Dear Friends,
The pace of cancer care innovation has accelerated rapidly in the last 10 years. It’s one of the most exciting areas of medical discovery today.
Many of the most impactful breakthroughs – in immunotherapy, precision medicine, integrative oncology and more – have been made possible because of donor support. Your investments in City of Hope® are truly extending and saving lives every day.
Today, there is SO much reason for hope. But there is a catch. The latest advances aren’t making their way to everyone who needs them.
Harlan Levine, M.D., City of Hope's president of health innovation and policy, talked about this issue at the recent 2024 SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas. Along with Ysabel Duron from The Latino Cancer Institute and Erika Smith from Los Angeles Times, he led a panel to discuss policies and partnerships that can help address systemic barriers to cancer care.
In one striking example, he explained how more than 50% of people with metastatic lung cancer don’t get appropriate treatment that could significantly extend their lives. This is happening even though researchers developed new therapies and care guidelines more than 10 years ago. We can’t let this continue.
The world’s most advanced care is meaningless if you can’t access it. That’s why City of Hope is working to bring the latest advances to more patients, families and communities nationwide — and we aren’t doing it alone. Donor support is accelerating efforts to scale our national system so that we can provide the newest and best treatment options to more people in more locations.
As you’ll read in this newsletter, our expanded presence in Orange County, California, is helping to tackle a growing cancer incidence among young people. And we recently expanded our Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cell Therapy Program to City of Hope Atlanta, which means that these lifesaving therapies are now available at all City of Hope cancer centers nationwide. In the spirit of access and ending cancer for all, you’ll notice our annual Walk for Hope is now available in more locations with participants raising money for all types of cancer research.
There are dozens of other innovative initiatives underway, thanks to collaboration with community partners, policy makers, employers, patients and our philanthropic community. I look forward to sharing more about these efforts in the future.
Access is everything. And with your support, we’ll make sure every person living with cancer — regardless of race or region — has an equal opportunity for hope.
With appreciation,
Kristin J. Bertell
Chief Philanthropy Officer