The Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine devotes an entire nursing floor – floor 4400 – to gynecologic oncology. According to Michelle Hill, RN, clinical manager on 4400, it is the largest dedicated gynecologic oncology floor in the country, as most cancer centers group this cancer group with other disease sites such as breast cancer.

"We admit over 250 patients a month with another 270 patients a month coming in for outpatient chemotherapy," says Hill. That''s a lot of patients and we have a dedicated staff that''s a real advocate for women''s health."

Debbie Edwards has been a social worker at Barnes-Jewish Hospital for 20 years with the last four years spent on Barnes-Jewish''s gynecologic oncology unit on 4400. She says there is no more active group of patients than those diagnosed with gynecologic cancer. "There''s such a small percentage of women diagnosed, yet they''re so determined," says Edwards.

Working with women diagnosed with ovarian, cervical, uterine and endometrial cancer, it''s unique in that everything for the patient is on one floor. Outpatient chemotherapy for patients at Siteman is offered on the 7th floor of the campus'' Center for Advanced Medicine, however for gynecologic cancer patients, there are nine outpatient chemo beds available in addition to 40 inpatient beds.

"It allows women to see familiar faces," says Edwards. "That continuity of care lets them know they''re part of the team."

"Women really like that familiarity," says Gina Bradford, RN, chemotherapy nurse on 4400. "All of our resources are right here."

Those resources include support groups specifically for gynecologic oncology patients on the floor such as the Together Support Group and Strength for Caring. "They patients discuss everything from how to live past chemotherapy to dealing with reoccurrence," says Edwards. "These are very bright women and they''ve learned they need to be their own advocates for these diseases.

The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is an international leader in cancer treatment, research, prevention, education and community outreach and a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. Siteman offers the extensive expertise of more than 300 Washington University research scientists and physicians, many of whom provide comprehensive care for nearly 6,000 newly diagnosed cancer patients and more than 30,000 follow-up patients each year.