Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center
The Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center is part of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and a Comprehensive Cancer Center. Operating as part of the Nebraska Medicine Cancer Network and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, it provides inpatient and outpatient care including medical, surgical, and radiation oncology clinics, a 24/7 infusion center, radiology, lab services, and patient support.[1]
The Buffett Cancer Center coordinates its patient care services with research and education. Patients are seen at sites across the Omaha metro area and through an affiliate network of hospitals and physicians across the state. The clinical care is complemented by the work done at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Eppley Cancer Center, a multidisciplinary cancer research institute that conducts basic and translational cancer research.
Facts about the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center
The Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center is the only cancer center in Nebraska to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center. It is also a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of 19 of the world’s top cancer centers that develops standards and sets guidelines for treating patients.[1]
Patients treated at the Buffett Cancer Center have access to more than 200 cancer specialists and researchers working together to improve patient outcomes.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center received $173.4 million in research grants in 2022-23.
The Cancer Center and Nebraska Medicine are collaborating with hospitals throughout the state to bring cancer clinical trials to patients within their own communities.
Nebraska Medical Center is listed as one of the 100 greatest hospitals in America by Becker’s Hospital Review.
The two hospitals and clinical practice groups that make up the Nebraska Medical Center provide care for more than half a million patients per year.
Nebraska Medicine saw several state firsts, including the first kidney transplant in 1964, the first bone marrow transplant in 1983, the first liver transplant and the first heart transplant in 1985. In 2014, it became one of three hospitals in the nation to successfully treat patients with the Ebola virus and today it is one of four locations in the country equipped with a specialized Biocontainment Unit for the treatment of highly infectious diseases.
Nebraska Medicine is nationally recognized in oncology and has an international reputation for providing bone marrow and stem cell transplantation services.
History
Nebraska Medicine represents the merger of Clarkson Hospital, founded in 1869, and University Hospital, founded in 1917. The two came together to create the Nebraska Health System in 1996, changing its name to The Nebraska Medical Center in 2003.
Long before the merger, the College of Medicine established the original Eppley Institute in 1960 with funds from the Eugene C. Eppley Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the University of Nebraska. Its purpose was to provide a research center that could perform and encourage studies leading to a better understanding of the causes of cancer, improvements in diagnosing cancer, and improvement of methods for treating and preventing cancer. In 1972 the Eppley Institute became an independent research institute.
In 1983 the institute was awarded a Laboratory Cancer Center Support Grant from the National Cancer Institute. In the same year, the Eppley Cancer Center was founded, later becoming a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in 1999. In 1988 the American Cancer Society awarded the Eppley Institute a Special Institutional Grant in Cancer Cause and Prevention, one of only seven such awards in the nation. The Eppley Cancer Center was renamed the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in 2015 and in 2017 opened its new 10-story cancer research tower and 8-story inpatient hospital and outpatient center.[1]
Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer Care at the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center
Patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer receive expert comprehensive care from the healthcare professionals in the Thoracic Oncology Department. With teams made up of thoracic surgeons, medical oncologists, thoracic radiologists and radiation oncologists, and pulmonologists, patients are offered a personalized care plan representing the most advanced and comprehensive spectrum of treatment options. Surgical procedures offered include bronchoscopy examination and biopsies, lung-sparing surgery, minimally invasive thoracic surgery, and video-assisted robotic surgery. Patients are also able to participate in innovative lung cancer clinical trials as part of their treatment program.[2]
Patients diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma can be treated with the complex procedure known as cytoreductive surgery with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) which has been shown to significantly improve quality of life and extend survival.
Research
Research at the Buffett Cancer Center is divided into four distinct categories, including cancer genes and molecular regulation, molecular biochemical etiology, gastrointestinal cancer, and prevention and control. The center is also actively involved in research into lymphoma, bone marrow transplantation, CAR t-cell therapy, pancreatic cancer, and breast cancer.
Notable Staff and Mesothelioma Specialists
Nebraska Medicine’s staff includes Dr. Rudy P. Lackner and Dr. Erik E. Lewis, thoracic surgical oncologists with practices dedicated to cancers of the chest, and Dr. Jason M. Foster, who operates on patients diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Medical oncologists include Dr. Aparkishor P. Ganti and Dr. Laxmi Narayana R. Buddharaju.[2]
The Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center provides a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach and state-of-the-art treatments and technology for patients diagnosed with lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, and malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.
