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Hollings pursues NCI-designation, raises stakes for quality cancer care

by Cindy Abole
Public Relations
Well on the way to achieving an elite status as one of the nation’s top cancer centers and research institutions, the Hollings Cancer Center has spanned two major hurdles: it won a major planning grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and broke ground on a major building expansion.

“NCI-designated cancer centers are facilities on the cutting-edge of research,” said Carolyn E. Reed, M.D., Director of the Hollings Cancer Center. “We have to be able to transition results from our laboratories to the clinics. Accomplishing that takes an incredible infrastructure. Much of this past year has been devoted to preparing for this.”

The center won a three-year NCI Center Planning Grant, providing funding each year to help  accomplish these efforts. 

Last December, MUSC broke ground in the first phase of a 112,500-square-foot expansion of the HCC at the corner of Jonathan Lucas and Sabin streets. The construction will consolidate cancer care services into one facility.

Gaining NCI designation has been Reed’s utmost objective since being named director of the cancer center almost two years ago. Just months after assuming her new role, she met with NCI officials to determine what steps were necessary to achieve NCI-designated status. She and her staff have spent the last 10 months evaluating, reorganizing and recruiting the talent to help forge this dream into a reality to ultimately benefit the state’s thousands of cancer patients and survivors.

“Dr. Reed is working hard to build upon our many strengths and assure excellence throughout our program,” said MUSC President Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D. “This must be a team effort, with many clinical and basic science departments participating in the effort. She has brought focus and energy to this effort and I am confident that we will succeed in securing designation.”

Achieving NCI status is defined as a three-tiered process. First, a center must create and establish an infrastructure to support core cancer facilities within their program. Secondly, the science must be in place in order to conduct clinical trials. Finally, NCI requires centers to develop effective prevention and control programs that bridge education and efforts within communities.

HCC is currently South Carolina’s only cancer center seeking NCI-designated status. Once achieved, it will join neighboring comprehensive and clinical cancer center programs such as Duke, University of North Carolina, Wake Forest, University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB), H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa) and St. Jude’s Hospital (Memphis).

“The goal of achieving NCI designation is important, not just because of the resources that it provides,” Greenberg said. “It is a measure of excellence that assures patients that they are receiving state-of-the-art care in an environment that is advancing the frontiers of science.”

Working under the guidance of Hollings Cancer Center’s External Scientific Advisory Board, Reed’s initial task was to focus on organizing a basic science infrastructure and core cancer facilities. Another center priority is developing a sound scientific base to conduct clinical trials. 

Last June, HCC began to facilitate recognition of scientific activities on campus and promote collaboration between basic researchers and clinicians. A portion of this group will continue to meet regularly to focus on various center-specific issues relevant to South Carolina’s population — thoracic, lung, head-and-neck, breast cancers, leukemia/lymphoma, gynecologic and prostate cancer. 

With expansion of research facilities already under way, HCC is avidly involved in the recruitment of experienced and qualified people to meet the center’s immediate needs. Since last year, Reed has named P-30 grant developer Brenda Nickerson, HCC administrator Lin A. Nicolas, Ph.D., and Oncology Clinical Trials office director Rhonda Yusuff to her staff. In addition, she has supported the Department of Medicine in filling-in-the gaps for key appointments in specific research and clinical areas. 

One specialty that has proved successful with the center is prevention and control. Reed beams with pride when she speaks about HCC’s community partnerships and outreach experience among South Carolina communities. Projects like the Hollings Cancer Center mobile health unit, and the new Rise-Sister-Rise cancer support program for Lowcountry African American women have made it possible to bring education and expertise to specific patient populations. The center has successfully collaborated with groups like the American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen Foundation, Charleston Race for the Cure and many other organizations and groups in establishing health awareness programs. 

“Hollings has a very good track record working within various communities,” Reed said, although she’d like to see this develop into more cancer prevention and control-funded research.  Reed’s emphasis is to improve communication and convey a clear understanding about health-related efforts among communities statewide.

“We have an opportunity to build an NCI-designated cancer center,” Reed said. “South Carolina is presently a state with some unique cancer problems—oral, lung, prostate, pancreatic, esophageal, cervical, head-and-neck. Aside from lung, all of these cancers present an incredible disparity for cancer mortality among our population, presenting an immediate challenge for any prevention and control specialist. Our center needs to concentrate on efforts of improvement.”

In adjusting to the rise in cancer admissions within the last decade, Reed sees many advantages in sharing efforts to care for the state’s growing cancer population. Territorial issues among statewide hospitals, clinics and medical centers, along with rising costs make it difficult for some patients to obtain consistent quality care. Reed recognizes that there are many sophisticated cancer programs across the state that can provide excellent care. Communities need to work together to help care for all patients, whether they are insured or uninsured, she said. 

“We are the resource that can help a patient decide what course of treatment and care to take regarding their cancer,” Reed said. “Now, cancer patients won’t need to leave the state to know they can receive state-of-the-art compassionate cancer care, whether it’s here or in their hometown.”

For more information about HCC, visit its Web site at http://danube.musc.edu/ or call the center at 792-9300.