UMGCCC is now an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Here's why that is good news for you.

When it comes to cancer, it is crucial to connect patients with the treatments they need as quickly as possible.

That's why the National Cancer Institute (NCI) – part of National Institutes of Health, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – has designated Cancer Centers and Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

There are currently 69 of these NCI-designated centers, and they are located all over the country. At each center, physicians and scientists conduct research to understand cancer better – and find improved ways to treat and prevent it.

Of these centers, fewer than 50 are Comprehensive Cancer Centers like the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC). This higher designation, which took effect in August 2016, is a testament to the excellent quality of UMGCCC's cancer research. It also means that our research will be better funded so that our physicians and scientists can gain even more insight into how to eradicate cancer.

At UMGCCC, several new treatment options are currently under development. These include a drug that shows promise for advanced prostate cancer; a new radiation therapy system that might treat breast cancer more safely and in a way that's less invasive; ways to harness patients' own immune system to eradicate blood, lung and breast cancers; and many, many more. One of our researchers discovered how breast cancer spreads to other areas of the body. By gaining insights like this one, we help the medical and scientific communities better understand cancer so they can find better ways to treat and prevent it – and ultimately save lives.

We are proud of being an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. It shows that our physicians and researchers are true leaders in their fields, and it means that we can offer some of the most leading-edge care for our patients, giving them more hope.

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