Dr. Marcia S. Brose, MD, PhD

In the 9 weeks since Dr. Brose has had the biopsy slides for my grandfather's cancer, she has not come up with a diagnosis for him. She does not respond to phone calls or by email. At the last follow-up, she had no new information for us. We were scheduled for another follow up in 2 days. We got a call from an admin person tonight (after I'd reached out 7 times), telling us that we shouldn't to the appointment, because they don't have a diagnosis yet. No explanation why.

We were referred to Dr. Brose after immunotherapy failed to work for my mother. First impression, her office is extremely understaffed and they do not return calls promptly. We were told we'd receive a call to set up an appt to meet Dr. Brose with plans to enroll into a clinical trial. We never received this call in the timeframe we were told, then it took a week for me to hunt down the staff to make an appt. Right there, I knew this was a red flag. Dr. Brose was an hour late to our appt (fine, I can deal with that), but she has a way of comforting you, giving hugs, making you feel like she's going to take care of you. She told us that my mom has essentially "hit the lung cancer lottery" in the sense that this clinical trial is extremely effective against the rare RET mutation my mom has. We cried for joy. Dr. Brose agreed to see us within 2 weeks to screen into the trial. That evening, after a long day of travel to Philadelphia, my mom was so weak that she fell and broke her leg. I… emailed Dr. Brose right away to let her know what happened, seek advice, and get re-assurance that this wouldn't impact mom's inclusion in the trial. She read my email that day (there's a timestamp), but never wrote back. I contacted her office by phone and heard back 2 DAYS later that mom will need 4 weeks to heal before she can be eligible. This was a huge blow. I could not believe she didn't have the decency to write me back after meeting us hours before. When we finally came back to see her 4 weeks later, she made it clear that her calendar was booked with a trip to ASCO (annual cancer conference), her daughter's graduation, and a 2 week trip to Italy. Her attitude had completely changed. She didn't have time for someone in my mom's situation. I called and spoke to Dr Brose to politely ask if we can move things along more quickly to get mom into the trial (as I had seen her decline week by week) and she told me that I had a KINDERGARDEN understanding of how clinical trials operate. This put me in tears. I told her I am trying to save my mom's life. I eventually went back to our original oncologist at UPenn and asked for help in getting mom into the trial/treatment. We came to the conclusion that mom was no longer eligible for the trial due to her recent decline, but tried to pursue Compassionate Care in order to get obtain the Investigational Drug outside of the clinical trial. It boggles my mind that Dr. Brose wouldn't have pursued this for us since she is very familiar with the manufacturer of this drug. It was obvious that she was too busy and understaffed to manage her practice over the summer. Our oncologist attempted to reach Dr. Brose to see if she would oversee mom's care while taking the drug outside of the trial and NEVER HEARD BACK. This disgusts and enrages me. My point is, she does not have time for her patients. If you aren't in healthy shape for the trial, you will be left behind. The UPenn oncologists failed to get my mom the treatment she needed and she ultimately passed away. If you have a RET mutation, I suggest that you see Dr. Alexander Drilon at MSK. They are more heavily staffed there and he is truly an expert in the field. Avoid the chaos of Dr. Brose and her office staff if you can.

Dr. Brose is a highly compassionate, competent, caring and professional physician. Her patients come first in all that she does and she delivers superior care to each and every one of her patients. This is also true of her wonderful staff. Dr. Brose's interest in the health and well being of her patient and our family has truly been a blessing. Serious illness is devastating and this experience has been made much easier with the help of Dr. Brose. This is a physician who is giving her ALL to developing and researching new medications for cancer and this is both uplifting and encouraging for us.

If you have been referred to Dr. Brose because of your diagnosis, consider yourself fortunate that someone was looking after your best interests. Don' t we worry that we are not doing everything we can? Seeing Dr. Brose is doing everything you can. Look at the drugs that are now available to treat you...her name is on the clinical trials. Look at the future of what may be available to extend your life...her team is working on it. I was alittle frustrated with the other review here. First, it has not been our experience, and, two - their personalities/bedside manners are irrelevant when we are talking about who knows best how to fight my cancer. This is the gold standard in fighting your specific cancer. They are direct, and their sole focus on your rare cancer gives them some authority to tell you how best to fight this. To be honest, tho' very direct at times, Dr. Brose has not been wrong once yet in my treatment. And her staff have almost as many years of focusing just on these… rare cancers. Why would you pass on this opportunity? This is a university hospital and Dr. Brose's patients come from across the country. Prepare for a longer than normal wait. Maybe even an hour or more. Bring your computer or book, something to eat and drink. Adapt....and be thankful for this chance.

Dr. Brose has an initial demeanor that comes off as extremely kind and caring. With time, one realizes that there is a controlling streak behind that demeanor. She works, as she likes to say, with a "team". It's her nurses, interns, assistants, etc. It's clear from the start that the "team" perceives themselves as the "best"; and the attitudes reflect that. Unfortunately, what seems to take priority are the (pharma-funded) clinical studies, and plugging patients into that genre - over the emotional comfort of the patient. If the patient doesn't fit into the "mold", or actually prefers to play a role in their own decision-making for their care - they are eventually treated as "errant students". You feel it from the moment you step off the elevator: clinical, not personal. And though it isn't evident initially from the doctor herself, eventually the controlling streak seeps out in the form of condescension and chastising. Not a stress-free, caring approach - nor the best… environment in which to support the immune system. By now, the "Best in Medical Care" should have been aptly educated about how NOT to treat patients as children, and to respect their decisions to play a decisive role in their own care. In the end - even clinical trials are supposed to be about improving the patient's lot, not just lining the Pharma industry's pockets. If you are a patient looking to be led by the hand and not raise any questions about the direction/options for your care - then Dr. Brose is for you. If, on the other hand, you don't want to feel intimidated, condescended to, or you choose to be an active partner in the decision-making part of your care, then I would keep searching. I never truly felt anyone within "the team" cared about me personally. Excellence in the science doesn't automatically translate into Excellence in care.