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1st appeared 8 July 1998 New UCSF Clinical Cancer Facility Breaks Ground
The five-story, 88,000-square-foot building will be at the corner of Sutter and Divisadero streets in San Francisco and will house the clinical cancer programs of UCSF Stanford Health Care. Included in the building will be a state-of-the-art radiation therapy center; a patient-oriented breast care center that will include diagnostic and cancer risk evaluation services; and integrated programs for melanoma, prostate, lung, gynecological and other cancers. The facility will also have an infusion center for chemotherapy, as well as doctors' offices and will offer overhead walkway access to the UCSF/Mount Zion Medical Center, a 439-bed facility. The new facility will function as a clinical complement to the cancer research building that opened its doors at UCSF/Mount Zion in 1997. The synergy and collaboration of this arrangement is a hallmark of UCSF's cancer programs. While basic scientists explore cancer's most fundamental causes, clinical researchers are exploring ways this knowledge can be applied, providing patients with access to the latest experimental protocols. At yesterday's ceremony, UCSF Chancellor J. Michael Bishop recalled a 1993 note to former Chancellor Joseph Martin that discussed the campus' cancer research plans. "UCSF was not pulling its oar in cancer," said the note. "I was one of the signatories. Imagine then my satisfaction today at what has been accomplished," said Bishop. "UCSF has a strong combination of basic scientists and clinical scientists working together, which is quite unique compared to other centers in the country," said Frank McCormick, director of the UCSF Cancer Center and Cancer Research Institute. "The new building will help to develop a structure that encourages dialogue between lab and clinical scientists and therefore encourages translation of lab research into new therapies." In addition to allowing for the expansion of new and existing programs, the clinical cancer building will also accommodate the UCSF Cancer Center's remarkable increase in patient volume. During the last year, it is estimated that the oncology programs located at UCSF/Mount Zion Medical Center received 30,127 patient visits. By the year 2000, the clinical programs are expected to a have a minimum of 36,151 patients. One of the goals of the UCSF Cancer Center is to become the first National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center in Northern California. UCSF is submitting its grant application this October; such a designation will bring the center additional resources to fund all aspects of translational research. Already the UCSF Cancer Center receives over $25 million in NCI grants. In fiscal year 1997, UCSF ranked sixth among all US institutions in research support from the NCI. The UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center, located in the UCSF clinical cancer building at UCSF/Mount Zion, has experienced the greatest growth of all the oncology programs over the past three years. To meet patient demands, the center will occupy a full floor in the new outpatient building that will have a "home-like," rather than typical doctor's office, atmosphere. Karen Wener, a two-time cancer survivor, attended yesterday's groundbreaking ceremony. In 1982, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer and subsequently underwent a total hysterectomy. In 1992, she was diagnosed with level IV melanoma and is classified as a stage III patient, which means that she has a very high risk of experiencing a recurrence of the disease. Because Wener is a stage III patient, her physician, Robert Allen, MD, UCSF clinical professor of surgery, recommended her for a clinical trial of a novel immunotherapy vaccine for melanoma. Wener entered the trial four years ago, and has not experienced a recurrence of the disease. She says she is extremely grateful for having access to the vaccine and believes this is what has maintained her good health. Wener's experiences with cancer inspired her to become involved with volunteer work at UCSF/Mount Zion Medical Center. She has served as the president of the UCSF/Mount Zion Auxiliary which raises money for patient programs, equipment and events. "I believe my brushes with cancer are what inspired me to become involved with sick patients and it helps me understand those I work with," Wener said. source: Abby Sinnott, News Services |
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Scientists, patients and city leaders,
including Mayor Willie Brown, celebrated the
groundbreaking yesterday for the long-awaited clinical
cancer center building at UCSF/Mount Zion Medical Center.
The new facility will help to accommodate patient growth
as well as further the collaboration of the cancer
research and clinical environments at UCSF, thus
advancing the translation of laboratory discoveries into
cancer treatments.