Celebrating more than six decades of Making Cancer History, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is located in Houston on the sprawling campus of the Texas Medical Center. It is one of the world's most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention.

M. D. Anderson was created by the Texas Legislature in 1941 as a component of The University of Texas System, and the faculty numbers 1,170 – both M.D.s and Ph.D.s. M. D. Anderson is one of the nation's original three Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Act of 1971 and is one of 52 Comprehensive Cancer Centers today.

M. D. Anderson, ranked among the nation's top two cancer hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s "America's Best Hospitals" survey since its inception 15 years ago, has been ranked number one four times in the last five years.

Education

About 3,200 students take part in educational programs each year, which includes physicians, scientists, nurses and many health professionals. For the first time, M. D. Anderson is offering bachelor's degrees in five allied health disciplines.More than 900 clinical residents and fellows come to M. D. Anderson each year to receive specialized training in the investigation and treatment of cancer. Nearly 500 graduate students are working on advanced degrees at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, which M. D. Anderson runs jointly with the UT Health Science Center at Houston. Almost 900 research fellows are being trained in M. D. Anderson's laboratories.

Thousands more participate in continuing education and distance learning opportunities sponsored by M. D. Anderson, sharing knowledge around the globe. Likewise, M. D. Anderson provides public education programs to teach healthy individuals about cancer symptoms and risk factors, and how to make critical health care decisions when necessary.

Research

At M. D. Anderson, important scientific knowledge gained in the laboratory is rapidly translated into clinical care. In 2004, the institution spent more than $282 million in research, an increase of more than 110 percent in the last six years. M. D. Anderson now ranks first in the number of grants awarded and total amount of grants given by the National Cancer Institute. M. D. Anderson holds nine NCI Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grants: lung, bladder, prostate, ovarian, head and neck, pancreatic and endometrial cancers, leukemia and melanoma. The research program is considered one of the most productive efforts in the world aimed solely at cancer.

Patient Care

Since 1944, more than 600,000 patients have turned to M. D. Anderson for cancer care in the form of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy or combinations of these and other treatments. This multidisciplinary approach to treating cancer was pioneered at M. D. Anderson. Because they focus only on cancer, experts here are renowned for their ability to treat all types of cancer, including rare or uncommon diseases.

This year, more than 70,000 persons with cancer will receive care at M. D. Anderson, and about 25,000 of them will be new patients. Approximately one third of these patients come from outside Texas seeking the research-based care that has made M. D. Anderson so widely respected. More than 12,000 patients participated in clinical research exploring novel therapies and diagnostic tests in 2004, the largest such program in the nation.

M. D. Anderson holds accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). In 2001, M. D. Anderson was awarded Magnet Nursing Services Recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Prevention

Recognizing that, ultimately, prevention is the best way to eliminate the threat of cancer, M. D. Anderson has initiated a multifaceted effort. Expanded research efforts in epidemiology and behavioral sciences complement achievements made in the clinical cancer prevention arena. Laboratory activities support developmental and practical applications of cancer prevention. A new research program will focus attention on disparities in prevention and care among ethnic minorities and medically underserved populations. The Cancer Prevention Center provides comprehensive cancer screening services, including cancer risk assessment, screening exams based on age and gender, personalized risk-reduction strategies, genetic testing, chemoprevention, tobacco cessation and nutrition counseling.

Human Resources

Facilities

The size of the institution has increased about 50 percent in size in the last five years. The physical plant includes an in-patient pavilion with 475 beds, clinical research building, outpatient clinic building, a faculty office building and a patient-family hotel. By 2006, five more new buildings will be in operation, including a proton therapy center, the George and Cynthia Mitchell Research Building, the Ambulatory Clinical Building, the Cancer Prevention Center and a new South Campus Research Building.

For more information about M. D. Anderson, visit our Web site at www.mdanderson.org or call 1-800-392-1611.