparency and listening. We know Cedars-Sinai is here for us 24/7, 365 days a year.”
Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and the PHASE ONE Foundation Distinguished Chair, said that Torrance Memorial and Huntington Health were exemplary partners.
He called a highly renowned health system that offers advanced local care “the best of both worlds,” and added, “Excellence in clinical care and research are what we strive for every day because that is the pinnacle of success. Our affiliates are doing a model job offering both to cancer patients. It’s quite gratifying.”
