Thankful for a year of advancements in cancer research

The Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. We have a team of highly-skilled physicians and nurses providing the highest quality of patient care, and dedicated researchers who work hard every day to discover the latest treatments, cancer genes and  to offer clinical research trials that get us closer to finding a cure.

This year, we saw the number of disease-oriented working groups within the Duncan Cancer Center grow to 13, meaning we now have 13 cancer-specific groups offering multidisciplinary care to patients by bringing together specialists in everything from cancer screening to post-treatment support to provide the best, most comprehensive care for each specific cancer type.

The Duncan Cancer Center was honored to have received four rounds of CPRIT grants to support cancer research in the areas of pediatrics, computational biology, facility services and prevention and early detection. These grants total more than $22 million and will work to advance the Cancer Center’s research initiatives.

Finally, there are numerous new members of the Duncan Cancer Center who are conducting crucial research into how cancer changes and grows, and who are making strides in patient care. We have strong new leadership in the field of proteogenomics and new expertise in breast surgical oncology. Additionally, a new program incorporating cancer research was established, the Center for Precision Environmental Health, opening the doors to broader research into how environmental factors affect our risk for developing cancer.

The list of advances and contributions in the Duncan Cancer Center goes on and on, and as we get close to the end of the year, our team is looking forward to what we can accomplish in the coming year.

-By Dr. Kent Osborne, director of the NCI-designated Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine