UCI Cancer Center Gets National Recognition

In recognition of its research and community programs, the county’s premier cancer treatment center this week received the National Cancer Institute’s highest designation, placing it in the company of such institutions as Sloan-Kettering in New York and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

UCI’s Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center became a “comprehensive cancer center,” one of only 31 in the nation and three in California, the others being UCLA’s Jonsson and USC’s Norris comprehensive cancer centers. The designation, after a rigorous review at the National Cancer Institute, often results in more research grants and patients.

The 6-year-old institution, part of the UCI Medical Center, was recognized for its basic and clinical research programs as well as its educational and prevention efforts in the community, officials said.

With 135 faculty members, it conducts research into an array of cancers, specializing in melanoma and women’s cancers among others. It sees about 1,500 new patients per year, with 30,000 outpatient visits.