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Lauren Colman set off for college to become a chemist, but after getting his chemist's training realized it wasn't fulfilling. Looking for a way to help people while forming relationships, he found the field of oncology a better fit.
“In oncology, you're not just dealing with cancer but all the other diseases that cancer patients have,” he says. “You get to know people; the relationships can be very in-depth because they come to you with serious, life-threatening illnesses, seeking help.”
Colman, who is the medical director for MultiCare's Regional Cancer Center, has returned to his roots earlier this year, when MultiCare opened a cancer clinic in Gig Harbor. Three days a week, Colman helps patients in the community where he has lived, at least part-time, all his life.
The Colman family name is recognizable in the area, as YMCA operates Camp Colman on the Key Peninsula. The camp originated in Gig Harbor, on the Colman family property, but has kept its name after moving to a new site several decades ago.
During the early 1900s, the Colman family started inviting YMCA campers to the family's summer home, which then became the location for an YMCA camp from 1915 to 1965. When the camp moved, Dr. Colman, his wife and three sons built a home on the property, where they live today.
“I have a great affection for this area,” Colman says. “This is my community.” Bringing the clinic to Gig Harbor means patients won't have to fight bridge traffic as they undergo chemotherapy treatments, he says. The clinic, which opened in Gig Harbor February, also has nurses on staff and a pharmacist to prepare the treatments.
Colman started his medical career at the Madigan Army Medical Center. In the last decade or more, he has seen the cancer treatment results increase dramatically, partially due to new research and partially due to new technology that provides better screening equipment.
“The treatment is not just selective poison any more,” he said. Physicians can now use more targeted therapy that is more efficient and has fewer side effects. While nausea and vomiting, for example, used to be common for patients undergoing chemo, only about 15 percent are now affected.
Treating cancer is nonetheless still challenging. There is less government funding compared to two or three decades ago. The population is living longer, and age affects the rate of cancer, which means there are more people to treat. And, the entire medical field is going through change. Medicine is not as an attractive career proposition for today's young people, considering the expense and time involved in getting the right education and credentials. New requirements and regulations are putting increased pressure on the medical professionals as well.
“It takes a lot of time to deal with administrative requirements,” Colman says. “It takes two hours at night just to deal with paperwork.”
Still, the battle with cancer has come a long way, and the treatment rates have increased considerably in recent decades. As consumers become more aware of lifestyles' consequences on their health, there is also a bigger push toward prevention.
“I think we are doing much better now… in healing cancer than ever before,” Colman says. “There is much more hope now for the cancer patient.”
The role of the oncologist is not only to deal with cancer and other diseases, but also help the patient and the family deal with the illness as part of life, Colman says. They can provide information, suggestions for where to find help with other issues, and guide them in preparing for other steps. Not everyone can be helped, and some patients will lose the battle. But it's the compassion that's really important.
“The person is better off if you are there,” Colman says. “We can do a lot for cancer patients and their families.”. | 
