Torrance Memorial's Six-Year Affiliation with Cedars-Sinai Brings Life-Saving Treatments to South Bay Residents 

Written by Lisa Buffington 

When Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai began their affiliation in 2018, the organizations made a shared commitment to bring South Bay communities the gold standard of care.

Six years later, the team continues to deliver on that promise. In collaboration with the leading academic health system, Cedars-Sinai, patients have access to the latest technology, advanced treatment options and more clinical expertise in the areas of neuroscience, oncology and cardiology.

Advancing Community-Based Cardiovascular Care

Torrance Memorial’s affiliation with Cedars-Sinai means South Bay residents can receive everything from advanced cardiac surgery procedures and minimally invasive heart valve care to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and pre- and post-heart transplant treatment, close to home.

“We can offer Torrance Memorial patients the same expertise, investigational devices and therapies available at Cedars-Sinai — options not previously available in the South Bay,” said Aziz Ghaly, MD, Cedars-Sinai cardiac surgeon and director of cardiac surgery at Torrance Memorial’s Lundquist Lurie Cardiovascular Institute. “In addition to expanding our capabilities to treat high-risk and complex patients at Torrance Memorial, we can also make immediate referrals to our colleagues at Cedars-Sinai if a patient needs an advanced procedure, such as a heart transplant.”

For cardiac emergencies, Dr. Ghaly performs complex cardiac surgeries and minimally invasive procedures such as temporary Impella heart pump placement. Torrance Memorial’s extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program is also another example of the life-saving benefits of local access to advanced care, according to Dr. Ghaly.

“Torrance Memorial is the only medical center in the South Bay — and one of the few non-academic medical centers in southern California — to have an ECMO machine, which means we can offer temporary heart and lung support for critically ill patients,” said Dr. Ghaly. “As a result, we were able to save a lot of lives during COVID-19 because we could care for patients locally and didn’t have to transfer them.”

Expanded Oncology Services and Clinical Trials

Hugo Hool, MD, medical director of the Hunt Cancer Institute, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai Cancer, has been involved with the affiliation since its inception — and he has witnessed the benefits of the collaboration firsthand.

“Years ago, if a patient in our community had an aggressive form of cancer and they didn’t have support or transportation to travel to an academic medical center, they may not have had access to the best care or outcomes,” said Dr. Hool. “Now, patients can access stellar care locally, right where they live.”

And that access has expanded over the years. The affiliation with Cedars-Sinai Cancer started with a focus on blood and breast cancer care and has since grown to include.

Cedars-Sinai experts who provide surgical oncology, head and neck cancer, neuro-oncology, thoracic surgery, pancreatic cancer/biliary disease and genitourinary cancer care support at Torrance Memorial.

Through the Cedars-Sinai affiliation, Dr. Hool and the Hunt Cancer Institute team are also involved in dozens of clinical trials for advanced therapies that aren’t widely available.

“This early access to promising treatments benefits hundreds of patients who enroll each year and ultimately from the research we perform,” said Dr. Hool. “Our researchers are now able to use an individual’s tumor DNA to direct them to the specific trial tailored to deliver the best chance of an improved outcome.”

Current clinical trials available to patients include studies on chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T), which involves engineering T-cells to fight cancer, and a newer iteration of that therapy called CAR-NK therapy, which uses natural killer cells. Physician-researchers are also investigating emerging therapies such as bispecific T-cell engagers (BITEs) and antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), as well as radiation oncology and interventional radiology treatments.

The oncology team also emphasizes holistic patient care that goes beyond just treating the cancer.

“Our integrative medicine program provides supportive therapies to augment cancer treatment so we can care for the whole patient,” said Dr. Hool. “We are also involved in clinical trials focused on improving quality of life and well-being for our patients in a scientific way.”

Leading the Way in Neurology Care

Neurological conditions are among the most complex to diagnose and treat. Through the affiliation with Cedars-

Sinai, Torrance Memorial has been able to expand its expertise and access to more neurological services. The neurologists, neurosurgeons and neurointerventionists at the Torrance Memorial Lundquist Neurosciences Institute offer leading-edge, collaborative care and clinical trials to successfully treat a wide range of neurological disorders, including serious stroke, brain tumors, movement disorders and more — all without leaving the South Bay.

“We can perform the full range of complex neurosurgeries, including vascular, endovascular and brain tumor surgery,” says Dr. Eboli. “Our goal has been to bring the highest level of expertise to the South Bay through our affiliation with Cedars-Sinai, and we have built a very successful program.”

In addition to the Institute’s experienced team, patients also have access to more subspecialty services, including the new Torrance Memorial Movement Disorders Clinic.

“The Movement Disorders Clinic is definitely meeting a need in our community,” said Heidi Assigal, Sr. Vice President Business and Operations, Torrance Memorial Physician Network. “For patients who are living with a movement disorder, traveling to an academic medical center for care may be challenging. That’s why we wanted to bring convenient, coordinated care from academic medical center experts closer to home.”

“Our affiliation with Cedars-Sinai has made Torrance Memorial even stronger. It’s led to new clinical trial access, and newfound resources, investments and collaboration that comes with being a part of a leading academic health system,” said Torrance Memorial CEO and President Keith Hobbs.