University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
The University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan is a renowned research center, a national leader in cancer prevention and early diagnosis, a center for optimal treatment and survivorship care, and a respected institution for training cancer doctors and researchers. Designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, it uses a team-based approach to patient care, research, and education.[1]
The Rogel Cancer Center’s reputation is built on research, innovation, and transdisciplinary collaboration. It places significant emphasis on multidisciplinary care in which treatment plans are developed with input from many experts, including pathologists, radiologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists. Because these practitioners share their experience and knowledge of specific cancers as well as the latest research, patients benefit from the newest forms of treatment and access to groundbreaking clinical trials.
One of the greatest advantages enjoyed by patients seeking care at Rogel Cancer Center is the fact that the University of Michigan spends the second-highest amount on research of all universities in the United States. The cancer center’s physicians collaborate with the scientists conducting this research, often in unique ways, to improve patient outcomes.[2]
Facts about the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center[2]
The University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center is one of only five nationally funded centers dedicated to accelerating research into understanding the molecular basis of cancer.
The Medical School at the University of Michigan was the school’s first professional school and has become a leader in educating and training physicians and medical scientists.
Rogel Cancer Center was named to Becker’s Healthcare 2023’s list of hospitals and health systems with great oncology programs.
Rogel Cancer Center was a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
The University of Michigan is continuously ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best hospitals in the nation for cancer care and No. 1 in the state of Michigan.
The cancer center offers multidisciplinary teams in 17 multidisciplinary clinics and 10 specialty clinics, organized by cancer type.
In 2020, the Rogel Cancer Center’s clinical activities included over 140,000 outpatient visits, over 80,000 infusion treatments, over 1,000 patients enrolled in clinical trials, and achieved a 96% patient satisfaction rating.
The center’s Patient and Family Support Services Program offers more than 30 programs and services led by specialists in psychology, social work, art therapy, nutrition, finance, and other areas.
The University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center consistently ranks in the top ten nationally in grant funding from the National Cancer Institute, receiving more than $160 million in grants per year from the NCI and other agencies.
History
The University of Michigan first approved the establishment of a cancer center in 1986. By 1988, it had been designated a cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, and by 1991 it had been designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center. In 1995 it began providing personalized information about cancer to the community via a Cancer AnswerLine staffed by registered oncology nurses and became a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the world’s leading cancer centers dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of cancer care.
In 2002, a team of University of Michigan researchers received a Head and Neck Cancer SPORE grant and by 2003, the facility’s Center for Health Communications Research was designated a Center of Excellence in Cancer Communications Research by the NCI.
Among the cancer center’s many goals was improving access to cancer treatment for the University of Michigan community, and in 2006 the center began offering infusion services at the U-M Canton Health Care Center. In 2012 the Translational Oncology Program was created to harness the Cancer Center’s expertise in basic science research to facilitate its translation into clinical trials and treatment.
In 2013, the University of Michigan joined the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium, a program whose goal is to transform cancer research through collaborative oncology trials. In 2017, the Forbes Institute for Cancer Discovery was created by a $17.5 million gift, the largest private donation in the school’s history. Most recently, Richard and Susan Rogel donated $150 million to the cancer center to draw on its collaborative research culture and drive cancer research forward.[3]
Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer Care at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
The Rogel Cancer Center offers state-of-the-art treatment to patients diagnosed with lung and malignant pleural mesothelioma, as well as to patients diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma.
Patients with lung cancer, pleural mesothelioma, and other thoracic malignancies are seen by the Lung Cancer Team, which is comprised of thoracic surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, pulmonologists radiologists, pathologists, and nurses. Together, they provide patients with the best possible care while working on finding more effective therapies for these diseases. The Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Clinic evaluates and treats patients with known or suspected lung tumors and conducts weekly multidisciplinary tumor board reviews of each patient.[4]
Treatment and clinical trials focusing on everything from chemoprevention to investigational therapies are offered. Among the innovations available are photodynamic therapy and thoracoscopy, as well as advanced diagnostics and specialized therapies including robotic and video-assisted therapies, and intensity-modulated radiation therapy, while patients diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma may be eligible for cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC — hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy — a treatment that has been shown to significantly improve patient outcomes and extend survival time.
Research
The University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center is known for its scientific excellence. Basic science, clinical research, and cancer control research all come together for the single-minded purpose of improving cancer treatments. The center’s research is divided into seven programs: cancer biology, cancer genetics, cancer hematopoiesis and immunology, developmental therapeutics, translational and clinical research, cancer epidemiology, and health behavior and outcomes. This work is further supported by the Forbes Institute for Cancer Discovery, which supports high-risk, high-reward initiatives to drive new advances in cancer care.
There are currently 24 active clinical trials underway specific to the treatment of lung cancer. Participation in these studies is limited to patients who are under treatment from the Rogel Cancer Center’s Lung Cancer Program. Many of these programs apply to patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma.[4]
Notable Staff and Mesothelioma Specialists
The University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center’s mesothelioma and lung cancer specialists include medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and pulmonologists. Among the most notable of these are medical oncologists Dr. Gregory Peter Kalemkerian and Dr. Bryan J. Schneider; pulmonologists Dr. Douglas Allen Arenberg, Dr. Jose Luis De Cardenas, and Dr. Emily Anne DuComb; and thoracic surgeons Dr. Andrew Ching-Hung Chang, Dr. Kiran Hari Lagisetty, Dr. Jules Lin, Dr. William Robert Lynch, and Dr. Rishindra Mamidi Reddy.[4]
The University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center is a premier academic medical center that offers a multidisciplinary approach for patients diagnosed with lung cancer, pleural mesothelioma, or peritoneal mesothelioma.
