Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a cancer research and treatment center located in Buffalo, New York. Founded by surgeon Roswell Park in 1898, the center was the first in the United States to specifically focus on cancer research. The center is usually called Roswell Park in short. The center, which conducts clinical research on cancer as well as the development new drugs, provides advanced treatment for all forms of adult and pediatric cancer, and serves as a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Until 2025, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center was the only Western New York facility to hold the National Cancer Institute designation of "comprehensive cancer center". The Roswell Park campus, spread out in 15 separate buildings of approximately two million square feet, occupies 28 acres (11 ha) on the 100-acre (40 ha) Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus in downtown Buffalo, and includes 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m2) of space equally distributed between clinical programs and research/education functions. A separate hospital building, completed in 1998, houses a diagnostic and treatment center. The campus also includes a medical research complex as well as research and education focused spaces. History In 1898, the program that would later become the cancer center was established by Roswell Park, who was a professor of surgery at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine. Park said that "Only through a deliberate well-planned, combined attack from various directions by means fitted for such work could real advances be made and further the relationship of laboratory work, clinical study and education must be closely associated." Research started in three rooms in the University of Buffalo School of Medicine but not long thereafter, it outgrew the rooms. Seeing the importance of dedicated cancer research, select Buffalo citizens donated funds to purchase land and construct a new building. The largest contributor was Mrs. William Gratwick (wife of William H. Gratwick, the founder of Gratwick, Smith & Fryer Lumber Co.), who donated $25,000. The Gratwick Research Laboratory of the University of Buffalo was constructed in 1901 and was located at High and Elm streets. Park wrote books, gave lectures, and was the administrator at the cancer research center. In 1904, Park stepped down and Harvey R. Gaylord took over as the center's second director. Park remained as the chairman of the board of trustees. In coming decades the center was renamed the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, a name it retained for decades until 2018, when its current name was implemented. The Roswell Park Cancer Institute was usually called Roswell Park or RPCI for short. Notable facts Founded in 1898 as the world's first institute devoted exclusively to cancer research 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. The center's first female leader, Candace S. Johnson was named President & CEO in February 2015. Leads New York State in the number of robotic cystectomies performed Established one of the nation's first long-term survivors clinics for childhood cancer patients Discoveries and advancements in cancer care Discovery of how the human 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." 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. Alternative breast cancer treatments Thomas Dao (1921–2009), served as director of the breast surgery department from 1957 to 1988, where he developed breast cancer treatment alternatives. Development of photodynamic therapy In 1975, Thomas Dougherty successfully treated preclinical models of cancer using photodynamic therapy (PDT) techniques for the first time. In 1978, he conducted the first PDT clinical trial. Today, PDT is an FDA-approved method for treating specific kinds of cancer, and is used around the world. Discovery of PSA Research resulting in the discovery of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was led by T. Ming Chu in the 1970s. His team subsequently developed a way to detect the PSA protein in blood as a simple diagnostic test. Since its FDA approvals in 1986 and 1994, an estimated one billion PSA tests have been given. Research on 5-fluorouracil + leucovorin Biochemist Marie Hakala, PhD first observed that 5-fluorouracil becomes more effective in treating cancer cells when calcium leucovorin is added. 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. Research on SurVaxM SurVaxM, a cancer immunotherapy vaccine, was awarded orphan drug status by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2017. A phase II clinical trial of SurVaxM has shown that the vaccine, when combined with standard therapy, is more effective than standard therapies alone. Organization Education Roswell Park offers both Master's and PhD programs in Cancer Sciences. These programs are offered in collaboration with the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine. Reputation 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, and was ranked High Performing in the areas of colon cancer surgery and lung cancer surgery. Roswell Park has received recognition from Blue Cross Blue Shield as a Blue Distinction Center for Cancer Care, Blood and Marrow Transplants, and Cellular Immunotherapy. Roswell Park is recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. The American College of Radiology has recognized Roswell Park as a Breast Cancer Center of Excellence. Roswell Park is recognized as an Optum Cancer Center of Excellence. The Lung Cancer Alliance has recognized Roswell Park as a Screening Center of Excellence. Roswell Park is certified as a Quality Oncology Practice Initiative by the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Accreditation Patient care Roswell Park provides comprehensive care for a wide range of cancers. Specialized treatments Roswell Park offers specialized treatments, services and therapies to treat cancer, as well as services to support patients undergoing cancer treatment. Collaborations CIMAvax 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. Ovarian Cancer SPORE 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. Cancer Registries Stacey Scott Lung Cancer Registry Together with the British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada and Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Roswell Park manages the Stacey Scott Lung Cancer Registry. Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry Founded in 1990 by Steven Piver, the Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry houses information relating to family history and lifestyle of patients and families with histories of ovarian cancer. Research and training collaborations Roswell Park collaborates with institutions around the world to strengthen cancer training and research programs. Centro de Immunologia Molecular (CIM), Playa, La Habana, Cuba Debrecen Medical University, Debrecen, Hungary Children’s Cancer Institute in Australia, Sydney, Australia Institute of Materia Medica of Nanyang Normal University, China Jagiellonian University (JU), Kraków, Poland King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia Lakeshore Cancer Center (LCC), Lagos, Nigeria Maccabi Healthcare Services and University of Haifa, Israel 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 See also Erie County Medical Center Nassau University Medical Center Westchester Medical Center University Hospital References