Advances in early detection, more personalized treatments and breakthrough research are transforming outcomes in powerful ways. And here is something I find deeply encouraging: more people are surviving cancer than ever before. The five-year survival rate has reached an all-time high of 70%, and more than 18 million cancer survivors are living in the United States today — a number that would have felt unimaginable just a generation ago. Here in Orange County, that progress is closer to home than ever.
At City of Hope Orange County, our vision has been simple: to bring world-class cancer care closer to the community — prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship — all connected on our 72-acre academic campus in Irvine and designed around patients and families. You no longer have to travel far to access nationally recognized expertise. It is here.
One truth I’ve learned over more than 40 years in healthcare is this: early detection saves lives.
More cancers are being diagnosed in people under 50, especially women. Yet many women postpone their own screenings because life feels too full or someone else’s needs feel more urgent. If that sounds familiar, let me offer a gentle nudge — not just as a healthcare leader, but as a neighbor and a friend — your health matters.
We offer convenient access to colonoscopies and mammograms, some of the most effective tools for detecting cancer early, when it is most treatable. Taking time for a routine screening today can change the course of your future and protect the moments that matter most.
We are equally committed to prevention and early discovery. In Orange County, we are leading a groundbreaking study to better understand why our community is considered a hotspot for gastric cancer — work that could help identify risk earlier and guide smarter screening strategies. And through our colleagues at Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), a City of Hope affiliate focused on genomic science, researchers are developing blood-based tests designed to detect subtle molecular signals of pancreatic cancer long before symptoms appear. This type of research — using advanced genetics and precision medicine — represents the future of catching cancer earlier, when treatment can be more effective.
My hope in sharing this is simple: that you feel confident taking that next step. Confident to schedule the screening. Confident to ask questions. Confident to make your health a priority. Because when you care for yourself, you are caring for your family.
As a mom and grandmother, and as someone working every day to expand exceptional healthcare here in Orange County, I want you to know this: you are not alone. I hope you never need us, but if you do, City of Hope is here with extraordinary expertise, compassionate care, and hope.
Annette M. Walker is the president of City of Hope Orange County and Ronald & Sandi Simon Presidential Chair, a mother of six, and a grandmother of fifteen.
To schedule a mammogram at City of Hope Orange County, call 949-671-4100. Or to schedule a colonoscopy call 800-826-4673.
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