When Marquez Knolls resident Stuart Siegel M.D. began practicing medicine, the survival rate for children diagnosed with cancer was a heartbreaking 10 to 20 percent. That was in the late 1970s when a majority of Siegel’s work as a physician was focused on helping his patients feel comfortable and preparing distraught parents for the death of their child.
Today, the survival rate has risen to 80 percent – thanks in large part to Siegel’s work as the Head of the Division of Hematology-Oncology in the Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is ranked fourth in the nation for cancer care on the U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals List.
Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
“People always comment on how depressing it must be to work in this field, with sick children, but that’s not the case at all,” Siegel said. “Sure, there are some really tough days. But there are also highs like nothing else you can imagine.”
As the founding Director of the Center of Excellence in Cancer and Blood Diseases at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Siegel has his finger on the pulse of what he calls “the biggest success story in cancer research” in regards to the improvement in survival rate of adolescent-young adult patients (AYA). In 2000, the survival rate started picking up for the first time in 30 years.
“The funding is paying off. This is really the poster boy for how research has impacted cancer,” he said. “There is no question that every dollar goes into survival research.”
Age Matters
Siegel’s research stemmed from the realization that the survival rate of this age group – from 15 to 39 – had the worst improvement of any age group from 1975 until 2000. Siegel attributes this to a lack of research dedicated to that group – it was all getting buried in the pediatric or adult data.
Siegel worked to define AYA as its own group, just like geriatric cancer, because these patients have unique environments, and unique social and psychological needs.
In the quest to conduct more research and focus more energy on the problem, Siegel founded the first-ever AYA medical fellowship in addition to a new age-specific research program for medical students at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, where he is a professor and Vice Chair of the department.
In light of his many accomplishments in higher education and research, Siegel holds tightly to the reason he first went into medicine – he enjoys caring for patients, calling it the “major personal drive” in his career.
It is the reason why, even as the associate director for pediatric oncology at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, he is still in the clinic every week. It’s just another facet of his hands-on, comprehensive approach to patient care.
“My job is not just to give treatment, but it’s to prepare the patient and their family for the child’s life after cancer,” he said. “Ensuring quality of life is a major part of what I do. My job isn’t done when the cancer has been treated.”
Taking Cancer Care Outside the Hospital
The way he sees it, patient care doesn’t always mean white coats, lab tests and hospital beds – sometimes, a little summer sunshine is just what the doctor ordered.
Through Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California, where Siegel served as area President from 1978 until July of last year, sick children are able to spend a week away at summer camp.
Working as a camp doctor during the summer has provided Siegel a unique vantage point to see his patients from and while his accolades are many, he said this is the most gratifying.
“You get to see the kids in a totally different light. It’s an absolutely fantastic experience and I think what I’m most proud of in my career. It makes a world of difference for these kids. They come back completely different,” he said. “They get to be kids being kids – not kids with cancer. It breaks their isolation and they realize they’re not alone. It’s an incredible thing for them – amazingly therapeutic.”
So whether it’s roasting marshmallows around a campfire or the latest in cutting-edge cancer treatment, Siegel believes it’s all part of beating the disease and preparing his patients for life after cancer.
“It’s the most rewarding part of working in this field – when I get to see my patients grow up and see them get married and have children,” Siegel said. “You realize the impact you’ve had not just on one person, but also on generations.”
After decades in medicine, most would expect to start pumping the brakes, easing slowly into retirement. Not Siegel. He says it’s hardly a thought.
“I’m still very much full time. Really, I’ve always been more than full time. My wife would like me to retire, I’m sure, but I love what I’m doing,” he said. “If you can find a job that you love, you’re lucky. And I am very, very lucky. I’ve never regretted working in this field.”
Yet for as much improvement as he has been a part of, cancer is still the number-one disease killing adolescents and Siegel is still looking to change that.
“Everything I do is integrated – teaching, the camps, the patients – it all works together to give these kids a better life. It works. I see it every day,” he said. “But the next 10 years in cancer research are going to be the most exciting. There’s always more to be done.”
Around the World
While Siegel works mostly in Los Angeles, the home of his favorite hockey team – the L.A. Kings – he is no stranger to the international medical community. He is internationally known for his research into the effects of childhood cancer on adult survivors and much more.
“We’re fortunate to have tremendous expertise not just in treatment, but also nursing and administration and there are many countries, especially in developing nations, who can benefit from our expertise and our resources,” Siegel said of his work with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
By sharing information internationally, Siegel and his team have been able to open clinics and create an international network for patient care.
With the help of private grants, Siegel has also been able to develop an international resident exchange. New pediatric developments in the Middle East led to a course to certify Armenian surgeons to treat retinopathy of prematurity that typically leads to blindness in 50 children each year.
Siegel has always worked closely with friend Jennifer Lopez and the Lopez Family Foundation, calling them “tremendous supporters of our work” in Puerto Rico and Panama.
The family’s foundation has been supporting Siegel’s efforts for many years, allowing Siegel to provide ultrasound screenings to women on Indian reservations in Panama.
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