Dr. Peter Emanuel, Director of Oncology at CHI St. Vincent explains the importance of the Outpatient Infusion Center and what the expansion means for cancer patients. "So nowadays, for cancer patients, the infusion center is most everything to them," states Dr. Emanuel. "That's where they spend the vast majority of their time because cancer care has shifted from the hospital setting to the outpatient setting in the last 20 years." Dr. Emanuel continues, "Just in the last couple of months we've doubled the capacity of our infusion clinics at the Infirmary, and with Little Rock Diagnostic Clinic joining CHI St. Vincent recently; they have an infusion center to treat the non-cancer patients, so that really adds to our capacity to welcome patients to the infusion center."

He also addresses the advancements in leukemia and blood cancer treatments. "There are many, many new drugs for the blood cancers. The FDA approved 40 new drugs for blood cancers just within the last two years and so many of these are given as IVs in the infusion clinics. But the outlook for leukemia is much, much better just in the last five years," says Dr. Emanuel.

Learn more about Dr. Peter Emanuel or CHI St. Vincent Infirmary oncology services.