Over 1 million people die of cancer each year. During the past two decades, an explosion in the knowledge of inherited and acquired changes in genes that lead to cancer has occurred. The recently completed human genome project has added extensive new information that will help physicians and researchers understand what makes normal cells become cancerous. In the Division of Hematology and Oncology, we are only now beginning to understand the complex relationships between genes and their function. Many of the command and control genes that determine what a cell does and when are intimately involved in cancer. Knowing how genes interact and how to control them will be the next great leap in cancer therapy.

The division treats patients with cancer or blood disorders. A multidisciplinary team of experienced physician-scientists from medical hematology/oncology and other specialties - surgical, radiation, gynecologic, and urologic oncology; radiology; and pathology - tailor each patient's treatment for optimal results. The Cancer Center clinics emphasize effective therapy, quality of life, and family support in a nurturing environment. The Clinical Trials Unit, paramount in our efforts to improve the cancer cure rate, offers patients access to the newest experimental drugs. Our unique Simultaneous Care Program allows patients whose traditional treatment has been ineffective to participate in clinical trials while receiving palliative care. Traditional hospice is also available from nurses, pharmacists and social workers, ensuring the highest quality of life in cancer's final stages. This extensive palliative care program reflects our mission to provide cancer patients with total care.

Primary research within the division focuses on new treatments for cancer and blood disorders through a deeper understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of disease. With over $4 million in annual research grants, we intend to further the knowledge of cancer care and create tomorrow's treatments today. The Radioimmunotherapy Program involves clinical testing of radioactively labeled antibodies to treat lymphoma, breast and prostate cancers. Use of monoclonal antibodies may enable us to control cancer by directing therapy only to malignant cells rather than to both malignant and healthy cells. Several monoclonal antibodies have already been approved for cancer treatment. Our Peptide-Targeting Program uses state-of-the-art combinatorial chemistry to identify small proteins that bind specifically to cancer cell surface receptors, which communicate DNA signals. This research could lead to control of cancer and other blood diseases by changing cell behavior. We are also working to develop new drugs that inhibit specific protein kinases, some of the enzymes altered in cancer cells.

The division is nationally recognized as a leader in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Our physicians are dedicated to advancing knowledge and providing better care for patients. While the war on cancer is not over, there is reason for optimism in this new age of functional genomics. We hope in the near future to progress from the effective, yet often toxic, regimens of chemotherapy and radiation. New cancer therapeutics and diagnostics, already on the horizon, offer the prospect of a cure for cancer through genetic manipulation of cancer cells. As we become more sophisticated in how to control these processes, we have every reason to believe that cancer can be conquered.