A Comprehensive Cancer Center: What Does it Mean for You?
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UVA Health has the first cancer center in Virginia named a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). We are among the elite centers in the United States to receive the NCI's highest designation.
What is 'Comprehensive'?
This designation means we’re leaders in cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Our programs serve 3.2 million people in Virginia and eastern West Virginia. Our groundbreaking research helps us bring you:
- More targeted life-saving therapies
- Advanced diagnostics to catch cancer earlier
- The most up-to-date knowledge to prevent cancer
- Robust clinical trials with access to the latest treatments
How does 'comprehensive' help you? It means you get 360 degree care. You'll benefit from every aspect of our knowledge and experience in treating cancer.
NCI-Designation
Director of UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center Tom Loughran, MD, and gynecologic oncologist Linda Duska, MD, explain the criteria for the designation and how UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center exceeds in these areas.
LINDA DUSKA, MD: We are absolutely thrilled that the NCI has recognized the UVA Cancer Center as an NCI Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.
TOM LOUGHRAN, MD: The NCI was formulated, and the Cancer Center organization was structured in 1971. There are 71 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers. And now, we, at UVA is the 52nd to achieve a higher level designation known as a Comprehensive Cancer Center.
LINDA DUSKA, MD: An NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, like the Cancer Center at UVA, offers patients a really broad and comprehensive approach to their cancer care that may not be available at a different cancer care institution.
TOM LOUGHRAN, MD: There are four in particular criteria that are reviewed for comprehensive status. And the first one is actually usually the hardest to achieve, is depth and breadth of research in three major areas: basic research, clinical research, population research. Second point is what's called transdisciplinary research. This is really an evaluation of how have you taken maximum advantage of the strengths of the university in team science. The third category is community outreach and engagement. And then lastly, the fourth category is also really important for the next generation, which is training and education. So there are many advantages to being at a higher level of comprehensive cancer center from the NCI. First one is that it serves as a magnet for attracting stars in both clinical and basic, as well as population research.
LINDA DUSKA, MD: We always excelled at research, both basic science research, where people are actually in the lab doing research, all the way to taking those laboratory results and translating them into results in patients.
TOM LOUGHRAN, MD: Second one is it attracts a lot of great clinical people here. So that you can form state-of-the-art, what we call multidisciplinary clinics. And we're able to see patients with subspecialists and radiation oncology, medical oncology, surgical oncology, and newer discipline of immunotherapy.
LINDA DUSKA, MD: We've also worked and continue to work harder on outreach to the communities, specifically with respect to cancer prevention.
TOM LOUGHRAN, MD: The two major causes of cancer, as probably everyone knows, is smoking and tobacco. But interestingly, obesity is now the second most common risk factor for all cancers. And both of those are very high in our population. Students in middle schools actually get an app. It's called iSipsmarter. We've enrolled 1,000 students every year in Southwest Virginia in this program. And it highlights to them the dangers of sugary drinks leading to obesity, and then, down the road, cancer, that program has been very effective. That's just one example of a very effective intervention in the community.
LINDA DUSKA, MD: And the comprehensive status of our cancer center really gives us the resources to be able to reach out to those groups of underserved individuals, and better serve the state of Virginia with respect to cancer care.
TOM LOUGHRAN, MD: So in the next four more years, we want to continue to build our population research program. That has the most tangible benefit in the population that we serve in terms of preventing cancer.
LINDA DUSKA, MD: We're the only comprehensive cancer center NCI-Designated in the state of Virginia, and we're very proud of that designation. And it reflects a tremendous amount of collaborative teamwork.
Groundbreaking Research
Funding for cancer research at UVA totals more than $30 million each year. Our research is organized around four programs:
- Cancer Biology: This program works to understand what happens at a cellular level for cancer to develop and spread in the body. Researchers can then make treatments that stop cancer by targeting these processes.
- Molecular Genetics and Epigenetics: This program looks at how DNA changes lead to cancer. This kind of research recently led to new treatments. But there are many more targets for researchers to discover.
- Cancer Therapeutics: This programs turns research discoveries into new treatments. It also works to stop the most common and deadly cancers in Virginia and eastern West Virginia. These include breast, colorectal, lung, and skin cancers.
- Cancer Control and Population Health: Researchers identify barriers to cancer prevention and treatment in underserved areas.
Robust Clinical Trials
In recent years, we’ve more than doubled the number of people enrolled in our clinical trials. Clinical trials give you access to the latest treatments.
For example, we recently participated in the first National Institutes of Health-sponsored study for CAR T-cell therapy to treat pediatric leukemia. That clinical trial gave children early access to this advanced therapy.
Find clinical trials.
Life-Saving Therapies
We continuously research and develop new treatments for cancer.
Our research into leukemia and lymphoma led to new treatments that improved outcomes for patients who didn’t have treatment options before. Many patients, even those for whom traditional treatments didn’t work, now experience remission because of these new treatments.
We continue to pioneer ways to use targeted drugs that deliver faster and better results.
See our cancer treatments.
Better Care for Virginians and Beyond
We’re working to break down barriers to cancer prevention and treatment in underserved areas. We expanded access to colorectal cancer screenings in southwest Virginia after we learned more people in this area get colorectal cancer than other regions. UVA, along with three partner institutions, also received a $14 million NCI grant to study why rates of cervical cancer are higher in Appalachia.
See all our outreach efforts.
Care Focused on You
We treat the whole person, not just their cancer. We work to connect with you as an individual, making sure your treatment matches your personal goals and values. We also focus on your well-being, giving you and your family emotional support all along the way.
Learn more about our support services.