The Cancer Center's Economic Impact

Did you know that for every dollar the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center receives, we can leverage that for as much as $14 from external funding sources, including federal agencies such as the National Cancer Institute or the National Institutes of Health.

Turning $1 into $14 makes a definite economic impact, not just at UAB, but across Birmingham. Learn more by watching this short video, and then visit our website to find out how you can get involved in helping us achieve our vision of eliminating cancer as a major public health problem!

What if Birmingham was known as the city that cured cancer?

Birmingham, Ala., is known for many being things. The Magic City. The Pittsburgh of the South. One of the hottest food cities in the nation.


But what if Birmingham was known as the city that cured cancer? With this city being home to the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, we think that dream isn't that far-fetched. In fact, we have hundreds of scientists, physicians and other staff working every day to make that vision a reality.

To learn more about the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, and how you can get involved in the fight against cancer, visit our website.

Celebrate Life on National Cancer Survivors Day

June 7 is National Cancer Survivors Day

National Cancer Survivors Day

Sunday, June 7, 2015, is the 28^th Annual National Cancer Survivors Day, created by the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation. Communities all over the world will be celebrating life and raising awareness of the issues of cancer survivorship. This day offers an opportunity for all people living with a history of cancer – including America’s more than 14 million cancer survivors – to connect with each other, celebrate milestones and those who have supported them along their journey. It is also a time to reveal the ongoing challenges of cancer survivorship to show the need for more resources, research and survivorship legislation to improve each cancer survivor's quality of life.

After cancer treatment, it is important that survivors start follow-up care to develop a wellness plan that includes ways a patient can take care of their physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs. Many cancer survivors find that after treatment is a good time to make general lifestyle choices, as well as find a trusted therapist or counseling program that helps a patient cope with how cancer has affected their lives mentally.   

Why UAB?

UAB’s Supportive Care and Survivorship Clinic specializes in long-term/follow-up care after cancer.  This clinic is dedicated to planning for your survivorship and helping you make it through treatment as a whole person the day you are diagnosed. Our team includes doctors, physician assistants and nurses who have expertise in pain and symptom management, psychologists, therapists, dieticians, massage therapists, movement therapists and others. Services include: 

·         Couples Counseling

·         Faith or Spiritual Counseling

·         Family Support Programs

·         Genetic Counseling

·         Home Care Services

·         Individual Counseling

·         Nutritionist/Dietitian Consulting

·         Occupational Therapy  

The Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program focuses its research efforts on an improved understanding of the unique needs of childhood cancer survivors. UAB was one of the first 10 institutions nationwide to focus on childhood cancer survivorship as an initial participant in the National Cancer Institute funded Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. The Taking on Life After Cancer (TLC) Clinic focuses on improving the health and well-being of childhood cancer survivors, and is the only clinic of its kind in Alabama. 

To make an appointment with the Supportive Care and Survivorship Clinic, please contact us at (205) 801-8624. Visit our website for more information. Your support is greatly appreciated! To donate, click here.

Why Give Wednesday: May is National Cancer Research Month

What exactly is cancer research?

By definition, cancer research is the process of studying cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. Most cancer research can be organized into three categories: basic, translational and clinical. Basic research involves learning more about how a cancer cell is different from a regular cell. In many cases, scientists will study models of cancer that are grown in a laboratory or in animal models. Clinical cancer research deals with patients directly. Scientists use clinical research to test everything from new surgical techniques to new treatments. Translational cancer research combines the previous two methods by taking the results of basic research, bringing it to the clinic for patients, then studying the new results and effects further back in the laboratory.

Why is cancer research important?

Almost everyone in the United States can say he or she knows or has known someone who has been diagnosed with cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, the U.S. alone can expect more than 1.6 million diagnoses of various types of cancer, and more than half a million deaths attributed to cancer just this year. While these numbers are still high, the amount of people who have survived cancer is higher than ever before. Our understanding of the disease and its treatments expands further with every passing day. Why? Because developing cancer research has given us more opportunities than ever before to save lives. 

Why give to the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center? 

UAB is one of the nation's leading cancer research centers and is the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in a six-state area that includes Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina. In the past, the Cancer Center's physician-scientists have helped generate some of the most significant breakthroughs in cancer research, and translate this research into patient treatments, often long before any other hospital.

The Cancer Center's mission is to provide the highest quality of life to any person diagnosed with cancer, while progressing that world's understanding of cancer and translating this knowledge into prevention, detection, treatment and survivorship. The people who work every day at the Cancer Center intend to eliminate cancer as a major public health problem, and every donation provides the support to one day realize this vision. 

Visit our website for more information. Your support is greatly appreciated! To donate, click here.

UAB Cancer Center Spotlight: Freda Lewis

Q & A with Freda Lewis
Clinical Trials Administrator

Tell us about yourself.

"I am a single mother to my daughter who is now 34, I am from Birmingham and have lived here all of my life. I enjoy volunteering at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama, Relay for Life, the Deep South Network for Cancer Control, and I am adviser to the Komen Foundation. I love reading and cheering on the Birmingham Barons and Auburn Tigers." 

