PATERSON, NJ – Clinicians at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Paterson, N.J., and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., say they are confident their new collaboration on pediatric cancer cases will save more lives.

The two hospitals began their videoconferencing project about a year ago, spurred by Medical Missions for Children, a worldwide nonprofit organization that makes St. Joseph’s its home base.

Founded in 1999, MMC focuses on catastrophically ill children in underserved areas of the world – in the United States and in places such as Lebanon, Jordan, Chili, Russia and Ireland.

Frank J. Brady, chairman of MMC, figures the organization has helped 30,000 in 108 countries.

The oncology project between St. Jude’s and St. Joseph’s is making it possible for clinicians at the two hospitals to share pediatric cancer research. The clinicians are sharing treatment protocols – discussing the best approaches to handling several cases.

Thirty percent of the cases that have been discussed to date had important management changes made, Brady said.

“This link we’ve put together is a great tool in early intervention – especially in head-scratcher cases,” Brady said.

MMC uses technology developed by Pleasanton, Calif.-based Polycom. It makes it possible for physicians to diagnose and treat patients remotely as if they were in the same room, he said.