KENTUCKY — This year, according to the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, over 30,000 Kentuckians will hear the words “you have cancer” and will begin the battle against disease. The good news is, the five-year relative survival rate for all cancers has continued to improve, according to medical experts. 

Doug Flora is the Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at Saint Elizabeth Healthcare in Kenton County and has led the $130 million effort to erect a nearly a quarter-million square feet facility dedicated to fighting cancer.

During this In Focus Kentucky segment, Dr. Flora also explains why he is passionate about making biomarker testing more accessible, so all patients can benefit from the precision medicine approach.

“We’ve identified markers that would predict risk and some of the greatest risks for patients, especially the Commonwealth and things like obesity, and alcohol abuse and tobacco, which is the big one. Lack of exercise and other things like that have been linked causally and very specifically to a lot of cancers. Obesity, for example, is linked to 13 different cancers and we’re one of the more obese states, so there’s there’s obviously some room for improvement there,” shares Dr. Flora.

You can watch the full In Focus Kentucky segment in the player above.