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Ground broken for addition to Hollings Cancer Center Groundbreaking ceremonies for the seven-story addition to the Medical University’s Hollings Cancer Center were held Thursday, Dec. 13.  The new building will be immediately adjacent to the existing facility and will occupy the corner of Jonathan Lucas and Sabin streets. Passageways will connect the two buildings. The $39.9 million expansion project will be in two phases, with the first new-construction phase scheduled for completion late in 2003. This will be followed by a phase II renovation of the existing facility during an18-month period. Clinical activities have expanded significantly since the Hollings Cancer Center opened in 1993, with the number of yearly patients visits doubling since 1993. Research activities have expanded even more dramatically. In 1993, there were $2.4  million in extramurally funded cancer research activities within the Hollings Center. These activities have increased nearly fourfold, reaching $7.7 million at the end of FY 2001.  This, combined with other cancer-related research on the MUSC campus, brings the total funding for cancer-related research at MUSC to $44 million. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in South Carolina, accounting for 22 percent of all deaths. Compared with other states, South Carolina ranks second in the nation in oral/pharynx cancer deaths and multiple myeloma deaths and third in the nation in prostate cancer deaths.  In pancreas, esophagus, cervix and larynx deaths, South Carolina ranks fourth, fifth, eighth and 10th respectively. “The expansion of our facility will help us address this problem,” said Carolyn E. Reed, M.D., a nationally known thoracic oncology surgeon, who has served as director of the Hollings Cancer Center since July 2000.  “It will bring clinical care in direct proximity with basic scientists who are in the laboratory seeking solutions.  Our goal is to bring the results of laboratory research to the patient care arena as rapidly as possible.”  An example of this can be seen in work of a HCC researcher who discovered molecular techniques to determine which patients are at high risk for recurrence of breast cancer. This is an important determination because the physician’s treatment decisions  are based on likelihood of recurrence. The molecular techniques came from Hollings Cancer Center’s basic science laboratories and now are being tested in clinical trials not only here but in institutions across the country. “We hope to achieve similar results with  prostate, head and neck, lung and other cancers affecting South Carolinians,” said Reed. The top four floors of the new building will be devoted to research activities. An important component of the expansion will be additional space for prevention and control activities. The new facilities will have a designated area for these activities, but all clinics will contain elements of prevention and control.  The facility will be a legacy to Senator Hollings,” said Reed. “It will impact the health and well-being of South Carolinians for generations to come. Without the senator’s vision and ambition we wouldn’t be here today, breaking ground for a facility that will do so much for the people of our state.” “The Hollings Cancer Center is very much a statewide center,”  said Reed.  “The new facility will help us provide more services to physicians and patients outside the Charleston area through the expansion of our telehealth programs.  Our goal is to make promising clinical trials and new treatment options available to patients across the state, working closely with their personal physicians in their home communities. Additionally, we are very concerned about other access-to-care issues and have already instituted a mobile health unit and an African-American access network as part of our outreach activities.” The new facility provides additional space needed to expand these activities.  A total of 118,000 square feet will be added.  The first floor will be dedicated to patient services, including radiation oncology, an auditorium to be used for education, a resource library, and patient amenities such as the appearance center, chapel and café. The second and third floors will house multi disciplinary clinics and facilities for administration of clinical trials.  In addition, the third floor will contain a chemotherapy treatment area which will overlook the “healing garden.” The garden, a gift from Edwin Pearlstine of Charleston, will provide a soothing, quiet atmosphere with secluded areas, water and winding paths. It was planned with the patients in mind and will provide an area where patients and their families can relax and reflect. “In expanding our cancer center, one of the main goals is to provide a facility that is patient oriented,” said Reed. “Our patients are frequently under a great deal of stress, and we want to make them as comfortable as possible.” Architecturally, the new building was designed to complement the existing building and not overpower it due to its size, according to  Charles Cheek of HOK Architects Inc., of Atlanta, project manager for the addition. The architectural detailing of the addition also takes clues from the molding details on the existing building, creating a common language and tying the two together. The new building will be brick and cast stone to match the materials on the existing cancer center.  A great deal of wood and stone are utilized in the interior design, giving a feeling of warmth and beauty. The first floor will feature a sculpture by a South Carolina artist. “The new addition will also complement the Charleston and MUSC skylines at night,” said Cheek. “The building is contemporary in appearance and is forward looking as it serves the Hollings Cancer Center into the 21st century, yet respects the history of the cancer center and the Medical University of South Carolina.”