Welcome to the Hollings Cancer Center’s blog, Cancer Connections. This is our newest effort to share news about the latest developments in cancer treatment and research driven by faculty members at the Hollings. As you think about personal issues related to a cancer diagnosis or just want to know more about the disease, we hope you find this site useful and check in with us often. We’ll be updating it frequently with comments from cancer clinicians and basic science researchers so that you can become the best informed person around.
It’s been an exciting year for Hollings. This spring, we were awarded designation from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in recognition of the strength of our research. NCI designation signals that a cancer center is conducting research important enough to contribute to the war on cancer. Hollings is the only NCI center in South Carolina and one of only 65 in the U.S.
Research is what distinguishes academic cancer centers like Hollings from cancer centers that focus solely on clinical care. It is important to note that patients can and do receive excellent care at non-academic facilities everyday. We partner with such groups and hospitals throughout the state and are thankful for these relationships.
But it is the academic centers that lead the way in unlocking cancer’s mysteries.
The mission of academic centers is to achieve medical and scientific breakthroughs, deliver them to patients, and to train the next generation of physicians and researchers. Such centers are collections of talented people collaborating to help patients today while searching out or developing better treatments for the future.
Physicians, researchers, patients, loved ones, family members and supporters – we’re all in this together. Much work lies ahead, but much progress is being made through cancer research. We have a lot to be optimistic about.
Stay tuned as we bring you up-to-date on cancer from the clinic and research bench.