There can be few more frightening diagnoses than a brain tumor. For patients, the questions swirl. Is it treatable? Where is the tumor and what does that part of my brain do? How will this impact me and my family? Will I survive?

Today, brain tumor patients, including patients with previously unreachable brain tumors, have a new place to turn for answers to their questions and for help. The region’s largest health system has partnered with the region’s largest neurosurgical and oncology practices to provide comprehensive, state-of-the-art, compassionate care for the community at the Brain Tumor Center at The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health. The collaboration aligns Mercy Heath – which last year logged seven million patient encounters at 23 hospitals – with Mayfield Brain & Spine and OHC (Oncology Hematology Care).

“The day I received the news that I had a brain tumor is a day that will be forever etched in my mind,” said Ray Wene, Brain Tumor Center patient. “The blessing of that day was arriving at The Jewish Hospital and being greeted by nurse practitioner Andrea Stoll and Mayfield neurosurgeon Vincent DiNapoli, MD, PhD. They were reassuring and comforting at the most difficult time of my life. A bond was formed that day and we are and will forever be grateful for the loving care we received that week from not only Andrea and Dr. DiNapoli but also from the staff at The Jewish Hospital. We are blessed to have such a great facility in our community.” 

To date, Mercy Health has invested $15 million in infrastructure, technology and talent in the Brain Tumor Center, which furthers The Jewish Hospital’s position as Mercy Health’s neurosurgery center of excellence. The Brain Tumor Center features 22 physicians who specialize in neurosurgery, otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat), radiation oncology, medical oncology, neurology, neuropathology, neuroradiology and rehabilitation medicine. 

Mayfield, which operates the region’s leading brain tumor surgery program, brings nationally recognized and highly specialized brain tumor surgeons to the center. Mayfield’s surgeons have performed nearly 10,000 brain tumor cases over the past 25 years – more than 6,000 open surgeries and more than 3,800 stereotactic radiosurgery procedures, in which precisely targeted beams of radiation eradicate tumors without an incision.

OHC is the region's premier source of treatment for nearly every form of adult cancer and complex blood disorder. Areas of expertise include Gamma Knife, blood and bone marrow transplants, clinical trials, genetic counseling, gynecologic oncology, hematology, integrative oncology, medical oncology, neuro-oncology, palliative care and radiation oncology. OHC is certified by the American Society for Clinical Oncology in the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative Certification Program and is the only accredited Oncology Medical Home in Cincinnati, which ensures patients receive the highest quality cancer care.

The Brain Tumor Center at The Jewish Hospital includes the only skull base brain tumor program featuring fellowship-trained neurosurgeons and ENT surgeons, the region’s only Gamma Knife® ICON™ radiosurgery program, a multidisciplinary Brain Tumor Board and a nationally recognized bone marrow transplant program. 

“Together, Dr. DiNapoli and Lee Zimmer, MD, PhD perform the most complex skull base tumor surgeries in the region,” said Pat Davis-Hagens, Mercy Health Central Market President and CEO. “These skilled surgeons also work collaboratively with the region’s only Gamma Knife radiosurgery team, enhancing our ability to treat previously unreachable tumors.”

Dr. DiNapoli, Medical Director of the Brain Tumor Center, said, “Our patients receive state-of-the-art care from a dedicated team of brain tumor experts who understand their concerns and partner with them every step of way from diagnosis through to treatment and, if needed, rehabilitation.” 

“The greatest benefit of the Brain Tumor Center is that it will provide patients with access to exceptional surgical services and innovative technology,” said Mayfield’s Ronald E. Warnick, MD, Co-Director of the Gamma Knife Center at The Jewish Hospital. “Most notable is the Gamma Knife ICON, which enables our neuro-oncology team to treat virtually any location in the brain with ultra-high precision and minimal effect on healthy tissue.”

The ICON promises accuracy to .3 millimeters while delivering a radiation dose to healthy tissue that is two to five times lower than competing technologies. “The ICON’s frameless ‘mask’ option enables treatment of previously challenging tumors, including large lesions,” Dr. Warnick said.

Karyn M. Dyehouse, MD, Chief Medical Officer at OHC, said the partnership will give patients access to more than 300 of the newest treatments through OHC’s robust clinical trials program and its collaboration with the US Oncology Network, a national network of independent physicians and worldwide leader in cancer research.

“OHC’s clinical trials program is one of only six community oncology practices in the nation recognized by the Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology,” Dyehouse said. “This means we are dedicated to conquering cancer worldwide by providing treatments to patients in the communities we serve.”

The Brain Tumor Center team has an extensive geographical reach and has already cared for patients from 23 states and provinces. The center’s experts can treat all tumors and lesions of the brain and spine, including:

  • Glioma/glioblastoma
  • Metastatic tumors
  • Meningioma
  • Skull base tumors
  • Pituitary tumors
  • Lymphoma
  • Brain lesions
  • Spinal tumors

Dr. DiNapoli, who earned his fellowship in skull base surgery and neuro-oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, said the Mercy-Mayfield-OHC triumvirate will serve as “an intellectual and technological powerhouse” in the field of brain tumor care. “The Jewish Hospital Brain Tumor Center will provide unrivaled care to patients in the Greater Cincinnati region while also serving as a destination for patients within the wide geographic reach of Mercy Health.”

For more information, visit the Brain Tumor Center or call 855-823-1537.