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SLU Cancer Center Is Awarded Pancreatic Cancer Designation

Saint Louis University Cancer Center has been recognized by the National Pancreas Foundation as an NPF Cancer Center. The prestigious designation notes SLU’s commitment to multidisciplinary care and further demonstrates SLUCare’s excellence in pancreatic medicine and cancer care.

Nishant Poddar, M.D.

Nishant Poddar, M.D., is an assistant professor of hematology and oncology at SLU and a SLUCare cancer doctor.

NPF Cancer Centers recognize institutions that prioritize multidisciplinary treatment -- treating the “whole patient” -- with an emphasis on the best possible outcomes and an improved quality of life.

“Saint Louis University Cancer Center is the only cancer center in the region to receive this distinction,” said Nishant Poddar, M.D., assistant professor of hematology and oncology at SLU and a SLUCare cancer doctor. “I’m proud that our dedication to well-rounded patient care has rightly been recognized.

“Quality care for cancer patients is about much more than a single health care provider or a single therapy. We aim to offer excellent multidisciplinary medical care, academic expertise and therapeutic support with our specialists in medical oncology, surgery, gastroenterology, radiation oncology and radiology, as well as pain management, psychiatry, nutrition, and many other disciplines.”

Poddar will serve as director of the NPF Pancreatic Cancer Center at SLU.

NPF Cancer Centers are premier health care facilities that focus on the best possible outcomes and an improved quality of life. Centers are awarded after a rigorous audit review and must meet the criteria that were developed by a task force made up of invited subject matter experts and patient advocates.

Because there can be inconsistencies in the level of care received by those who have pancreatic cancer, NPF initiated its designation program to help patients identify centers that provide quality care. The NPF Cancer Center designation aims to help facilitate the development of high-quality, multidisciplinary care approaches for the field.

Designated centers also will seek to advance research and lead the way for heightened awareness and understanding of pancreatic cancer among community physicians, allied health professionals, patients, families and the general public.

The National Pancreas Foundation (NPF) grants two kinds of designations: one for pancreatitis and one for pancreatic cancer. Saint Louis University and its physician practice, SLUCare, hold both.  The current recognition of the Cancer Center follows last year’s NPF Center designation to Saint Louis University’s SLUCare Center for Pancreatic and Biliary Diseases for pancreatitis. Read about it here.

Saint Louis University Cancer Center is supported by SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital.


SLUCare Physician Group

SLUCare Physician Group is the academic medical practice of Saint Louis University, with more than 500 health care providers and 1,200 staff members in hospitals and medical offices throughout the St. Louis region. SLUCare physicians are among the most highly trained in their fields - more than 50 specialties in all - and are national and international experts, renowned for research and innovations in medicine.

Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Established in 1836, Saint Louis University School of Medicine has the distinction of awarding the first medical degree west of the Mississippi River. The school educates physicians and biomedical scientists, conducts medical research, and provides health care on a local, national and international level. Research at the school seeks new cures and treatments in five key areas: cancer, liver disease, heart/lung disease, aging and brain disease, and infectious diseases.

The National Pancreas Foundation 

Founded in 1997, the National Pancreas Foundation provides hope for those suffering from pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer through funding cutting-edge research, advocating for new and better therapies and providing support and education for patients, caregivers and health care professionals. The NPF is the only foundation dedicated to patients suffering from all forms of pancreas diseases. For more information visit: www.pancreasfoundation.org.