Dr. Mary Hobbs-Maluccio

Director, Neuroendocrine Cancer Program
East Jefferson Hospital

lcmchealth.org/east-jefferson-general-hospital

The practice of medicine has changed dramatically in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged programs, hospitals, and doctors to adapt to ever-changing situations in order to treat patients. This was especially true for rare cancer programs with a multi-state catchment.  Even as the worldwide medical establishment recovers from the traumatic effects of COVID-19, patients suffering from rare cancers are still in a constant struggle, often suffering from under-experienced physicians and a lack of resources.

While most cancer centers focus on predominant tumors such as breast, lung, prostate, and colon/rectum cancer, rare cancers receive significantly less attention, resources, and research. Dr. Mary Hobbs-Maluccio MD, Director of a multi-state Neuroendocrine Cancer Program based at East Jefferson Hospital, focuses exclusively on rare cancers. As an American Board of Surgery certified surgical oncologist, Dr. Hobbs-Maluccio recalls that before COVID-19, thousands of patients with rare cancers, such as neuroendocrine cancers, would fly to New Orleans for inpatient consultations. Dr. Hobbs- Maluccio worked diligently to develop innovative multi-disciplinary teams of providers, including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgical oncologists, nutritionists, nurses, and social workers utilizing clinical trials and advanced research; an approach based on the time-tested belief that large and multidiscipline cancer programs have better outcomes.

Dr. Hobbs-Maluccio’s mission is to increase access to quality specialized treatment for rare cancers with the hopes of eliminating all barriers to proper care for disenfranchised patients in Louisiana and the Southern Gulf States.

During the travel prohibitions and quarantine of COVID-19, Dr. Hobbs-Maluccio’s dedicated sub-specialty clinic reverted to telemedicine and emergency out-of-state medical licenses out of necessity, forcing the rare cancer program to establish partnerships with providers closer to where patients live.

This new normal has continued into the post-pandemic world, forcing providers to embrace multi disciplinary treatment paradigms, increasing treatment and diagnostic access, partnering with patient advocacy groups, and inclusion in clinical trials, a fresh frontier of modern medicine of which Dr. Hobbs-Maluccio is at the forefront. However, with patients across the country suffering geographic or economic limitations, these methods are challenged and require creative solutions to ensure proper treatment.

According to Dr. Hobbs-Maluccio, the average round trip distance for patients to attend her clinic is 240 miles and approximately a quarter of her patients report the travel cost is over $100. To Dr. Hobbs-Maluccio, this is an unacceptable barrier, leading her to offer telemedicine consultations to all patientsand to build a network of regional partners to provide medical lifelines and resources for each patientcloser to home.

Ultimately, Dr. Hobbs-Maluccio’s mission is to increase access to quality specialized treatment for rare cancers with the hopes of eliminating all barriers to proper care for disenfranchised patients in Louisiana and the Southern Gulf States.