Tampa General Hospital says it will develop a colorectal cancer center after receiving a “transformational” donation from philanthropists John and Susan Sykes.
The center, part of the TGH Cancer Institute, will support patient care, education and research as well as the colon/rectal surgery division with the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, the hospital’s teaching partner.
The hospital did not reveal the amount of the Sykes’ donation to the TGH Foundation, the nonprofit hospital’s fundraising arm, but defined it as “substantial” and a “major investment in world-class care.”
The Susan and John Sykes Center of Excellence in Colorectal Cancer will focus on the “highest level of care in the prevention and treatment” of colon and rectal cancers, and other complex colorectal diseases, the hospital said in a news release.
“Over the past few years, we’ve made excellent strides in the treatment and care of colorectal cancers,” said Dr. Eduardo M. Sotomayor, vice president and executive director of the TGH Cancer Institute, said in the news release.
Sotomayor added the donation will enable the institute to build a framework to make the colorectal center “a nationwide destination in clinical expertise” while providing “a more sophisticated level of treatment and innovative care.”
The Sykes say they have been inspired by the institute’s care and advancement of colorectal cancer care. That includes the work of Dr. Jorge Marcet, TGH medical director of colorectal surgery, whose support for lowering the age for colorectal cancer screening to under 50 has improved outcomes.
“We’ve greatly admired the unique combination of clinical expertise and top-tier compassionate care given by Dr. Marcet and the colorectal team at the TGH Cancer Institute,” the couple said in the news release.
Marcet says the center will be a resource for the education and training of physicians and nurses in the field and help foster the development of new and improved treatment approaches for colorectal diseases.