How long have you been at UAB?

"I have been at UAB for 26 years, 14 of which have been at the Cancer Center. I started in the Clinical Trials Network, which evolved to where I work today."

Why Give Wednesday: Breast Cancer

What is Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is a malignant (cancer) tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. It occurs in both men and women, although male breast cancer is rare. It is estimated that there will be 232,570 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women this year and about 40,000 women will not survive. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.

What is UAB doing to find the cure?

The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center is a nationally recognized leader in the field of breast cancer research. The center is one of only 11 institutions in the nation to hold a SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) grant in breast cancer. These highly prestigious grants are designed to move research findings quickly and safely from the laboratory to the clinical setting.

Komen Promise Grant awardees at UAB

The Cancer Center is also a member of the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium, a national group of 14 research centers that conducts innovative, high-impact clinical trials in breast cancer. Also, in 2009, the Cancer Center was awarded a $6.4-million Promise grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation to study triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disease.

Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama

Since 1996, the BCRFA has raised and invested nearly $4 million dollars of seed money to pave the way for the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center to receive sought-after and sustaining grant dollars. These funds have been instrumental in developing the following:

-$11.5 Million Dollar Grant Pilot funding that led to the receipt and renewal of the Breast Cancer SPORE Grant (Specialized Program of Research Excellence)

-Microarray Facility Helped create the UAB CCC Microarray Facility that can determine the genetic footprint of breast cancers

-$6.4 Million Dollar Grant Pre-clinical lab testing to prepare for a $6.4 million Promise Grant from the Komen Foundation to change the prognosis and treatment of Triple Negative Breast Cancer

-Imaging Facility Helped fund the In Vivo Imaging facility which supports Three Distinct Research Studies in breast cancer
-Talent Funds to recruit and retain world-class breast cancer researchers

Dr. Edward Partridge, UAB CCC director

“The BCRFA works tirelessly to raise money for breast cancer research at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.  Their investment provides essential pilot funding for several projects that have potential to translate into new discoveries for cures and disease modifying treatments. This philanthropic support is absolutely critical, enabling us to receive additional, high-profile grants, as well as recruit and retain world-renowned breast-cancer researchers. For every dollar we receive from charitable contributions, the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center is able to generate an average of $16 in federal and other funding.” - Dr. Edward Partridge, UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Director

The Breast Health Center at UAB

The UAB Breast Health Center is a leader in breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and research. With a multi-team approach to caring for patients battling breast cancer, the UAB Breast Health Center provides state-of-the-art treatment options and follow-up care. The Breast Health Center has a team of physicians with a strong passion for breast cancer and the patients it touches. Because our physicians are nationally recognized breast cancer specialists in oncology, hematology, surgical oncology, and radiation oncology, you can rest assured you’re receiving the best care available. We work with specialists in other areas of care when necessary to give you a comprehensive approach to treatment.

Why Choose UAB?
The Breast Health Center at UAB is unique in that we offer comprehensive breast health services that include screening, risk assessment, prevention strategies, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and research. The UAB Breast Health Center has earned full accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a group of professional organizations from around the country dedicated to improving the quality of care and the monitoring of outcomes for patients with diseases of the breast. You can reach the UAB Breast Health Center at 205.801.8266.

Visit our website for more information, your support is greatly appreciated. Donations are accepted here. 

Why Give Wednesday: Gynecologic Oncology

Who is affected by gynecologic oncology?

All women are at risk for gynecologic cancers, and risk increases with age. Gynecologic malignancies are the fourth most common cancers among American women. Every year 80,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with gynecologic cancer. The five main types are cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, vaginal cancer, and vulvar cancer.

Why UAB?

        Each year, the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center treats more than 2,500 women battling these cancer diagnoses. The UAB Division of Gynecologic Oncology is a multidisciplinary team of specialty physicians, nurses, and consultants providing comprehensive, compassionate care in treating women’s cancers.

        “One of the many reasons why women should consider coming to UAB is that taking care of women with cancer is more than just being a good surgeon. We very much recognize that it is a team approach and that’s exactly the philosophy that UAB has,” Professor Warner Huh, M.D., a UAB gynecologic oncologist says. “We take care of our patients from the moment they are diagnosed, to doing their surgery, to even the administration of their chemo after surgery as well.” 

        UAB is nationally renowned for its care of patients with women’s cancers and is recognized as one of the leading gynecologic oncology research divisions in the world. UAB was one of just five institutions to be awarded a Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in ovarian cancer by the National Cancer Institute and currently is partnered with Johns Hopkins in a cervical cancer SPORE. Researchers at UAB were also instrumentally involved in the development and approval of Gardasil, the world’s first HPV vaccine.

         "UAB is one of the biggest biomedical institutions in the world. We have clinical trials that no one else has; not only in the state of Alabama, but within the region as well as the entire U.S. The aggregative care the patients receive at UAB is truly unique and truly focused on finding the best possible care for the individual woman,” Dr. Huh says.

 What is your next move?

