Moon Shots Program 1-year milestones
Annual Report 2013 : seminal discoveries, seismic changes
The Oncology Expert Advisor
There were 14.1 million new cancer cases worldwide in 2012.
Most cancer patients can't travel to MD Anderson for the expert care that comes from more than 70 years of institutional expertise fighting the disease. In the short term, the fastest way to improve patient outcomes on a global level is to elevate and standardize cancer care in communities served by MD Anderson’s network of partners throughout the U.S. and around the world.
Infographic: Michael Clarke
What OEA can do tomorrow:
Extend the reach of MD Anderson care beyond Houston, the state of Texas and the United States by capturing its oncology expertise and delivering it to a larger group of patients. In turn, that rising sea of patient data, which is increasingly more representative of the world’s population, informs OEA to continuously supply patients and providers with the best options and improve outcomes.
Share up-to-date knowledge about treatment plans, clinical trials and potential complications with oncologists worldwide. Global access to MD Anderson’s expertise can raise the standard of cancer care for all. As it serves as a virtual advisor, OEA collects data from a larger and more diverse patient population.
Infographic: Michael Clarke
See what can happen in a year at Moon Shots Milestones.
More Stories From Annual Report
Going beyond skin-deep, to the molecular level
As a dermatologist and dermatopathologist, Kenneth Tsai, M.D., Ph.D., has set his sights on preventing squamous cell carcinoma — the second most common form of skin cancer in the United States.
Working for inheritors of higher risk
People with inherited conditions that raise their risk of developing certain cancers, such as colon cancer, deal with a lot of anxiety that comes from uncertainty about their health. Hopefully, the work of Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez will one day alleviate that risk.
Paving the way for trailblazers
Dallas’ Lyda Hill is determined to help solve “the mystery that is cancer.”
Ovarian cancer screening is put to the test, with encouraging results
An old blood test now offers new hope and possibility.
MD Anderson's 'protein pioneer'
In 1983, Robert Bast Jr., M.D., and his colleagues published a seminal paper in the New England Journal of Medicine detailing his discovery of the protein CA-125 and its value in helping to predict if ovarian cancer might recur.
A revolutionary war against cancer
Imagine if oncologists around the world had access to the expertise of MD Anderson’s physicians. The standard of cancer care would be greatly improved, and lives would be saved.
The resistance fighter
Historically, research and patient care have been kept separate or “siloed.” Guillermo Garcia-Manero wants to change that.
Triumph after a trial and tribulations
When Mary Cates was told she had cancer, she didn’t flinch . . . either time.
Cracking the cancer code
Cancer is a genomic disease, and Harshad Mahadeshwar’s job is to decode its weaknesses.
Training days
MD Anderson system is bolstered by Graduate Medical Education’s homegrown experts
With two, they’ve won
A year in, this duo of deans is racking up the accomplishments
Unleashing the immune system’s attack dogs
The first drug to improve the survival of people with end-stage melanoma works because of what it doesn’t do: attack tumors directly.
Trial fits attack on melanoma to a T
By boosting the number of T cells in his patients, Patrick Hwu is watching their immune systems defeat cancer.
The clone wars
Michael Gunter’s had time to think about melanoma.
Born to beat cancer
Marit Peterson may be genetically predisposed to melanoma, but the disease was no match for her and her team.
Strength in numbers: Send in the reinforcements
When immune system T cells that can’t kill a patient’s cancer get a shot at those same tumor cells in the lab, it’s another story altogether.
Building a better T cell
Treatments relying on T cells, a key component of the body’s immune system, have had significant success, but a new experimental method customizes naturally produced cells to sharpen their attack on cancer.
When good genetic mutation goes bad
Generally speaking, hypermutation and DNA damage in a cell are bad things. That is, unless you’re talking about an immune system B cell.
The Nocturnal Program: Care, uninterrupted
The Nocturnal Program ensures a seamless transition from day to night for patients
Nights are a good fit for Day
When Lakeisha Day sees a patient in the wee hours, she knows she needs to make the most of their limited time together.
Getting a lot out of giving
Gloria Ayala walked into a hospital room and found a mother pacing while her daughter lay in bed. When Ayala was greeted with a big hug, she realized the experience was what being an MD Anderson volunteer was all about.
Nowhere to hide
By exposing cancer cells, fluorescence makes surgeons’ jobs easier.
Team is the heart of the Head and Neck Center
Treating cancer while preserving form and function.
Free of cancer and full of thanks
Gift of gratitude boosts head and neck cancer research
Areas of expertise
Growing network of hospitals expands opportunities to end a global crisis