MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA

The MD Anderson Cancer Center, founded in 1941 and located in Houston, Texas, is a world-renowned oncology hospital and one of the three early comprehensive cancer treatment centres designated by the National Cancer Initiative in 1971. It is one of three comprehensive cancer treatment centres designated by the National Cancer Initiative in 1971, one of 39 comprehensive cancer treatment centres currently designated by the Medical Oncology Society, and is recognised as a good cancer hospital.

It has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report for more than 10 years as one of the top hospitals in the country for cancer care and research, and has been ranked in the top two hospitals in the United States for cancer research for seven consecutive years.

Current size
The centre is a leader in the treatment of lung, prostate, ovarian, head and neck, bowel, pancreatic and melanoma cancers, with five-year survival rates of 80% or more for most cancers. The Anderson Cancer Centre has more than 20,000 staff, including nearly 2,000 physicians and over 500 beds, and treats more than 19,000 inpatients from the United States and other countries each year, with 1,800 daily outpatient visits. Each year, the hospital treats more than 100,000 patients from all over the world, including dignitaries, wealthy businessmen and elites. For example, Kun-Hee Lee, former Chairman of the Samsung Group, underwent surgery and follow-up treatment for lung cancer at the Anderson Cancer Centre in 2000.

Treatments for cancer patients at the centre include targeted therapies, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and proton therapy, immunotherapy and a combination of therapies. A multidisciplinary team of specialists works closely together to develop the best treatment plan for patients.

Investment in research
The Anderson Cancer Center invests more than $400 million annually in basic medical research (MD Anderson Cancer Center spent $342 million on research in 2005) and has a number of National Cancer Institute (NCI) funded research programmes. The Centre currently has 10 NCI Advantage research grants for brain tumours, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, leukaemia, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer and melanoma. Each year, more than 1,100 clinical residents attend the Anderson Cancer Centre for specialist training in cancer research and treatment.

The Anderson Cancer Centre has been providing opportunities for Chinese oncologists to learn from the world's most advanced techniques for many years, and almost every leading hospital in China has had doctors and specialists who have attended the Anderson Cancer Centre for further training. For example, academician Sun Yan, a specialist from the Cancer Hospital of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and others.

Gastrointestinal Oncology Centre
The Gastrointestinal Oncology Centre has a highly specialised team of oncologists, medical and surgical specialists and nurses. The team specialises in the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies such as liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, biliary tract cancer, gallbladder cancer, large and small bowel cancer, stomach cancer, oesophageal cancer and rare tumours.
It is the mission of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Centre to provide patients with advanced treatments and the opportunity to participate in clinical trials, and it is the Centre's goal to improve the survival and quality of life of patients with gastrointestinal cancers. Research centre specialists are working to find better treatments and more accurate diagnostic and screening tools that can detect gastrointestinal cancers as early as possible.

Sarcoma Centre
The Sarcoma Centre's team provides comprehensive care for patients with localised sarcomas and metastatic sarcomas. The mission of the Centre is to provide patients with access to high quality treatment and care by offering advanced treatments, aggressive therapies with few side effects and the opportunity to participate in clinical trials. The overall goal of the centre is to improve patient survival and quality of life.
The Centre's clinical trials not only involve innovative drugs, but are also combined with relevant laboratory studies to allow researchers to better understand the biology and nature of how patients respond to drugs.