Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

• Founded in 1898 as the world's first institute devoted exclusively to cancer research[8] 1884 – On May 31, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is founded as New York Cancer Hospital at 106th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. New York Cancer Hospital is the first institution in the United States devoted exclusively to the treatment and research of cancer.
• Gerty Cori was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.[9]
• The center's first female leader, Candace S. Johnson was named President & CEO in February 2015.[10]
• Leads New York State in the number of robotic cystectomies performed[11]
• Established one of the nation's first long-term survivors clinics for childhood cancer patients[12]

Gerty Cori and Carl Cori jointly won the 1947 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of the way in which the body converts glucose to glycogen.

Drs. Gerty and Carl Cori jointly won the 1947 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, "for their discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen."[13] Their research leading to the discovery began during their tenure at Roswell Park (then called the New York State Institute for the Study of Malignant Diseases), from 1922 to 1931.[14]

Thomas Dao (1921–2009), served as director of the breast surgery department from 1957 to 1988, where he developed breast cancer treatment alternatives.[15]

In 1975, Dr. Thomas Dougherty successfully treated preclinical models of cancer using photodynamic therapy (PDT) techniques for the first time.[16][17] In 1978, he conducted the first PDT clinical trial.[18][19] Today, PDT is an FDA-approved method for treating specific kinds of cancer, and is used around the world.

Research resulting in the discovery of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was led by Dr. T. Ming Chu in the 1970s.[20] His team subsequently developed a way to detect the PSA protein in blood as a simple diagnostic test.[21] Since its FDA approvals in 1986 and 1994, an estimated one billion PSA tests have been given.

Biochemist Marie Hakala, PhD[22][23] first observed that 5-fluorouracil becomes more effective in treating cancer cells when calcium leucovorin is added.[24][25] This discovery paved the way for the development of 5-FU + leucovorin therapy, which was for many years the gold standard of chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.

The mission of Roswell Park is to "eliminate cancer's grip on humanity by unlocking its secrets through personalized approaches and unleashing the healing power of hope".[26]

The Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corporation, which is the name of the New York State public-benefit corporation that operates the center, is guided by a 14-member board of directors (which has its own staff).[27] The management team is headed by President and CEO Candace S. Johnson, PhD, who reports to the board.[28] In 2017, it had operating expenses of $722.45 million, an outstanding debt of $189.67 million, and a staffing level of 2,919 people.[29]

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has received numerous accolades for the quality of healthcare provided.

• In 2020, Roswell Park ranked #14 on U.S. News & World Report's list of the best cancer hospitals in the country,[30][31][32] and was ranked High Performing in the areas of colon cancer surgery[33] and lung cancer surgery.[34]
• Roswell Park has received recognition from Blue Cross Blue Shield as a Blue Distinction Center for Cancer Care,[35] Blood and Marrow Transplants,[36] and Cellular Immunotherapy.[37]
• Roswell Park is recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.[38]
• The American College of Radiology has recognized Roswell Park as a Breast Cancer Center of Excellence.[39]
• Roswell Park is recognized as an Optum Cancer Center of Excellence.[40]
• The Lung Cancer Alliance has recognized Roswell Park as a Screening Center of Excellence.[41]
• Roswell Park is certified as a Quality Oncology Practice Initiative by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.[42]

Roswell Park offers specialized treatments, services and therapies to treat cancer, as well as services to support patients undergoing cancer treatment.[48][49]

Roswell Park was the first American institution to receive FDA permission to conduct clinical trials of CIMAvax, a Cuban medical therapy developed by Centro de Immunologica Molecular, La Habana, Cuba.[50][51]

The Ovarian Cancer SPORE is a collaboration between Roswell Park and University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI). The SPORE project includes multiple research projects, core supportive structures, and career development programs.[52]

Together with the British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada and Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Roswell Park manages the Stacey Scott Lung Cancer Registry.[53]

Founded in 1990 by Dr. Steven Piver, the Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry houses information relating to family history and lifestyle of patients and families with histories of ovarian cancer.[54][55]

Roswell Park collaborates with institutions around the world to strengthen cancer training and research programs.[56]

• Centro de Immunologia Molecular (CIM), Playa, La Habana, Cuba
• Debrecen Medical University, Debrecen, Hungary
• Children’s Cancer Institute in Australia, Sydney, Australia[57]
• Institute of Materia Medica of Nanyang Normal University, China
• Jagiellonian University (JU), Kraków, Poland[58]
• King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia[59]
• Lakeshore Cancer Center (LCC), Lagos, Nigeria[60]
• Maccabi Healthcare Services and University of Haifa, Israel[61]
• National Research Center for Hematology, Moscow, Russia
• Pecs Medical University, Pecs, Hungary
• Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom
• Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
• University of Szeged Medical School, Szeged, Hungary
• University of Waterloo, Canada[62]