• Get Screened- When gynecologic cancers are found early treatment works best. Screening and self-examinations conducted regularly can result in the detection of certain types of gynecologic cancers in their earlier stages, when treatment is more likely to be successful and a complete cure is a possibility.

• Change Your Lifestyle - Diet, exercise and lifestyle choices play a significant role in the prevention of cancer. 

• Do Your Research- Additionally, knowledge of family history can increase the chance of prevention or early diagnosis by determining if someone may have a gene which makes them susceptible to cancer.

• Make a Donation - We utilize state-of-the-art technology to screen for and treat all types of gynecologic cancers, and our research team is dedicated to improving treatments, and, ultimately, finding a cure for these cancers. Your specific donation toward the gynecologic cancer of your choice will help make breakthrough discoveries and help our physicians provide personalized, passionate care to the women affected by this disease.

All donations are welcome and can be given through our website.

Why Give Wednesday: The Forgotten Cancer

Brain Cancer

The Forgotten Cancer

Brain cancer is a disease of the brain in which cancer cells arise in the brain tissue. Cancer cells grow to form a mass of cancer tissue, a tumor, that interferes with brain functions such as muscle control, sensation, memory, and other normal body functions.

The lack of funding for brain cancer research is why brain cancer is often called the "forgotten cancer." Only about 1 percent of national funding is dedicated to brain cancer research. But did you know that 20-40 percent of all cancers spread to the brain? Brain cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children. It is also the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in males aged 20-39.  Awareness of the magnitude of brain tumors are so important, and it is UAB's mission to eliminate cancer. The best way to find the cure is through research, and without funding, research cannot happen. 

Brain cancer can arise from many different types of brain cells or occur when cancer cells from another part of the body spread to the brain. The causes of brain cancer are difficult to prove. Treatments usually are directed by a team of doctors and are designed for the individual patient; treatments may include surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy, often in combination. Depending on the brain cancer type and overall health status of the patient, brain cancer frequently has only a fair to poor prognosis.

UAB is committed to the care of our patients. It is our goal to make valuable and innovative contributions to the field of neuroscience through a diverse, rigorous, enduring clinical and laboratory research effort. UAB is nationally ranked among other neurology programs, and it is our mission to forge partnerships and reach out to the community to improve health and quality of life throughout the state, nation and world. 

The Comprehensive Cancer Center Neuro-Oncology Program consists of a multi-disciplinary team all devoted to the care and treatment of patients with brain tumors and neurologic complications of systemic cancers. This team includes Neurosurgeons, Radiation Oncologists, Neuro-Oncologists, Neuropathologists, Neuropsychologists, Nurse Practitioners, and Research Scientists.

The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center is a leader in brain tumor research, currently being one of only a few institutions in the nation to hold a SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) grant in brain tumor research from the NCI. This grant allows the Cancer Center to conduct research that can be quickly and safely translated from the laboratory bench to the patient bedside. 

Statistics suggest that brain cancer occurs infrequently and is likely to develop in about 23,000 new people per year with about 13,000 deaths as estimated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and American Cancer Society.

Brain tumors are the…

second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children (males and females) under age 20

second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in males ages 20-39

fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in females ages 20-39

How can you help?

Your donation will help create new research funds to support research projects, pilot projects, and bridge funding for investigators in our areas of disease focus.

Support new fellows and fellowship programs so that we can continue to educate and mentor young clinicians and investigators within the department.

Establish funds to support clinical programs/clinical research in chronic disease areas such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS), myasthenia gravis, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease, and in prevention and education programs in cognitive health and stroke/cerebrovascular disease.

Establish new endowed chairs, professorships, lectureships, fellowships, and scholarships.

All donations are welcome and can be given through our website. 

UAB offers world-renowned specialists in the care of surgical brain tumors. Our neurosurgeons are board-certified or board-eligible, and are active contributors to the cutting-edge of brain tumor therapy, nationally. All neurosurgeons are currently accepting patients.

Rally for Medical Research

Today, I had the opportunity to participate in the Rally for Medical Research in Washington, D.C. More than 80 national organizations and institutions are participating in this effort to call on our nation's policymakers to make life-saving medical research funding a priority. The goal is raise awareness among members of Congress and the general public about the critical need for a sustained investment in the National Institutes of Health, which is the largest source of funding for medical research in the world.

I've written previously about the importance of funding medical research and how in today's economic climate, that funding is tougher than ever to receive. That still holds true today. Now even more so, because sequestration is slashing the NIH budget by 5.1 percent, or approximately $1.5 billion. This makes it extremely difficult to keep pace with the rate of biomedical inflation.

Funding for research does more than just save lives. It also fuels the economy and creates jobs. NIH funding supports research by 325,000 scientists at more than 3,000 universities and other entities across the United States, including the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. Thanks to that research, we have made unprecedented advances in science and medicine that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Now is the time for us to move full steam ahead, and not linger behind.

If you would like to see an end to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other diseases, I encourage you to contact your congressional representative and tell them to make funding for medical research a national priority. All of our lives depend on it.

-Ed Partridge, M.D.