HEALTH BEAT

CANCER INSTITUTE BREAKS GROUND FOR SUPPORT SERVICES

The Nevada Cancer Institute, located at 1 Breakthrough Way, has broken ground on its Support Services building and is actively pursuing financial support for a third research-exclusive building.

NVCI opened September 2005 and reached 90 percent capacity at the end of the summer. The Support Services complex will be a 101,000-square-foot building with an adjacent parking garage on 3.25 adjacent acres.

The new building will house a number of services and functions, including a 200-seat conference center, offices, clinical trials office, cancer registry, dry labs and a medical education library.

The new building is scheduled for completion in late 2008 or early 2009. Visit nevadacancerinstitute.org.

DOCTOR OFFERS SCOLIOSIS PATIENTS SURGICAL TECHNIQUE

It used to be that the only help surgeons could offer scoliosis patients was to fuse their spine in two separate operations. Now, a technique that allows spinal relief with only one surgery is available in Las Vegas.

Dr. Jonathan Camp, a pediatric spine surgeon at Children's Bone and Spine Surgery has more than 30 years of experience in pediatric spine, focused on scoliosis. Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine. Each year, an estimated 30,000 children are put into a brace for scoliosis, while 38,000 patients undergo spinal fusion surgery.

Camp has introduced a new surgical procedure, called the pedical subtraction osteotomoy, to Las Vegas. Before the technique, scoliosis patients faced two separate operations -- entering the body through an anterior (front) incision for one, and a posterior entry for the other. Then spinal bones were resectioned and fused.

But Camp removes both the anterior and posterior bone in one operation, using an incision in the back.

"The correction is more precise, with less blood loss," said Camp. "There is also less time spent in the hospital than with other more traditional scoliosis procedures."

Camp's office is located at 1525 E. Windmill Lane, No. 201, and includes a new practice within the facility, Pediatric and Adolescent Physical Therapy.

Call 434-6920 or go to www.cbsortho.com.

GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT ANNIVERSARY IS THURSDAY

The American Cancer Society plans to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Great American Smokeout on Thursday.

Smokers trying to kick the habit may call 521-7857 or visit tobaccofreenv.com to request this year's Smokeout Gift of Good Health or to seek other cessation information.