Florida Cancer Specialists Expanding Cancer Care Treatment Services & Opening First of its Kind Drug Development Unit with Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Central Florida

FCS’s New Lake Mary Cancer Center & Sarah Cannon Research Institute Drug Development Unit to open this month

Fort Myers, Fla., February 19, 2020 — Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) will expand access to comprehensive cancer treatment and opportunities for patients to participate in cutting-edge cancer research with the opening of its FCS Cancer Center and Sarah Cannon Research Institute Drug Development Unit in Lake Mary later this month.

The newly constructed 25,000 square-foot facility will combine medical oncology/hematology services and Phase 1 clinical trial research all under one roof, reducing the need for patients to drive long distances or travel out of state for care.

The existing FCS location at 917 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary will relocate to the new site at 805 Currency Circle, Lake Mary, FL 32746, which will include nine exam rooms and 31 chemotherapy chairs. Seven medical oncologists, advanced practitioners and support staff will provide a complete range of services for patients with all forms of cancers, blood disorders and other conditions, including diagnostic imaging, centralized pathology laboratory, in-house oral oncolytic specialty pharmacy and care management.

FCS is a strategic research site for Sarah Cannon Research Institute, one of the leading clinical research organizations in the world, and one of eight Phase 1 clinical research sites in the Sarah Cannon network. Through this partnership, FCS has enrolled nearly 10,000 patients in innovative cancer treatment studies and over 1,600 patients in Phase 1 research trials at its Drug Development Unit in Sarasota.

“Our new location in Lake Mary enables us to provide patients who live in and around Central Florida easy access to the newest and most advanced treatments close to home, and expand the number of clinical trial opportunities,” said FCS CEO Brad Prechtl, MBA. “This is the essence of world-class community-based oncology care.”

“For more than 25 years, we have seen the impact that drug development can make on advancing the fight against cancer for patients in the community setting,” said Howard A. “Skip” Burris III, MD, Sarah Cannon President of Clinical Operations & Chief Medical Officer, Sarah Cannon. “Since we started our collaboration with FCS in 2005, we have been able to expand access to patients who vitally need more treatment options.”

FCS President & Managing Physician Dr. Lucio Gordan said, “The process of bringing more effective drugs to the marketplace will advance more quickly as more people are able to take part in clinical research through this exciting expansion in Central Florida.”

“By bringing both cancer care and research under one roof, we are providing our patients with convenient access to a robust menu of treatment options that can be personalized to their individual needs,” said FCS Medical Oncologist Dr. Victor Melgen.

The FCS medical oncologists serving patients in Lake Mary are Victor Melgen, MD, Roy Ambinder, MD, Ernesto Bustinza-Linares, MD, Shemin Gupta, MD, Kottapurath Moideen, MD and Lynn Van Ummersen, MD.

The Sarah Cannon Research Institute at FCS Drug Development Unit team includes FCS Director of Drug Development Manish R. Patel, MD, FCS Associate Director of Drug Development Shekeab Jauhari, MD and FCS Director of Clinical Research Katie Goodman, RN, BSN, CCRP.